Xylem Global Student Innovation Challenge 2023

<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(251, 160, 38);"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">March 23 from 8:00-9:00 pm ET. </span></em></strong></span><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210);"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">As a participant in the Xylem Student Innovation Challenge, you are invited to celebrate World Water Day and the UN Water Conference in New York City with Xylem’s partner, EarthEcho International!  Join young water advocates LIVE from the </span></em></strong><u><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/https:/www.unwater.org/news/un-2023-water-conference;!!OKzgfr8!cs2algSgJzKZ5k-51Qkl1rcD4Mm1CINGrCnMZTMz0AOTUF-We1GJn9aK6P1B3FKtmKNddaIvfW1P-pxzP3A$" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></u><u><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/https:/www.unwater.org/news/un-2023-water-conference;!!OKzgfr8!cs2algSgJzKZ5k-51Qkl1rcD4Mm1CINGrCnMZTMz0AOTUF-We1GJn9aK6P1B3FKtmKNddaIvfW1P-pxzP3A$" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">United Nations Water Conference</span></em></strong></a></u><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;"> to discuss the role of youth engagement in shaping international policies to protect our water planet. Panelists will reflect on their experiences engaging in the UN Water Conference, share lessons learned for navigating international policy events, and host a discussion on the connections between ocean protection and the </span></em></strong><u><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/https:/sdgs.un.org/partnerships/action-networks/water;!!OKzgfr8!cs2algSgJzKZ5k-51Qkl1rcD4Mm1CINGrCnMZTMz0AOTUF-We1GJn9aK6P1B3FKtmKNddaIvfW1PUB5iFIk$" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></u><u><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/https:/sdgs.un.org/partnerships/action-networks/water;!!OKzgfr8!cs2algSgJzKZ5k-51Qkl1rcD4Mm1CINGrCnMZTMz0AOTUF-We1GJn9aK6P1B3FKtmKNddaIvfW1PUB5iFIk$" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">water action agenda</span></em></strong></a></u><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">. </span></em></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(251, 160, 38);"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">Join the conversation here at 8 pm ET, March 23rd: </span></em></strong></span><u><a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81893121207" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></u><span style="color: rgb(251, 160, 38);"><u><a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81893121207" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81893121207</span></em></strong></a></u></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(251, 160, 38);"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">Participants must be students between 13 and 25 years of age. Students under the age of 18 (as of March 1, 2023) must have a Parent or Legal Guardian complete a </span></em></strong></span><span style="font-size: 18px;"><u><a href="https://bma-events.typeform.com/to/Uqm8KO3A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></u><u><a href="https://bma-events.typeform.com/to/Uqm8KO3A" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a></u><a href="https://bma-events.typeform.com/to/Uqm8KO3A" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://bma-events.typeform.com/to/Uqm8KO3A" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u><em>Consent & Release Form</em></u></strong></a><a href="https://bma-events.typeform.com/to/Uqm8KO3A" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a><u><a href="https://bma-events.typeform.com/to/Uqm8KO3A" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a></u></span><span style="color: rgb(251, 160, 38);"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 18px;"> to participate.</span></em></strong></span></p><p><br></p><h1><strong><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210);">The Innovation Challenge</span></strong></h1><p>We cannot live without water. It’s part of everything we do – from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed. Threats like climate change, pollution and aging infrastructure impact our water supplies and security.</p><p id="isPasted"><strong>Join us in solving water challenges to expand water access and resilience for all.</strong></p><p>• Over 8 weeks, solve one of the following Challenge Statements in teams of up to 5 students</p><p>• Prizes awarded for projects in 2 tracks – High School track and University track</p><p>• Be mentored by & participate in webinars with water industry experts </p><p>• Watch the <a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/conferences" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Water Masterclass</u></a>, a series of engaging video lectures, to learn a range of important water topics from water sustainability to design thinking</p><p><br></p><h1><strong><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210);">The Challenge Statements</span></strong></h1><p><strong>Challenge Statement #1 - THE WATER IMPACT OF GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION</strong></p><p>The world is on a race to minimize the dependence on fossil fuels. Green Hydrogen has emerged as one of the potential decarbonization pathways for heavy industries and transport. Green Hydrogen is generated through a process called electrolysis that uses renewable energy and water as a feedstock. The chemical reaction requires 9 kg of water to produce 1 kg of Hydrogen, but in reality the water consumption can reach at least 60 kg including cooling and treatment.</p><p>While Green Hydrogen can help to reduce GHGs emissions, hydrogen production implies increased water consumption. Thus, as the Green Hydrogen market expands, evaluating the repercussions on already stressed water systems on a country, region and even global level is of primary importance. Help us to assess the water impact of Green Hydrogen by analyzing data available publicly and resources provided by Xylem.</p><p><strong>Challenge Statement #2 - AWARENESS TO ACTION</strong></p><p>Through Xylem’s innovative partnership with Manchester City FC, more than 1 billion people have been reached with water awareness, education and volunteerism initiatives. The goal of the next phase of the partnership is to accelerate action on critical water challenges by driving a further 100 million people to participate in water-related initiatives in their communities. Central to this will be the launch of a new, global program where involvement in educational content, games, and real-life actions earn you points to redeem unique prizes, including funded trips to take part in Xylem & Manchester City ‘water and football’ events.