Community college students will attend an
Innovation Boot Camp to pitch their STEM solutions to real-world
challenges
WASHINGTON, April 29,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American
Association of Community Colleges (AACC), in partnership with the
National Science Foundation (NSF), announced that it has selected
12 finalist teams to advance to the final round of the Community
College Innovation Challenge (CCIC), set to take place in June
2024.
Now in its eighth year, the competition seeks to strengthen
entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by
challenging them to develop STEM-based solutions to real-world
problems. It also enables students to discover and demonstrate
their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world and
translate that knowledge into action.
Teams consist of two to four students and a faculty or
administrator team mentor. Finalists attend an Innovation Boot Camp
in June and interact with entrepreneurs and experts in business
planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and
marketplace dynamics. The Boot Camp culminates in a Student
Innovation Poster Session on Capitol Hill with STEM leaders and
congressional stakeholders and a pitch presentation to determine
the first, second, and third-place winning teams.
"Congratulations to the 2024 CCIC finalists," said Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of AACC.
"Once again, I am inspired by the incredible level of talent and
creativity our community college students showcase through the
CCIC. Along with our partners at the National Science Foundation,
we know this program is a foundation for future scientists,
entrepreneurs, and engineers and are very proud to shine the
spotlight on these talented future leaders."
Among the ideas teams presented this year are solutions for
addressing clean water, renewable energy, HIV treatment,
healthcare, fire prevention, and assistive technology devices. The
12 finalist schools and their projects are:
- Coalinga College
(California)
Project: Got Calcium: The New Battery Innovation
- The Coalinga College team seeks to switch from lithium to
calcium batteries to improve cost-effectiveness, safety, and
battery performance offering an eco-friendly alternative for energy
storage solutions.
- Columbus State Community
College (Ohio)
Project: Aquavive's Ripple Effect: Transforming Water Protection
- Aquavive is a groundbreaking pollution detection buoy system
that offers pristine, potable water accessible to all. Combined
with a user-friendly app, Aquavive promotes environmental
monitoring and STEM education with the goal of uniting communities
to invest in clean water.
- County College of Morris
(New Jersey)
Project:
Using Molecular Solar Thermal Systems as a Solar Alternative
- The County College of Morris team
proposes to safely and efficiently increase the world's energy
supply through a molecular solar thermal system. This system is
non-toxic, cost-efficient, and can capture light energy as heat,
and then convert stored heat as energy.
- Dallas College
(Texas)
Project:
Autonomous Monitoring for Blaze Emergency Response (AMBER)
- AMBER is an early detection system that uses infrared cameras
and sensors to alert farmers and local authorities to fire risks.
Combined with a third-party drone provider, AMBER can quickly track
and mobilize a rapid fire response and preserve agricutural
land.
- Henry Ford College
(Michigan)
Project:
Stay Vigilant with Source Alert
- Source Alert is an application that connects to internet search
engines and word/image processing services to detect the source of
information and display it to the user in real-time. Source Alert
can serve to raise public awareness to potential
misinformation.
- Houston Community College,
TX
Project: The MaxCap Supercapacitor
- MaxCap offers an energy storage technology solution for the
electric vehicle market by introducing metal oxide-vertical
polyaniline hybrid supercapacitors, which provide greater
performance, sustainability, and cost-efficency than current energy
storage options.
- Hudson County Community
College (New
Jersey)
Project: S.E.E. (Sound Enabled
Emplacement)
- S.E.E. is an assistive technology device designed to guide
visually impaired individuals to key areas in their home. Through
the use of remote, users activate speakers to emit sounds for
navigation, which allows for safe, confident, and independent
movement.
- Itawamba Community College
(Mississippi)
Project:
ViruShield: Next-Generation Care for HIV Patients
- ViruShield is a subcutaneous pump that tests for HIV viral
loads and administers doses of medication to an HIV-positive
patient to help increase treatment compliance and prevent AIDs.
- Perimeter College at Georgia State
University (Georgia)
Project: Georgina Care
- The Perimeter College team seeks to redesign cervical cancer
screening by offering a noninvasive alternative to the speculum.
This alternative makes screening more accessible and has the
potential to impact cervical cancer mortality rates, especially in
low-income countries.
- Red Rocks Community College
(Colorado)
Project:
Bloom Buster
- In all 50 states, harmful algae blooms represent an
environmental issue that impacts human health and aquatic
ecosystems. The Bloom Buster system can effectively remove
suspended particles, algae, and other contaminants from lake water
leading to water quality improvement.
- University of Arkansas Community
College at Batesville (Arkansas)
Project: IntelliCline -
Smart Ramp
- IntelliCline is a smart ramp solution that can adjust slope,
height, and temperature to enhance accessibility for people with
disabilities. By eliminating common barriers, IntelliCline improves
quality of life and creates more inclusive communities.
- Virginia Western Community
College (Virginia)
Project: Plastic Up
Cycling
- The Virginia Western team proposes
an affordable and sustainable way to reuse plastic through the
development of a 3D filament printer, which turns recyclables into
reinforced filament. The filament is being used to create
specialized materials to rebuild a local school playground.
To receive updates about the 2024 Innovation Boot Camp and the
winners, follow @Comm_College or visit
www.aaccinnovationchallenge.com.
About AACC
As the voice of the nation's community
colleges, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
delivers educational and economic opportunities for nearly 12
million diverse students in search of the American Dream. Uniquely
dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC's member
colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers,
and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC advocates for these
not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the
resources and support they need to deliver on the mission of
increasing economic mobility for all.
https://www.aacc.nche.edu/
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SOURCE American Association of Community Colleges