Go Carbon Neutral!

A Transportation Challenge hosted by the Museum of Science

Sponsored by General Motors

In partnership with the Museum of Life + Science, the Lawrence Hall of Science, and Greentown Labs

*** UPDATE***

Recognizing the incredible burden many undergraduates are currently under due to the pandemic, and in an effort to foster the next generation of climate change mitigation STEM leaders even during difficult times, we want to continue giving interested students the opportunity to engage with industry mentors through the Go Carbon Neutral! Challenge. Therefore, we’re going to accept rolling registrations into the Challenge through the final proposal deadline of March 26. If interested, students can register and then work collaboratively with our network of mentoring professionals to develop the specifics of their proposal.

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New England, North Carolina, and San Francisco Bay Area College Students-

Are you excited to create solutions to the climate crisis? We’re interested in your ideas about how to go carbon neutral by 2050! Create a winning transportation solution for reducing carbon emissions in your region and you could win $3000!

How the Competition Works:

The Go Carbon Neutral Challenge takes place in three stages, with cash prizes up for grabs at each stage!

Stage 1: Project Proposals (January 15-March 5)

Competitors should choose a transportation sector they think can be modified to help reduce their region's carbon footprint (i.e. private vehicles, ridehails, buses, rail, etc…). Then, it’s up to the team to propose a solution to their identified problem! Teams have from the time they register until March 5, 2020 to design a project proposal. Proposals will be judged based on practicality, impact, and accessibility.

Stage 2: Semi-finals (March 8-March 26)

Semi-finalists are invited to network with green tech community partners from each of the participating museums and discuss the real-world logistics of their proposal, as well as collaborate with museum professionals around how to best communicate and sell their idea to the public. After redesigning their proposal based on this input, competitors will present to a judging panel, and the top teams will be selected as finalists and win a $250 prize (per person).

Stage 3: Finals (March 31-April 16)

Finalists across 3 participating museums will compete for a grand prize! Each finalist team will prepare a video presentation of their proposal for the public to view and vote for their favorite (previous examples here). In addition, finalists will present their proposal to a judging panel of transportation and green tech professionals. The top 3 teams will receive a $3000, $2000, and $1000 prize, respectively (per team), in addition to a prize for the most popular proposal as voted on by the public!

Register today and get started!

Registration takes place between January 15 – March 5, 2021. Information gathered during the registration process will be private and confidential and used only for semi-finalist selection purposes and not shared beyond the Museum of Science Go Carbon Neutral! Challenge review committee. Project Proposals must be completed by March 5, 2020.

Semi-finalist teams should be comprised of 1 – 4 people. Schools may be represented by more than one team, and students on a given team may represent different schools. We strongly encourage students’ teams to have diverse STEM majors and perspectives.

Important Dates:

Rolling registration through March 26. Register now to collaborate with industry mentors!

• Friday, March 26: Final proposals due

• Wednesday, March 31: Finalists informed of elections

• Friday, April 16: Finalist video presentations due

• April 19-21: Public votes on finalist presentations

• Thursday, April 22: Awards ceremony

For full terms and conditions, visit www.mos.org/neutral

FAQs

Does everyone on my team need to register?

• Only one registration and project proposal is necessary per team.

Can anyone participate in this challenge?

• This challenge is open for current undergraduate students. Public voting and the awards ceremony are open to the general public.

Does my team's solution need to focus on the region we are applying from?

• Yes. Teams from New England should create solutions for Boston. Teams from North Carolina should create solutions for North Carolina. And teams from the Bay area should focus their solutions on the San Francisco Metropolitan Area.

Do I need to physically be on my campus or with my teammates to compete in this challenge?

• The 2021 Go Carbon Neutral Challenge is fully virtual. It is open to any currently registered, undergraduate student regardless of present location.

Do all of my teammates have to be from the same school?

• Students on a given team may represent different schools. We strongly encourage students’ teams to have diverse STEM majors and perspectives.

Can I update my registration information?

• Yes, if you have an Eventbrite account. Once you’ve logged in, click on the My Tickets tab at the top of the screen, followed by View Order. Here, you can edit any information on your order.

Will I get a confirmation e-mail?

• Yes, you will get a confirmation from Eventbrite.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

• Questions? Email gocarbonneutral@mos.org