Sustainability Project Competition

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Pushing Sustainability Innovation

Creating an education-technology company means building on the principles of teaching, not simply focusing on generating revenue. Real educators teach because they truly want students to reach their academic potential. This is why we developed the Sustainability Project Competition (SPC) for both domestic and international high school students. Our SPC provides high school students the opportunity to solve complex environmental and public health problems within their communities through rigorous research, which often includes completing research papers and videos. While the SPC drives students to sharpen their English writing and problem-solving skills, the SPC provides students an opportunity to build their academic portfolios. Please contact our Sustainability Team to join!

SPC STUDENTS MOTIVATE COMMUNITY ACTION

The main goal of the SPC is for students to develop such profound solutions to sustainability problems that their communities, local governments and even schools take proactive measures to put these projects into motion. We want students to inspire communities to work together. If students are able to identify such pressing sustainability issues, prove critical theories, and develop powerful solutions to save ecosystems, then these students will not simply be students, but game-changing leaders in their communities.

SPC BUILDS ACADEMIC PORTFOLIOS

Well-articulated research papers are tangible evidence that high school students can add to their college applications. Research papers prove that students have identified and solved complex sustainability problems. Strong research papers may even be expanded into theses or have the potential to be published. However, we kindly remind students that solving pressing sustainability problems within their communities should be their primary objective, not gaining personal glory. We hope students welcome our SPC challenge for the right reasons!

STUDENTS RECEIVE FULL CREDIT

While our faculty and college intern teams will help guide students with brainstorming ideas, researching data, testing hypotheses and writing research findings, no one from Presidio Education® will take any credit, equity, or rights with any intellectual property or patents from student projects. Students deserve and maintain all credit with their SPC research and results. We truly mean non-profit when we push our sustainability initiatives. Academic integrity is paramount. Students should earn the full credit they deserve.

Summer 2018 SPC Teams

Water Management

Research Team: Maggie’s Team

Research Synopsis: 

Hong Kong’s only sludge water treatment plant exists in T-Park, which is located in Tuen Mun. Our team is proposing to remodel this technology on a smaller scale and on our school campus. While the Environmental Protection Department’s investment in this green tech is really an ode to sustainable development, using this technology simply isn’t a viable option for many facilities in Hong Kong. For example, next year our school will be producing around fifty gallons of sludge water a day just from our food processor. Although our administration claims that they will transport this water to T-Park, trucking 60.3 kilometers a day to transport that water does not seem economical nor sustainable in terms of efficiency and of course the environment. Conscious of this problem, our team will gather findings that support our proffer that an in-house sludge water treatment plant will be beneficial both for the environment and our school’s budget.

Environmental Economics

Research Team: APES of Wrath

Research Synopsis: 

Following the industrial revolution, businesses and consumers have traded ease and progress for harm to the environment, leading to the increasing interest in the study of environmental economics. As an increasing amount of people are relying on the Internet to find information, we believe that creating an extension to browsers would allow users to recognize how their purchases impact the environment in a convenient, non-intrusive manner. Our extension highlights specific features of products, whether it be its manufacturer, material, or source, information that might not be the most easily accessible to the consumer. In turn, this enables consumers to understand the environmental impact of their purchase, allowing them to make purchases that are not only better informed but also better for the environment.

Renewable Energy

Research Team: The Underdogs  

Research Synopsis: 

Hong Kong heavily relies on fossil fuels as its main source of energy and supply is slowly running out. Although Hong Kong currently uses wind and solar power plants, the scale is limited and unreliable. Sooner or later, Hong Kong will need a more sustainable source of energy to power its infrastructure. Our team is conducting research on bladeless wind turbines, a new form of sustainable energy, making use of vortex shedding to generate energy. By evaluating the efficiency of bladeless wind turbines and Hong Kong’s geographic layout, we aim to find out its applicability and optimal location.

Incorporating STEM for SPC

Brainstorming SPC Ideas

High school students must first consider the list of approved sustainability subject categories. Choosing categories that students are familiar with or interested in will help them develop ideas. Students must brainstorm potential environmental or public health problems in their respective communities. When gathering information, Wikipedia and news articles should be avoided as references, as they can be inaccurate. Instead, obtaining validated references from printed and online resources on both Google Scholar or from local libraries will provide more reliable intelligence. Sources must be recorded in correct citation format throughout the project.

Creating and Testing A Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a proposed solution to the problem according to the information researched. However, a hypothesis should always be testable by experiment or simulation. A good way to test the feasibility of a hypothesis is to imagine the hypothesis as a proposal to the government or an international corporation. Students will need to create a product or an experiment that will prove the hypothesis. Once completed, students should make a careful analysis and documentation of the results. If the results do not support the hypothesis, students need to modify the hypothesis until the hypothesis is supported by the experiment or simulation.

Conclusion, Video and Write-up

After a successful experiment or simulation, students can come up with a conclusion and start developing the sustainability project video and research paper. Throughout the research process, students should take note of the research details, hypothesis and experiment results to aid in the video and write-ups. There should be in-text citations throughout the research paper and a reference list at the end of the paper. The video should contain information identical to the research paper but be clearly narrated. Video recording in real-time is ideal to emphasize the sustainability problem in the chosen community. Academic honesty must be upheld at all times.