SeaAhead, National Grid, and the Cambridge Innovation Center established the BlueGreen Innovation Challenge for college students in Rhode Island. This competition supports the students’ development of novel approaches for new, system-level innovations that address the Challenge’s key themes: food-energy nexus, ‘smart’ ports, urban mobility and electrification, and renewable energy.
Eight finalists will receive mentorship, and the teams will contend for a cash prize while they pitch their final proposals for projects that are either key startup concepts or could be implemented through the support of public-private partnerships. Rhode Island’s ambitious climate and clean energy goals make this the opportune time for our next generation of leaders to think big.
1st Place, $10,500: Shellfish Aquaculture on Offshore Wind Farms
Zoey Lee, Caleb Callaway, and Louis Hand – Rhode Island School of Design
Geneva Casalegno – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2nd Place, $5,000: An Oyster Shell Solution to Stormwater Management
Claire Hodson and Jessica Vandenberg – University of Rhode Island
3rd Place, $1,000: Re-SeaD: Deep Water Data Collection
Marcello Nicoletti – Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Clayton Richardson – Northeastern University
The contest is open to young adults who attend an institution of higher education in Rhode Island, southern/central Massachusetts, and Connecticut, or are living in Rhode Island while studying at an out-of-state institution. This includes four-year universities, community colleges, and technical schools. Recent graduates are also welcome to apply.
Competitors are encouraged to form inter-school teams of up to four members. Team members from outside of Rhode Island are allowed as long as at least half the team meets the above Rhode Island criteria.
