A team from Front Range Community College has made it to the final round of the Community College Innovation Challenge taking place in Washington, D.C., next month.
The Colorado team is one of 12 that will be going to an Innovation Boot Camp culminating in a showcase to STEM leaders and Congressional stakeholders and a pitch presentation to determine the first, second and third place teams with cash prize awards.
The Front Range Community College team’s innovation is the Orca Oil-Separating and Bio-Filtration Vessel. Inspired by the unique feeding style of whales, the Orca deploys a new method of cleaning oil spills that is both inexpensive and quick.
This is the sixth year of the Community College Innovation Challenge, which seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by challenging them to develop STEM-based solutions for real world problems.
Teams consist of two to four students and a faculty or administrator team mentor. Finalists will attend the Innovation Boot Camp in June and interact with entrepreneurs and experts in business planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication and marketplace dynamics before pitching their projects.
“I am proud to congratulate the 2022 CCIC finalists,” said Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, which hosts the competition in partnership with the National Science Foundation. “This year’s teams represent an astounding level of talent and creativity.”
Other finalists come from across the country with projects for HIV-1 treatment, a solar powered refrigeration system to preserve life-saving medicines, water filtration systems and applications to connect STEM students with career opportunities.
