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Students gathered to present their eco-friendly innovations at the Clean Tech Sustainability Challenge, showcasing the ingenuity and passion driving a sustainable future.

Undergraduate students from across campus gathered on February 13 to present projects with a positive environmental impact at the Clean Tech Sustainability Challenge. The event offered a unique opportunity for students to explore innovative solutions, network with peers and be inspired by the possibilities of a sustainable future.

Held at the downtown location of — a sponsor of the event, along with and the Faculty of Science’s Student Innovation Centre (SIC), the challenge attracted over 60 attendees, including local entrepreneurs and community members.

“Students had an open sandbox to explore ideas about clean tech,” says , an administrative assistant with the SIC. “It falls under the larger umbrella of giving students valuable experiential learning opportunities, and because of this, we witnessed fantastic presentations.”

Opportunities for students to maximize their education through unique initiatives such as the Clean Tech Sustainability Challenge is a priority for the faculty. The Student Innovation Centre, used by participants as a workspace and idea generator, is that priority in action — enhanced by the support and expertise offered by community partnerships.

The idea of a sustainability challenge sprang from a brainstorming session with , a research assistant in the faculty and interim director of the SIC, and Taylor’s peers in other student experiential units on campus including the ICE Incubator and EHub.

“It was created from the ground up,” says Ham. “The SIC was at the epicentre for recruitment, organization, outreach and then the final showcase coordination. It was also a good example of collaboration with Experience Ventures at the University of Calgary and with partners around Edmonton — all feeding directly into the ecosystem of entrepreneurship.”

The call for participants went out in January. The initial group of students were encouraged to explore their ideas thoroughly, look for solutions, build out a business plan and create a five-minute pitch video for the panel of judges, who then selected the 10 groups to go forward.  Each student group presented their ideas live to community members, fellow students and judges. The three finalists, listed below, received prizes and resources to further develop their ideas and all participants were given a small stipend. 

Mason D’Souza, an undergraduate in the Faculty of Science and one of the first place finishers, describes his group’s project, Soil Sage, as an exploration of satellite data and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to predict soil health. “It was exciting,” says D’Souza, noting that the Clean Tech Challenge combined their passion for research, technology and entrepreneurship into a single project.

Fellow teammate JP Cooper, a graduate student in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, says it was an opportunity to explore an entrepreneurial perspective while also applying the sustainability knowledge gained as undergraduates. “At the pitch competition we witnessed nine other amazing ideas and connected with like-minded innovators. It was a truly rewarding experience.”

, head of Campus Innovation at Edmonton Unlimited, says student-focused events are vital to the continued growth of Edmonton as an innovation hub.

“The provision of hands-on learning, programming and coaching within student activities allows Edmonton Unlimited to help guide the next generation of entrepreneurs,” says Shon. “We are proud to partner with initiatives like the Clean Tech Challenge to meaningfully advance entrepreneurial efforts and the culture of innovation in our community.”

Overall, says Ham, it was a great night. “The students just wanted to stay and talk!”