Past Innovation Challenges & Hackathons
EMx Challenges
Join Mines in helping our Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security to create and deliver excellent sustainable solutions in response to COVID-19. These challenges are part of a series, with the first EMx Flash Challenge beginning with defining the problem. The qualifiers from the first EMx Flash Challenge will advance to the second phase of EMx Hackathon, where teams will solve the problems they identified during the EMx Flash Challenge.
Mines Solar Challenge
Welcome to the third annual Campus Solar Challenge at Mines! Put your imagination, passion and knowledge to use creating a unique solar idea for campus. Up to three winners will be chosen during Earth Week to win a prize up to $500. Individual and group submissions are welcome.
The Wright Outdoor Innovation Challenge (Spring 2019)
The Wright Outdoor Innovation Challenge is a non-traditional collegiate innovation competition designed to bring together problem-solving minds from a variety of backgrounds (from engineering and hard sciences to economics, business, and policy) to address pressing needs within the outdoor recreation industry. Student teams will have the opportunity to learn about the unique challenges facing the industry in three challenge areas, engage with mentors with deep industry experience, and pitch their ideas in a tournament format for a shot at cash and prizes.
The goal of the Challenge is to catalyze innovative and entrepreneurial thinking in participating students, encouraging them to apply a problem-solving mindset beyond traditional disciplines. More broadly, we hope to establish foundational and authentic connections between Colorado higher-education institutions and the outdoor industry, creating inroads for future collaboration and career opportunities.
Congrats to our winners!
- Cipher Skin Orange ($5k)
- High Rollers ($3k)
- 5280 Sheep & Cipher Skin Blue (Tie, $1k Each)
Henderson Sustainability Challenge (Fall 2018)
“Colorado School of Mines students are flexing their creative muscle on a real-life challenge to work with Climax Molybdenum, a Freeport-McMoRan company, in envisioning innovative ways to repurpose the Henderson mine following the eventual depletion of the mineral resource, and the social and economic transition of the mine and surrounding communities.”
HackMines Newmont Innovation Challenge (Spring 2018)
“During the daylong event, teams will hear from mining experts about the relevant challenge areas before getting time to ideate an innovative solution and create simple prototypes. Teams will also receive training on how to build a short presentation before pitching their idea to a panel of judges.
Prizes will be awarded based on the team pitches. Up to seven teams will receive $1,000 in funding to continue work on their ideas into spring semester. In a change for this year’s competition, all participants, not just the finalists, will be eligible for additional funding from the $50,000 Newmont Innovation Fund.”
Inaugural Manufacturing Innovation Challenge
Manufacturing competition challenges students to design a new lunar rover wheelTeam CLOVER’s winning design was a collapsible 3D-printed wheel that would act almost like a “Ferris wheel of test tubes.”
Judging the final competition were Charles M. Rash, president of Griffin Systems & Technology; Roger McNamara, director at Lockheed Martin Space Systems; and Steven Harford, chief technologist at Ball Aerospace.
“Our goal for this competition was to inspire students to take modern design and manufacturing approaches and apply them to a 50-year-old solution to see what could be improved. And, of course, add a new wrinkle with the addition of the constraint that the wheel design must also sample the soil as it moves,” said Craig Brice, director of the Advanced Manufacturing Program. “The designs the students came up with were incredibly creative and I was impressed with how far they were able to take their designs with only one semester to work on it.”
