LATEST NEWS & INFO

Will your school join the #STEMpowersOhio Design & Entrepreneurship Challenge? Not sure how to get started? Below is a reminder about timelines and a collection of resources to help you dive in and get moving on this engaging student design challenge.

First, here is an update about the challenge timeline – there is still time to participate this year. The registration deadline is February 15^th.  We already have more than 30 schools registered – but we would love to have more schools and programs join the fun! Register today so we can stay in touch with you throughout the challenge.

School showcases must be held by April 23, 2021. Please email OSLN@battelle.org with your school showcase date and details. We will highlight as many school showcases as possible through our social media channels, but we need school details to make that happen!

Challenge Timeline

• February 15^th, 2021: Registration Deadline.
• February 22^nd, 2021: Information Session: challenge logistics and frequently asked questions. Register HERE to attend.
• January 2021 to April 23^rd, 2021: Connect with partners, complete design challenge with your students, host a school showcase, select 3 solutions from your school for the statewide challenge.
• May 1^st to May 7th, 2021: Online judging of school finalists. Energy experts and members of the public will be asked to judge your school’s top 3 solutions and select finalists for the Statewide virtual showcase.
• May 18^th, 2021: Virtual Statewide Showcase Event. Students will share their solutions and network with industry experts.
• June 1^st, 2021: Provide feedback to OSLN through our post-program survey.

Challenge Requirements

Student participants will:

• Design a solution that relates to the design challenge topic, “Reimagine energy production/consumption in your community”. Students can participate as individuals or in teams.
• Create a physical prototype of their solution. It does not have to be a fully functioning model, but students need to explain how it would work. If it can be operational, it should be.
• Develop a 30 – 90 second pitch explaining the benefits of their solution. The Young Entrepreneur Institute has a Pitch Toolkit to help with this.

Schools or out-of-school programs will:

• Host a local student solution showcase. This is a virtual, or in-person event where students share their solutions and get feedback from an authentic audience.
• Select the top three solutions to represent your school or organization in the OSLN Student Solutions Showcase. We will notify participating schools of the next steps to submit outstanding projects for participation in the virtual Student Design Challenge Showcase in the spring.

Resources

As you consider whether you can take on this challenge, take advantage of the collection of resources on the OSLN Design Challenge Webpage. Here you will find websites, articles, and videos about all things energy. These resources can help you and your students discover innovations in energy as you start to think about how you can reimagine energy production and/or consumption to improve your community?

From there, connect your students to energy professionals in your community to help students better understand and visualize how energy affects their lives. Below is a collection of energy and entrepreneurship experts that can virtually connect with your students. If you are interested in connecting with these experts, please contact OSLN@battelle.org.

Energy Experts

• Ohio Energy Project
• Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program

Vehicle Electrification Experts

• DriveOhio
• BRITE Energy Lab

Entrepreneurship Experts

• Young Entrepreneur Institute
• Junior Achievement of Central Ohio

If you have any questions about this year’s challenge, need help connecting with local energy experts, want to brainstorm about your school showcase – please ask us by emailing OSLN@battelle.org