Community college students will flex their STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills on a national stage with the return of the Community College Innovation Challenge after it was canceled due to COVID-19 last year.
Hosted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Association for Community Colleges (AACC), the annual competition challenges small teams of community college students to develop science-driven solutions to real-world problems.
Last week, the NSF and AACC named 12 teams hailing from community colleges nationwide that will advance to the finals. Among those teams’ projects are proposed solutions to timely issues such as the pandemic, policing behavior and climate change.
The competition “truly showcases the innovation that is happening at the nation’s community colleges,” said Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of AACC. “These students bring to life the next level of cutting-edge thinking and we are proud to partner with NSF to provide this opportunity to students and to advance their initiatives at a national level.”
But there is a twist to the competition. Not only do students have to develop a solution, “they also have to develop a pitch and a business plan to ensure that it’s an actionable program,” said Dr. Martha Parham, AACC’s senior vice president for public relations.
In doing so, entrepreneurs and field experts will train the finalists in June as part of an Innovation Boot Camp, during which finalists will learn how to engage stakeholders and navigate the business side of STEM innovation.
The training leads up to the final Student Innovation Showcase, in which students will present their projects to the public. Later that week, the students will then have the rare opportunity to pitch their projects to Congressional stakeholders and STEM leaders before the NSF and AACC determine the first, second and third-place winning teams. Students typically present on Capitol Hill; however, this year they will present virtually due to the pandemic.
