Inaugural De La Vega Innovation Pitch Competition

The NIU College of Business is pleased to announce the Inaugural De La Vega Innovation Pitch Competition is set for April 14th, 2023, from 10:30-2:00 PM in the De La Vega Innovation Lab!  

Groups of 2-5 undergraduate and/or graduate students from any NIU major can pitch an innovative business idea to a panel of judges for the chance to win seed funding (cash!), and a 6-month premium membership to Innovation DuPage!  

Some key things to know:  

• There are two informational sessions that will double as a Pitching 101 workshop. Students who want to compete must attend one of these two workshops (they can email beccahusar@niu.edu if they have a conflict). The workshops will be in the De La Vega Innovation Lab on 3/21 from 1-2 pm, and 3/31 from 11-12 pm.  
• The deadline to apply is April 7th, EOD
• The Innovation Club is offering appointments to help students refine their Business Models prior to competing (To set up an appointment, email rjurslauderdale@niu.edu with “Pitch Competition Appointment” in the subject line.) 
• Space is limited to 10 teams and will be selected based on “potential for success” and innovative concepts
• Additional information, plus the registration form, can be found here: https://go.niu.edu/innovation-pitch 

*This year’s competition will be a pilot version to identify key logistical needs, and student interest. Therefore, we are expecting most pitches to be in the ideation phase: Student teams should present the groundwork for innovation and problem-solving through a clearly defined business model.  

Please email beccahusar@niu.edu with questions. 

 

 

Now Open: P3 20th Annual RFA

20th Annual People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) National Student Design Competition  Request for Applications (RFA)   APPLY HERE

 

EPA’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet’s (P3) Program is seeking applications from teams of U.S. college students proposing to research, develop, and design solutions to real-world challenges that respond to the needs of people across the U.S, including those in small, rural, tribal, and underserved communities. P3 highlights the use of scientific principles in creating innovative technology-based projects that achieve the mutual goals of improved quality of life, economic prosperity and environmental protection. New Changes to P3! P3 has changed significantly for this year’s 20th National P3 Awards competition! P3 has transitioned to a single phased program, with awards of individual grants of $75,000 for two years. Winning teams will showcase their designs at the National Student Design Expo in year two of their projects. Using a team approach, P3 empowers undergraduate/graduate college students to transform classroom learning through hands-on experience to create tangible solutions to environmental issues in their communities. EPA is looking for research in the areas of: Applications may incorporate climate change and environmental justice as appropriate. Opens: October 4, 2022     Closes: February 1, 2023     Informational Webinar: October 25, 2022 at 2 p.m. ET   REGISTER HERE     Visit the P3 webpagefor more information.

 

APPLY HERE

 

EPA Environmental Justice Video Competition

This is a competition being put on by the EPA! They are having groups of college students (with a faculty advisor) submit videos about EJ. There are two phases, and the video for phase I is due in April 2022. There is a webinar on December 6 at 12ET to go over details about the competition. All the information can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/innovation/environmental-justice-video-challenge-students

Environmental Justice Video Challenge for Students | US EPA EPA and partners launched the EJ Video Challenge for Students. www.epa.gov

 

ORISE Undergraduate Scholarship Competition

Mean, Green Recycling Machines: Undergraduate Scholarship Competition

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is hosting a research-based challenge for undergraduate students! The challenge is for students to develop a website on plastic recycling. Students will research their schools’ current process for recycling plastic and then design/create a strategy to make the process more efficient. Thorough submissions will include further research on the plastic recycling process, benefits of current recycling methods, and process improvement ideas. Your website could win you a $5,000 scholarship!

The deadline for this competition is Tuesday, November 30, 2021, and winners will be announced in late December.

Prizes:

·       1st place: $5,000 scholarship 

·       2nd place: $3,000 scholarship 

·       3rd place: $1,000 scholarship

For more information on the competition, please visit https://orise.orau.gov/resources/stem/scholarships.html. If you have any questions, you can contact STEMEd@orau.org. 

FCCA BioBlitz 2021

 

Join the DOE Geothermal Collegiate Competition this spring!

 

Northern Illinois University's students have been invited to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Collegiate Competition. This spring, students are challenged to design direct-use concepts leveraging geothermal energy to heat and cool buildings, campuses, districts, or entire communities. Participation in this competition is free and offers students the chance to win national recognition and gain real-world renewable energy industry experience—teams will conceive a use case, perform resource and usage assessments, and develop plans alongside community stakeholders. 

A Virtual Competition Offering Real-World Experience. We’re excited to conduct the Geothermal Collegiate Competition in a 100% virtual format. This challenge presents a great opportunity for experiential learning with no need to budget for travel.

This Field is Wide Open for Exploration. The Geothermal Collegiate Competition welcomes teams of at least three students from a broad spectrum of disciplines. The competition is open to students enrolled at accredited collegiate institutions regardless of preexisting knowledge or faculty advisor expertise. Teams can participate as part of a club or extracurricular activity, as a formal component of their coursework, to earn independent study credit, or within a “senior design” or “capstone” program. Additional students can join teams at any time.

Gather your Team and Start Digging in! This is a semester-long competition. Progress submissions are due March 9, 2021. Final competition submittals are due May 4, 2021.

·       Interested in learning more, have questions, or need a promotional flyer to help spread the word? Please respond to this email and I’ll happily share more information. 

·       Join us for an informational webinar on February 10, 2021 at 1:00-2:00 PM EST. Register for the webinar here.

·       Ready to confirm a team? Join the Geothermal Collegiate Competition on HeroX. Create an account and submit a progress form on or before March 9, 2021.

Rally a team and join us for this spring’s competition, and please forward this email to someone else in your network who might be interested! 

 

Thank you for considering this opportunity!