University of Cincinnati students earn first place in environmental challenge competition

The 2021 Environmental Challenge International Competition winners have been announced, and the team from University of Cincinnati (UC) was awarded first place. The virtual competition was held by the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA), which hosts the event annually. Each year, teams of students are provided with a simulated environmental problem to solve. Teams present their initial proposal to a panel of judges and then are allowed to make small changes to their plans based on feedback. 

A news release from UC provided details of the winning proposal, presented by the Bearcat Environmental Solutions Team (BEST). BEST consisted of five UC students, led by a faculty advisor. Two members of the team, Sophia Pedigo and Kevin Johnson, were on the UC team last year, which won second place. With direction from team leader and master's student Rachel Tumbleson and faculty advisor Dr. Mingming Lu, the team set out to address the simulated problem posed by AWMA: developing a plan for the Florida utility industry to reach the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving zero carbon output by 2050. Proposals addressed all aspects of the problem, including government and transportation along with energy and environmental concerns.

BEST developed a proposal which Tumbleson said set them apart from the other teams, using a combination of solar energy, off-shore wind energy, and modular nuclear energy, along with lithium-ion battery technology for storage of energy. As Tumbleson explained in the news release, "I think our team taking the risk to suggest modular nuclear - we were the only team to do so - had a lot to do with our team winning. It's a very controversial topic, and I was quite nervous suggesting it, especially since we were presenting at such an environmentally conscious convention. We made sure to speak on the advantages of modular nuclear energy over traditional nuclear energy and most other utility scale sources of energy. Our team also did an amazing job thinking on the spot and articulating answers to the questions from the judges."

Reflecting on the structure of the competition and the problem solving skills demanded by the simulated problem proposed, Tumbleson said, "The whole concept of being given a platform to come up with and present a solution to a real-world environmental problem really intrigued me. The challenge prompts are technically hypothetical but are actual pressing issues the world is discussing and trying to solve today. Getting the chance to really dive into the details of how we could actually achieve carbon neutrality in utility scale electricity production was really fun and also challenging."