The Innovation Challenge, hosted by the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship, tasks students with crafting a creative solution to a challenge. This year, nine teams accepted the challenge of designing and building a "race car" powered by alternative energy.
The competition kicked off on September 21 with a workshop led by Dr. Andrew Hanna, assistant professor of practice in management and entrepreneurship, and Mike Smith, founder of The Bay, sharing the importance of diverse skillsets in great teams. Following the workshop, participants were joined by local founders Bart Dillashaw, Jordan Lambrecht and Vishal Singh for a panel surrounding how they foster creativity and innovation.
The competition is the first of four signature events hosted by the center each academic year and serves as an introduction to problem-solving and crafting creative solutions, which is what entrepreneurship is at its core. After Dr. Samantha Fairclough, associate director of the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship and assistant professor of practice in management, unveiled the challenge, participants teamed up and worked over the weekend to design, build and test their solution.
“Although the challenge is different every year, it requires creativity, collaboration, prototype testing, teamwork, design skills and even a but of construction and engineering knowledge,” said Fairclough. “Students enjoy being competitive, and this is the perfect introduction to some of the essential elements of entrepreneurship.”
Rubber bands, mouse traps and exercise bands replaced the conventional energy sources of gasoline or electricity, and four teams were awarded a total of $1,600 after a series of contests in categories ranging from speed to off-road capabilities.
First Place, Design, and “Tower Toppler” Champion: Sam Brym, Trumna Gilner, Yamen Seanwan, Kyran Thomas
Second Place and Off-Road Champion: Joshua Argue, Carli Bailey, Kellen Carney, Ava Stanek
Third Place and Speed Champion: Aditi Gunda, Brandt Munson, Ethan Munson, Jiaxien Tee
Distance Champion: Bailey Amend, Dolan States, Bennett Woody
Thank you to Bart Dillashaw and Enterprise Legal Studio for support and contributions to this year’s Innovation Challenge.
Find more information about annual events and competitions hosted by the Nebraska Entrepreneurship here: entrepreneurship.unl.edu