Competition Information (2017)

DATE OF COMPETITION: Saturday, December 9th, 2017

Competitors’ main objective will be to design a climate change solution that aims to either mitigate humans’ environmental impact, or prevent the consequences associated with climate change. Teams can have anywhere from one to three members.

Solutions aimed towards mitigating environmental impact can focus on increasing the efficiency of current technologies, adjusting government policy plans, making solutions more economically viable, and more. Renewable energy categories can include solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, thermoelectric energy, hydrogen energy, hydroelectric energy, bioenergy, and any other plan used to reduce the usage of coal, oil, gas, and other fossil fuels.

Submissions aimed towards prevention can be about preventing the effects associated with climate change, including seawalls, ozone regeneration, etc. Any of the renewable energy categories listed above can also be used, if they are applicable.

TIMELINE:

• Register online by Sunday, November 26th, 2017.
• Submit Summaries by Friday December 8th at 5PM EST.
• Submit presentations by Saturday, December 9th, 2017.

First Round, part 1: Written Summaries

Summaries of background information about whichever renewable energy solution the competitors choose will be due on December 8th at 5:00 pm EST, the day before the Energy Case Competition.

Format

• For organization, use subheadings. Any graphics should have captions and appropriate citations.
• All information obtained from outside sources must be properly referenced.

Content

• These summaries will include: basic information on the technology; how it is currently used; current problems with its implementation; an evaluation of current solutions and their potential; and a bibliography. Summaries can be a maximum of three pages, not including the bibliography.

Scoring:

• The summaries will be judged on feasibility; innovative thought; and complexity in considering problems and solutions. The judges will also consider organization, pertinence to the topic, and effectiveness in their scoring. A precise rubric will be released in November.
• Scores earned on the summary will be 40% of the competitors’ first-round scores.

Tips

• Since competitors will only have five minutes for presentations, we recommend they include long explanations of technical information in the written summary rather than in the presentation.

First Round, part 2: Presentations

On December 9th, the day of the competition, competitors will present a proposal for the solution they designed.

Format

• Presentations may be a maximum of five minutes long.
• Competitors are allowed to use an accompanying slideshow.

Content

• Presentations should address: the importance of the renewable energy solution they are discussing; current problems in the implementation of the specified solution; and a plan for addressing these issues.

Scoring

• Competitors will be judged on innovative thought; their ability to effectively explain any technical information; complexity in their understanding of and approach to the problems described; and the feasibility of the proposed solution. Communication skills and professionalism will also be considered. A precise rubric will be released in November.
• This presentation will constitute 60% of first-round scores.

Tips

• Since judges will have read the submitted summaries, competitors should only briefly address background information. They should focus most of their presentations on their proposed solution and the issues it aims to solve.

Other Details

• Spectators will not be allowed for this round.

Final Round: Presentation + Question-Answer Session

The six teams with the highest first-round scores (summary + presentation) will progress to a final round. During this round, they will give their presentation again, then take five minutes to answer questions from the judges.

Format

• Competitors will have five minutes to present and five minutes to answer questions.

Content

• Answers should show that competitors have thorough knowledge of their chosen topic and have considered their solution from many angles.

Scoring

• The first-round summary (40% of the first-round score) and presentation (60% of the first-round score) scores will be used to determine who will progress to the final round.
• Final winners will be determined using the combined summary + presentation score (which will constitute 30% of the final score) and the final round score (70% of the final score).
• In the final round, students will be judged on professionalism, content knowledge, consideration of issues from multiple perspectives, and use of multiple points of view to suggest a comprehensive solution. A precise rubric will be released in September.

Tips

• Before the final round, competitors will be given their rubrics from the first presentations. We recommend that they take into account any feedback from judges for their final round.

Other Details

• Spectators will be allowed in this round.

Example topics and resources:

• Carbon Capture (storage - CCS, conversion - CCU, BECCS, carbon sinks, etc.)
• Nuclear Energy (fission, fusion)
• Natural Gas (fracking, "transition fuel" label)
• Mitigating Natural Disasters (evacuation, sea walls, hazard models)
• Just Transition
• Energy Efficiency in Buildings (green architecture, LEED)

Rubrics for first and final rounds:

PECC 2016

THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, Judges, and Volunteers!!!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS + EVENT DESCRIPTIONS
PRESENTATION TIMES + JUDGING PANEL BIOS
SAMPLE SCORE SHEET

Congratulations to our winners!

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