Siemens We Can Change The World Challenge

What Judges Look For

  1. Local Environmental Issue or Problem
    • The problem or issue should be one that negatively affects the local area and/or community.
    • The problem or issue should be something that may also be found in other communities or locations.
    • The issue can be resolved or problem solved by either physical changes, changing social behavior in the community or both.
  2. Community Engagement*
    • The community is at least informed of the problem or issue and the solution.
    • The community may be involved. Greater involvement indicates greater ownership of the problem and the solution.
    • Specific community members may take on leadership roles to make the change happen under the guidance of the Challenge Team (e.g. a community member independently takes charge of acquiring key resources).
  3. Scientific Approach
    • The background on the issue or problem is well researched, including what has been learned and done before.
    • Background evidence is cited that supports the solution being proposed.
    • A plan is clearly explained in which the team:
      • Details the resources needed to solve the problem or address the issue
      • Clearly defines and sequences the logical steps in the process
      • Indicates the collection of quantitative as well as qualitative data (including social interactions that are part of the solution)
    • A report is provided that explains:
      • What happened as a result of the proposed solution
      • The data that was collected
      • An analysis in which the data is used to support a conclusion
  4. A Recommendation Explaining How to Replicate and/or Expand the Project for Other Groups
    • How to replicate this solution including resource and materials recommendations
    • Lessons learned – how we would do it differently
    • Ways to expand on the solution – taking it further

*Community – This can refer to all or some of the people living in the area. A community may be the school community, the general population of a place, or a different subset of the general population, depending on who needs to be involved to achieve the solution.