Clark Atlanta University Students win Annual Ford HBCU Community Challenge

An innovative lawn irrigation system that tracks weather forecasts and soil moisture to water only when needed has earned Clark Atlanta University top honors in Ford Motor Company’s Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Community Challenge.

The conservation system created by Clark Atlanta students Bradley Gilbeaux and Damon Willis can be customized for both business and residential use – saving millions of gallons in water. The students and school will take home US$75,000 in scholarships, grants and implementation funds as winners of this year’s challenge.

Second place and US$15,000 goes to North Carolina A&T State University for a plan to develop creative workspaces for innovation and entrepreneurship for teens in the Greensboro area.

Alabama A&M University captures third place and US$10,000 to implement a project that combines a community garden and vehicle distribution system to reach needy residents.

The 3 teams presented their proposals last week to a panel of judges at Ford World Headquarters. Judges included radio personality Tom Joyner and Ford executives.

Bethune-Cookman University, Florida A&M University, and Spelman College were the finalists in last year’s challenge. Spelman College won first place with its innovative program that sought to address healthier food options in its community.

For the third consecutive year, the HBCU Community Challenge was conducted in partnership with the Tom Joyner and Rickey Smiley morning shows. The program encourages students to not only go further with their education but to help their communities. The program’s theme is “Building Sustainable Communities.”

Each proposal should creatively address a pressing community need that focuses on at least one of these areas – mobility, alternative energy, sustainability/water and systematic approaches to meeting community needs. Student and university scholarships will be awarded to the winning team, with each finalist project being awarded a grant for teams to implement their innovative work.

About the Ford HBCU Community Challenge: The Ford HBCU Community Challenge sponsored by the Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Company Fund targets students enrolled at HBCUs the opportunity to submit innovative proposals on community issues for a chance to win US$75,000 in scholarships and prizes for their university and community.

Interested students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities can learn more about the competition and submit their proposals by visiting this link.

Source: Black Engineer