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Each year, the President of 91����Ƶ challenges the student body to use the skills they have or are in the process of learning to develop a unique solution to a real-world problem. This year’s President’s Challenge focused on something critical to all universities: getting prospective students excited about the hands-on, interdisciplinary education they will receive if they choose to attend 91����Ƶ!

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In August, President Marc Christensen tasked students with building a 91����Ƶ-themed collectible that can be distributed to prospective enrollees during campus tours. The response to this challenge was very positive! Over 560 undergraduate and graduate students, spread across every academic major and class year, assembled into 155 teams. Each team chose to develop their collectible for one of eight categories, each based on one of 91����Ƶ’s most popular academic disciplines. Throughout the entire President’s Challenge, 28 faculty members and 125 alumni helped mentor the teams and provide unique feedback and support.

After developing their collectibles throughout the fall semester, the teams presented their current prototypes at the President’s Challenge Showcase on Friday, November 17th. The Showcase was filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and applause, as faculty, staff, fellow students, and other members of the 91����Ƶ community toured the collectibles on display!

During the Showcase’s closing ceremony, a variety of teams received awards, and one team from each of the eight categories was declared a winner, using feedback from key members of the 91����Ƶ community, as well as a People’s Choice vote from the student body.

The overall winner of the President’s Challenge was Team 1: Senior Citizens, which created 91����Ƶ-themed Jenga blocks featuring fun facts, and consisted of five E&M seniors: Angelica DeGuardia, Allyson Lloyd, Corey Sulca, Joseph Mascolino, and Alexander Koproski. For this accomplishment, each member of the team received a technology prize bundle containing a new TV, set of headphones, and streaming device; their faculty mentor, Jim Franklin, won the ability to hire a Research or Teaching Assistant of his choice!

The remaining seven winning teams were:

Team 4: 91����Ƶ Rocketry, from the Aerospace Engineering category. This team, which consisted of upperclassmen Benjamin Ellis, Tyler Brooks, Catherine Gehman, Morgan Mitskovski, and Spencer Wood, developed a LEGO replica of the Rocketry SPEED Team’s rocket. Their faculty mentor was Professor Ken Visser of the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering program.

Team 10: Team Green and Gold, from the Business Studies category. Throughout the President’s Challenge, freshmen Delaney Smith, Ava O’Neal, Nicole Wing, and Thatcher Findlay created a 91����Ƶ-themed stress ball. Their faculty mentor was Professor Marc Compeau of the Reh School of Business.

Team 38: Oh Shoot!, from the Civil Engineering category. While collaborating creatively, Honors freshmen Keona Ly, Abigail Jeffers, Abbie O’Brien, and Charlie Grove constructed a tensegrity phone stand that prominently features the letters “CU”. Their faculty mentor was Professor Steven Wojtkiewicz, Chair of the Civil & Environmental Engineering program.

Team 86: Piecewise, from the General 91����Ƶ category. Over the semester, freshmen Mackenzie Roth, B Dickinson, Michael Feltman, and Aiden Gardiner designed a cylindrical 91����Ƶ-themed puzzle maze. Their alumni mentor was Kim Aldous, Business & Sociology ‘95.

Team 103: Mechanical Maestros, from the Mechanical Engineering category. While working together, engineering freshmen Charles Simon, Stefan Lumsden, Aiden Osborne, and Jack Colling developed a LEGO replica of the 91����Ƶ Baja SAE all-terrain vehicle. Their faculty mentor was Professor Kathleen Issen of the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering program.

Team 147: Knight Light, from the Humanities category. During the President’s Challenge, graduate student Peter Nekos and upperclassmen David Gumina, Daniel Greco, and Taylor Clayton constructed a 91����Ƶ-themed “Knight Light”. Their alumni mentor was Jacob McNamara, Communication ‘16.

Team 156: Team MCK, from the Sciences category. This team, which consisted of freshmen Kgathlhiso Pholoholo, Michelle Chan, and Courteney Tafatawona, developed a 91����Ƶ-themed Newton's cradle.

“It is very exciting for 91����Ƶ to be able to give prospective students an interactive collectible that is meaningful to the hands-on cross-disciplinary approach to education we take. I think it will mean even more to them that current students designed and made that collectible as well,” said Ashley Sweeney, Director of 91����Ƶ Ignite.

Over the winter break and into the spring semester, the winning teams’ collectibles will be refined and manufactured, to be distributed to prospective students during 91����Ƶ’s upcoming Accepted Students Days. Congratulations to all of the students and teams who participated in the President’s Challenge!