Altec Innovation Challenge Engages Students in Birmingham Community

How can you impact your community? That’s the question the Altec Innovation Challenge has asked Birmingham, Alabama area students for the last four years.

The challenge, which began in Birmingham and has expanded to the company’s Elizabethtown, Kentucky facility, encourages students to solve a problem with a STEM-based approach.

The challenge not only exposes students to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field— the fastest-growing occupations in the United States—but it also encourages critical thinking, problem-solving and persuasive and effective communication.

Competing teams identify a problem they would like to address and create a project plan. The Final Four present their ideas in an oral presentation to a panel of local judges who evaluate their proposed solutions based on impact, feasibility and sustainability. The winning team receives $10,000 from the Altec Styslinger Foundation to implement their plan.

“The Altec Styslinger Foundation is very proud to support this annual challenge encouraging students to use STEM skills to solve real-world problems,” said Altec CEO Allen Ritchie. “The goal of the challenge is not only to encourage innovation but also to develop an understanding of how to make those ideas a reality.”

As Birmingham prepares to host The World Games in 2022, this year’s competitors were also encouraged to consider how their project could contribute to the event. The winners from Ramsay High School did just that as they addressed the spread of COVID-19 through surface transmission.

Stopping the Spread of COVID-19

The average individual touches 300 surfaces every 30 minutes, and many do not wash their hands before touching these surfaces after coughing or sneezing—this was the premise of the Ramsay IB High School Radiant Rams’ proposal. To reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses through surface transmission, the Radiant Rams proposed the purchase of 24 Purify One UV lights to disinfect shared surfaces and personal items that students may not clean as frequently.

By reducing the spread of COVID and other viruses, the team said, students would be able to remain in the classroom instead of missing valuable instruction due to illness or exposure. The team also proposed using the wands at the World Games in high-touch areas and for sports equipment.

The Radiant Rams took the top spot in the challenge not only for their idea, but also for their thoughtful and creative presentation.

“Competing in the Altec Innovation Challenge was extremely rewarding for our students,” said Jennifer Gilbert, Ramsay’s career academy coordinator and math and engineering teacher. “They had the opportunity to display their creativity, as well as use skills learned in their engineering classes, to develop a feasible solution to a problem that impacts our community.”

The experience is one the students will remember, Gilbert said.

“Having the opportunity to actually implement their proposed solution is the icing on the cake,” she said.  “Students will carry this experience with them for many years to come.”

The 2022 Altec Innovation Challenge

Plans for the 2022 competition are in the works. Stay tuned to our website for more details to come in the next few months.