DuPage County and SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education) have made a transition of their 14th annual Sustainable Design Challenge, previously scheduled in-person for April 21, to a virtual format. The Sustainable Design Challenge encourages students to construct building and landscape models using environmental and water-friendly design practices. Students will have until the end of the month to electronically submit designs.
“During these difficult times, we’ve been forced to cancel or postpone several events to ensure the safety of our DuPage County community,” said DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee chairman Jim Zay. “However, in speaking with our partners at SCARCE, as well as participating teachers, we have decided to move the Challenge to a virtual format. Many students have been working on their designs for quite some time, and we at the County want to recognize those efforts, as well as encourage new participation.”
Students may submit their building designs, project write-ups and presentations electronically. Teams are advised to collaborate remotely via online communication tools. Similar to previous years, a panel of industry experts will judge the projects, and the DuPage County Board will award the top projects.
“We’re confident, given all the advances in telecommunications, that this transition to a virtual format will be seamless for students,” said SCARCE founder and executive director Kay McKeen. “In fact, this technological component makes it a well-rounded STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) event.”
All DuPage County high schools are encouraged to participate. Registration will be open through Friday, April 24 with submissions due on Thursday, April 30. For information on participating in this year’s virtual challenge, visit www.scarce.org/event/virtual-sustainable-design-challenge.
Winners will be announced in mid-May. Following that, an online gallery of the building designs will be posted for public viewing.
— DuPage County