STEM Advantage Contest
In the last few months, COVID-19 has taken the world by storm and we are looking for young, progressive individuals to submit their solutions to issues caused by the global pandemic. There have been countless externalities related to the pandemic, so we are looking for innovative STEM solutions to any problem created by the recent health crisis.
General Information
Deadline: Midnight on July 31, 2020
Team: 1 – 4 people
Objective: Submit a 1-page summary (250-500 words) of a STEM solution for a problem related to COVID-19. The summary should include what the solution is, why it’s important (or what the expected impact is), and how you would create the solution and implement it. This could include a device or system directly related to improving a patient’s quality of life while battling COVID-19 or you can choose to solve a current or future problem directly or indirectly caused by the coronavirus. These problems can be big or small, societal or individual, etc. Your idea should be creative and specific to one singular problem, although you may elaborate on the additional advantages of your solution. You must describe how you would create and/or implement your solution. All solutions must have a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) component.
The Judging Panel
The following executives will be part of our judging panel and additional CIOs may join the panel in the coming weeks. They will review every submission and pick six finalists to be announced on our social media pages in early September. After the judges choose the top six solutions, the six finalists will be emailed and asked to submit a 1-minute video summarizing their solution. The six final solutions will be posted on our social media pages in mid-September where the public will decide which solution deserves first place.
- Ron Guerrier, CIO and Secretary of Innovation & Technology at the State of Illinois
- Cindy McKenzie, CIO at Deluxe Entertainment Services Group
- Charles Sims, Head of Technology at the LA Clippers
- Theresa Miller, CIO and Executive Vice President at Lionsgate
Prizes
First place: $500 per team
Five runner-ups: $100 per team
In addition, the first place winner and five runner-ups will be given the opportunity to speak one-on-one with a CIO of their choosing from our judging panel for one hour.