Weekly Innovation Challenge
Every Wednesday the Innovation Challenge exercises students’ minds and creativity.
About the Weekly Innovation Challenge
Every Wednesday, Saint Louis University students have a chance to compete in the Weekly Innovation Challenge from 12-1pm in the Rotunda at Parks College. Students must form teams of three—these teams must include at least one engineering student and up to one faculty member. Most importantly, all participants must be from different majors/disciplines. The students are given an impromptu challenge and have one hour to compete. Whichever team completes the challenge successfully first wins $300 ($100 per teammate). Additionally, participants are asked to submit a weekly reflection on the challenge and one winner will be rewarded an additional $100. The events are sponsored by the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network, the Coleman Foundation and Saint Louis University.
The goal of the competitions is for students to exercise their minds and creativity, just as they would their bodies. Challenges have included a wide variety of topics—from designing the tallest free-standing structure using spaghetti sticks to creating a “green” toaster box design. Winning teams have been from all sorts of disciplines. The first team to win was three female sophomores, including an aerospace engineering, political science and investigative medicine major.
Alumni or industry professionals that have competition ideas and would like to make recommendations can contact Nicole Germain at 314-977-7820 or ngermain@slu.edu.
How to Participate
Any SLU student can participate. Teams must consist of three members—including up to one faculty member—and all three participants must be from different majors. Students can either form teams prior to the event, or just show up ten minutes early and the facilitators will match them up with others in need of additional teammates.
Innovation Challenge Resources
Are you interested in hosting Innovation challenges at your school, organization or institution? We have a library of available resources to help you plan a successful Innovation Challenge! View our Innovation Challenge Resources page
2012-2013 Semester Challenges
 The Greatest Hits Challenge |  A Spoonful of Sugar Challenge |  Logos and Taglines Challenge |  Helping Hands Challenge |
 Smart Packaging Challenge |  Set Goals Like JFK Challenge |  War Games Challenge |  The Other 90% Challenge |
 Relive Halloween Challenge |  The Chindogu Challenge |  Opposites Attract Challenge |  Market Prediction Challenge |
 Pasta Wagon Challenge |  Imponderables Challenge |  Traits to Success Challenge |  Vegetable Arch Challenge |
 Brochure Challenge |  Close Ups Challenge |  Unlimited Garden Challenge |  Implosions Challenge |
 Emerging Technologies Challenge |  Listen Up Challenge |  Minute to Win It Challenge |  Floating Platform Challenge |
 Red Bull Flugtag Challenge |
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