Real-World Problems, Virtual Competition
Despite the challenges of the COVID19 pandemic, 第十四届年度社会创业计划大赛(SVPC)如期举行, in a virtual environment. Student teams developed solutions to real world problems, while pitching their ideas through documents, slide decks, videos, and live video conferences. 今年的热门项目主要关注与极端气候和环境有关的问题, a fitting metaphor for the current situation.
2020年4月22日(周三)，年度SVPC的压轴秀活动以虚拟方式举行.
The top project was Safa Himal, chosen as the $5000 Herbert B. 由67位代表公司的评委投票选出的琼斯大奖得主, non-profit, academic and professional communities. Bountifull came in second, winning the $3000 runner-up award. Over the course of the day, 创纪录的1300人登录了公共展示网站，为他们最喜欢的项目投票, giving the Donald B. Summers People’s Choice award of $1000 to Tutorly.
Safa Himal 在尼泊尔语中翻译为“干净的山”，而获胜的商业理念的重点正是这一点. 高海拔地区的登山者没有很好的办法来清除人类的排泄物, 稀薄的空气和寒冷的气温不利于快速分解. 这一点在世界最高峰上表现得最为明显, Everest, where more than 25,000磅的粪便堆积在一起污染了饮用水, and sully the landscape. Safa Himal would sell and service a portable, 为探险旅游经营者和珠峰上的其他登山者脱水厕所, reducing human waste in size and weight by up to 75%. The portable, 脱水后的粪便可以被带到山下的沼气分解厂，转化为甲烷燃料. The Safa Himal team included junior Lhakpa Sherpa, 工商管理和全球发展研究双学位, Amy Frederick, a junior Global Development Studies major, and Jenna Haines and Ryan Kennedy, 两名大三学生都主修经济学和全球发展研究双学位.
在阿拉斯加的农村地区，许多社区遭受粮食不安全的困扰. 生长季节短，进口新鲜水果和蔬菜的成本高，导致偏远城镇伯特利等社区的选择很少. Bountifull proposed shipping greenhouses to Bethel, 阿拉斯加开始社区支持农业(CSA)业务. 该团队将使用水培法全年种植水果和蔬菜, and sell the food on a subscription model, 增加社区营养效益，降低成本. Bountifull 由全球发展研究专业的大四学生伊莎贝尔·查普曼组成, 我是机电工程专业的大四学生, junior Global Development Studies major Emily Geringer, junior Business Administration major Emma Hamann, senior Business Administration major Josh Rogers, and junior Eirene Smith, 全球发展研究和社会正义与文化研究双学位.
ReSource Market would be a zero waste grocery store and cafe. By eliminating single-use plastics, 该团队计划让消费者有能力减少对环境的影响. ReSource Market 是机械工程专业大四学生Samantha Search的作品吗, senior Global Development Studies major Abigail Tierney, 工商管理与全球发展研究双学位, Nicole Riggins.
在印度，两轮车(轻便摩托车)造成的空气污染占交通污染的32%, 促使印度政府收紧排放标准. Team Thera developed an inexpensive kit to retrofit mopeds, 确保低收入家庭在国家转向电动汽车的过程中不会被排除在外. The Thera 小组由机械工程专业大四学生扎克·布兰特(Zach Brant)组成, Global Development Studies major Renee Knepper, 全球发展研究专业大三学生伊森·萨格和伊莎贝尔·沃克, senior Electrical Engineering major Matthew Benzar, 以及主修经济学和政治学双学位的大三学生Brenda Valencia Flores.
Volare 能否提供与文化相关的职业建议，以支持国际学生追求职业梦想. 了解国际学生在美国尝试完成可选专业培训(OPT)时所面临的障碍, find internships, and other professional experience, Volare would offer customized and scalable career services. The Volare 该计划由全球发展研究专业大三学生Rachel Lilly撰写并提交, junior Computer Science major Junwon Song, and junior Business Administration major Bonnie Tran.
Tutorly won the People’s Choice award by a large margin. 该团队为大学生开发了一款点对点辅导应用, allowing learning to happen at the push of a button. By opening up access to tutoring, the project hopes to empower students, close gaps of inequity in higher education, and improve retention and graduation rates. Tutorly 是由工商管理专业的凯特琳·伯内特组成的, Computer Science major Soren Rood, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) major Steven Kotansky, 以及来自华盛顿大学计算机科学专业的Justin Shaw. All four are first-year students.
今年是上海科技大学第十四届社会创业计划大赛. 有16支队伍参加了这次展示活动，其中包括大约65名学生. 除了SPU的项目外，西北拿撒勒大学(Nampa, ID)的三个团队也参加了比赛. In addition to the nearly 70 community judges, 破纪录的1300人参加了网上“人民选择”投票.
这是社会创业计划比赛的最后一站. 比赛的早期阶段包括一系列赌博十大靠谱软件商业计划写作基础的研讨会, scoring of teams’ written business plans, and coaching sessions with knowledgeable businesspeople, non-profit executives and others. 总共有150多名社区志愿者作为读者、指导员、教练和评委奉献了时间.
Bill Edgar, 一位IT高管兼商业顾问指出，在经济低迷时期，竞争是一个亮点:
“听到这么多有远见和有思想的年轻人，我感到非常振奋. Thanks for letting me be part of the day.”
Returning volunteer Frances Walker, a local health, social justice, and development professional, agreed.
“这是一次美妙的经历，我被球队的专业精神所震撼
在他们对社会问题的理解以及如何创建有影响力和财务可持续发展的项目方面.”
Tammy Miller, 富国银行(Wells Fargo)高级副总裁兼资深SVPC志愿者对虚拟格式发表了评论, saying, “我不得不说，许多视频信息和演示给我留下了深刻的印象, 特别是当你意识到由于新格式的原因，在游戏后期需要视频时. 每个人都应该为他们应对挑战和未知领域的能力而感到祝贺.”
Financial sponsors of the SVPC include the Herbert B. Jones Foundation, the Scott and Kathleen Cummins Family Foundation, Fischer Companies, Pioneer Human Services, Bellmont Cabinets, and Northwest Center. 该竞赛由商学院应用学习中心(CAL)组织, Government, and Economics (SBGE) at SPU.