</p><p>Your challenge, with the support of a leading digital design agency, is to build unique new modules that leverage video, content and gamification to further drive engagement on the ‘Water Heroes Academy’ platform. Playful Games, Quizzes, Weekly Quests, Location-based Real-time Social Science-Backed Water Conservation Nudges – let’s use technology to change the world!</p><p><strong>Challenge Statement #3 - WATERWAYS POLLUTION PREVENTION USING DATA SCIENCE</strong></p><p>Land-based plastic pollution accounts for 90% of plastic waste flowing into the oceans. The predominant cause in third-world countries is the lack of efficient trash collection services. Thus, waterways are used as a substitute for proper trash disposal. The most polluted waterways are those characterized by closer proximity to urban areas, landfills and coastlines.</p><p>Using data science against publicly available datasets (i.e. satellite imagery, GDELT, ESRI), quantify and map at least one waterway affected by this issue. Then, propose a solution to prevent plastic waste from choking those waterways and spilling into the oceans, taking into consideration climate and soil characteristics as well as local customs and regulations.</p><p><strong>Challenge Statement #4 - WATER-ENERGY-EMISSIONS NEXUS IN BUILDINGS</strong></p><p>The built environment is responsible for 40% of annual global CO2 emissions, out of which 68% is due to building operations. Given that existing buildings will represent 2/3 of the built environment in 2040, a broad action plan to decarbonize the building sector is needed to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.</p><p>Energy consumption and water resources management play a major role in determining the environmental impact of commercial buildings (i.e. offices, malls, sport venues, hotels etc.) Consider a typical commercial building in your region: you are asked to identify the main intervention points and required upgrades to turn it into a “green” one. Your project should include a quantitative assessment of how the implementation of the proposed countermeasures will lead to GHGs reduction, by improving energy efficiency and water use.</p><p><br></p><h1><strong><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210);">The Judging Criteria</span></strong></h1><p id="isPasted"><strong>Impact</strong> - How does it affect your community or what social impact does it have?</p><p><strong>Challenge Fit & Feasibility</strong> - How relevant is your proposed solution to the stated challenge?</p><p><strong>Innovation</strong> - Is your project new and disruptive?</p><p><br></p><h1><strong><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210);">The Submission Criteria</span></strong></h1><p>1. <strong>Project Page</strong>: Create a project page <a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/projects" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u><strong>here</strong></u></a>, and fill in all the required fields. Your project page must be published by April 22, 2023 at 1:00pm PT / 4:00pm ET / 8:00pm UTC. </p><p>2. <strong>Register Your Team</strong>: Register your team by adding ALL your team members to the “Our Team” section on the project page. Please note that each team member must be registered individually in order for you to add them to the project page.</p><p>3. <strong>Supporting Materials</strong>: Create presentation slides, which can also be used during your video presentation, and add them to your project page. If using Google Slides, make sure they are made public/viewable for those who have the link! Otherwise, a PDF can be attached on the project page. You must mention any outside help you/your team has received (from teachers, professors, outside mentors, etc.).</p><p>4. <strong>Video Presentation/Demo</strong>: Please create and share a brief 3-4 minute video presentation/demo about your project. Introduce your team, let the judges know what innovation challenge category you are competing in (high school or university), what challenge you are addressing, what your project is about and share a short demo of your solution. Share a link to your presentation/demo video on your project page. </p><p><br></p><h1><strong><span style="color: rgb(84, 172, 210);">The Challenge Schedule</span></strong></h1><p><strong>Registrion Opens</strong> - January 2023</p><p><strong>Innovation Challenge Begins</strong> - March 1, 2023</p><p><strong>[LIVE WEBINAR] Innovation Challenge Kickoff</strong> - March 1, 2023 @ 6:00am PT / 9:00am ET / 2:00pm UTC</p><p><strong>[LIVE WEBINAR]</strong><strong> Team Formation</strong> - March 2, 2023 @ 7:00am PT / 10:00am ET/ 3:00pm UTC</p><p id="isPasted"><strong>[LIVE WEBINAR] </strong><a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/conference/64090915a8f6ec7d31b65669" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u><strong>Challenge #1</strong> </u></a>- March 8, 2023 @ 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm UTC - <a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/insights/640912f2a8f6ec7d31b658d6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Info Package/Resources</u></a></p><p><strong>[LIVE WEBINAR] </strong><a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/conference/640b9a2ba8f6ec7d31b81beb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u><strong>Challenge #2</strong></u></a> - March 10, 2023 @ 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm UTC - <a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/insights/640b9c4aa8f6ec7d31b81c60" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Info Package/Resources</u></a></p><p><strong>[LIVE WEBINAR] </strong><a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/conference/640f9022a8f6ec7d31b96e67" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u><strong>Challenge #3</strong></u></a> - March 13, 2023 @ 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm UTC - <a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/insights/640f90f1a8f6ec7d31b96f3e"><u>Info Package/Resources</u></a></p><p><strong>[LIVE WEBINAR] </strong><a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/conference/64063b18a8f6ec7d31b502c7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u><strong>Challenge #4</strong></u></a> - March 6, 2023 @ 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm UTC - <a href="https://xyleminnovationchallenge-platform.bemyapp.com/#/insights/6406585fa8f6ec7d31b512d6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Info Package/Resources</u></a></p><p><strong>Project Submission Deadline</strong> - April 22, 2023 @ 1:00pm PT / 4:00pm ET / 8:00pm UTC</p><p><strong>Judging Period</strong> - April 25, 2023 - May TBD, 2023</p><p><strong>Winner's Announcement</strong> - May TBD, 2023</p><p><strong>[LIVE WEBINAR] Virtual Award Ceremony</strong> - June TBD, 2023 @ TBD PT / TBD ET/ TBD UTC</p>