Fall 2024 Smeal Undergraduate Sustainability Case Competition

Fall 2024 Smeal Undergraduate Sustainability Case Competition

This competition is organized by the Smeal Center for the Business of Sustainability and Smeal Diversity Enhancement Programs.

The competition is a hands-on opportunity to work on a cross-disciplinary team and to use business and economic principles to solve real-world social justice and environmental conservation challenges. Student teams who make it to the finals will have the opportunity to network with a unique community of peers and professionals, learn about graduate programs to further their education and interact with some of today’s leading sustainability and social impact leaders. Registration is now open.

View and download the case here.

 Prizes 

1st place: $3,000 

2nd place: $2,000 

3rd place: $1,000 

What is the Focus of the Case Competition? 

This year’s case will focus on the challenge of food waste in our communities. In the US alone, billions of pounds of food are wasted annually. The need for realistic and impactful solutions is evident, and we believe that students have a unique, fresh outlook on solving such immense problems. Student teams are tasked with researching this topic and formulating a relevant solution that could be implemented in a local community.

Who Can Participate? 

The competition is open to Penn State undergraduate students from any Commonwealth Campus and students from invited institutions. To take part, students will put together teams of four but no more than 5 members, one of which is required to be a business major.   

How to Register? 

To register, one student from a team will enter the registration site to enter a team name and register each team member. Be sure to have this information BEFORE starting registration. After registering, each team member will have access to the platform and be able to upload materials. Registration for this event is now open, and the case will be released, on September 13th.

What are the competition rules?

All submitted and presented work must be the work of the student team. The team is strongly encouraged to seek out the appropriate subject matter experts who can help the team understand the issues, challenges, and potential solutions related to the case. Students may work with a faculty advisor or mentor who can provide guidance and feedback on the team’s research, analysis, and presentation. However, in the end, all submitted and presented work must be the work of the student team.

Who will judge?

The judges for the Case Competition will be secured before the competition and will be comprised of Penn State faculty and staff, Smeal alumni, and Impact Competition representatives. 

Team submissions 

Submission requirements

Each team must submit a video that is not to exceed 15 minutes in length. In the video, the team will present their analysis and recommendations. Each team member must participate in the presentation.

The review process is anonymous. DO NOT include any team member names or photos on any PowerPoints;  DO NOT include the name, logo, or any identifying information of your institution, college, or campus. Videos should be voiceover only.

There is no required minimum or maximum number of slides; it is up to your team to determine the appropriate number of slides for a 15-minute presentation.

Teams must be sure to document ALL sources of information to avoid plagiarism. The list of sources does not need to be part of the presentation but should be submitted with accompanying files. APA (American Psychological Association) style is preferred.

Teams will be scored based on their video presentation and accompanying files (i.e. PowerPoint or similar presentation platforms).

Reviewers for the teams’ submissions will be made up of Penn State faculty and staff.

How to Submit

To submit the video of your team’s presentation, upload it to a video-sharing platform such as YouTube or Vimeo and submit a link to the video.

You will submit this link using the same site where you registered your team, using the same credentials provided when registering.

You will be submitting a PPT and PDF version of your presentation. Use your team’s name as the filename of your submitted presentation. For example, if your team is The Squirrels, you would name the PowerPoint version “thesquirrels.pptx” and the PDF version “thesquirrels.pdf”.

Submission deadline

Videos of team presentations, the PPT, and PDF versions of accompanying slides/PowerPoints will be due no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, September 27th, 2024.

Any submissions received after this time will not be considered for judging.

Key Dates

September:

September 13th: Registration Opens and the Case is Released

October:

October 15th: Registration Closes and Submission Due at 11:59 PM EST

October 18th: Finalist Announcement at 8:00 AM EST

October 25th: Power Hour Expert Panel Q&A for Finalists - TBD

October 30th: Final Submission

October 31st: Opening Ceremony at 6:30 PM EST (The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center - 215 Innovation Blvd, State College, PA, 16803)

November

November 1st: Finals (Finalist Presents In-Person at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center - 215 Innovation Blvd, State College, PA, 16803)

Finalist Accommodations

The Center for the Business of Sustainability will provide food, lodging, and parking accommodations. All other expenses incurred will need to be submitted to your local institution for reimbursement.

Questions

Please forward all questions to Tracey Mariner via email at: tcd119@psu.edu