Imagine Tomorrow Competition Was Amazing!

Ballard's Biology Biotechnology students competed at the 9th annual Imagine Tomorrow Competition at WSU from May 20-22, 2016. Eight teams from Ballard were selected to move on to this competition.  Students and instructors stayed in the dorms, ate in the cafeteria, and experienced life on a college campus for the weekend.

This competition asks students to take on the world’s energy issues and other grand challenges with creative, well-researched ideas.  Students competed in one of four challenge areas: Biofuels, Aerospace, Built Environment, or Food, Energy, and Water.  Each challenge had three different approaches in which students use to address solving an energy problem: technology, design or behavior.  There were 121 teams from the Pacific Northwest who competed in this year’s event titled: Pursue Sustainability Nonstop.  Our Ballard students did an excellent job presenting their scientific projects to the judges.  Teams were praised for their knowledge, presentation styles, and thoroughness.  Teams also returned home with awards for their ideas.

In the Food, Energy and Water challenge, using the behavior approach Ballad’s Green Ground  team won 2^nd place for their project: creating a working model of a seesaw that generates electricity, to demonstrate for the children the capabilities of reusable energy.  Team members Amika Smalley, Alex Van Loen, Franny Berger, and Ezra Finch won $1800 in cash prizes.

 And in the Biofuels challenge, using the behavior approach Ballard’s  Wake Up and Smell the Coffee team won Honorable Mention for their project: turning coffee grounds into biofuel.  Team members Fiona Doherty, Samantha Smith, Annabelle Fryer, Parker Crotty, and Sarah Jane Hayward won $1000 in cash prizes.

It was a great STEM weekend!

Green Ground with their educational see-saw-2nd place winners!

Yes, there is an app for that! This team designed an app that is a game for younger kids to learn about conservation.

Hamming it up in between judging sessions.  

Wake up and smell the coffee! This team created a biofuel out of coffee grounds. Honorable Mention!

Team "On with the Wind" during their judging session. They designed a wind turbine to power street lights.

Group photo after a day of judging.  Flashing the b t sign for Biotech.