A panel of expert judges awarded a student-led team from Virginia Western Community College a tie for second place in the 2016 Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) held recently in Washington. The team’s project proposed an innovative way to collect waste apples for production as environmentally friendly biofuel.
Students Cody Djuric, Adam O’Neal, Seth Ramsay and Kari Stanley along with Virginia Western’s Dean of STEM, Amy White, presented a poster and video about their project. The team collaborated with Gwen Ikenberry and Ikenberry Orchards in Daleville, proposing a mechanical collection method of recovering apples that otherwise could not be sold to produce an environmentally-friendly biofuel, allowing more efficient use of U.S. orchards and new economic opportunities for apple producers.
“These students completed on a national stage with other community college students from around the country. They interacted with congressmen, scientists, consultants and policymakers. The personal and academic growth they experienced was exhilarating to watch,” White said. “They left the completion not only with accolades, but more importantly with greater confidence and networking and communication skills. They built relationships with the other teams and discussed future collaborations, which is the heart of innovation. This has been one of my most rewarding professional endeavors and I am so thankful that Virginia Western supports these student opportunities.”
Forsyth Technical Community College (Winston-Salem, NC) was awarded first place and Normandale Community College (Bloomington, Minn.) tied for second.
Additionally, finalists were given the opportunity to present their projects to members of Congress and legislative staff during a Capitol Hill presentation Wednesday. Attendants selected Perimeter College at Georgia State University’s project as the “People’s Choice” award, a new category added to CCIC this year.
The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), developed the CCIC competition as a way to foster development of crucial innovation skills among students in one of the nation’s most significant academic sectors. Community colleges play an important role in developing America’s technical workforce, in part by involving groups traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers.
