The Catalyst Competition:
HSBSE X HUCEG
This year’s theme:
Sustainable Innovation: The Intersection of Technology, Community Development, and Climate.
Through The Catalyst Competition, the Harvard Society of Black Scientists and Engineers (HSBSE) and Harvard Undergraduate Clean Energy Group (HUCEG) challenge our Black engineers to develop a technology-driven solution that addresses an effect of climate change that disproportionately affects Black communities, while uplifting the residents of the communities and promotes environmental justice. Categories will have their own awards, such as Best Policy Research, Best Hardware, and Best Technology.
Details
This is a one-day pitch-competition on February 15th to immerse students in environmental justice and its economic impact. The week before the pitch competition, we will host a virtual orientation event with workshops for registered students to know about the SEC’s inventory, grading rubric, event timeline and more details about the event before they compete the following week. On the day of, students will be introduced to their teams, team mentors, and the competition’s challenge. They will then have six hours of work time to develop their projects before the submission deadline and concluding ceremonies. Black students willing to engineer a solution to our prompt from the local region are invited to compete. Students will leave with experience in strategy, presentation curation as well as a robust network of professionals and other students in the environmental justice space. We expect to host approximately 100 students across greater Boston.
Climate change proves itself, season after season, to have a disproportionate effect on low-income communities and communities of color, which is seen most recently in the communities devastated by violent and unusually frequent hurricanes. Climate change and environmental justice are issues not addressed by many professionals in the field. Connecting with the local community of Black environmentalists and energy experts in the Greater Boston area is a big need on campus, and a critical goal of this event. This pitch competition will feature keynote speakers who can discuss professional and lived experiences working in the climate and energy sector, and inspire participating students to become leaders in environmental technology.