Solve It!

All teams agree to attend and present at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s campus, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport, PA, on March 24, 2023, from 9am to 1pm. Presentation set-up will be at 8:30–8:45 a.m. Students will attend an opening session with Covestro engineers and Penn State Greater Allegheny faculty.  Each team will have a room in which they can practice before presenting to the judging panel. Winners will be announced at Noon, during lunch on the campus. 

Team Requirements:   

  • Each team must consist of 3 to 4 high school students.   

  • Only team members can present—teachers and advisors may attend the competition but cannot present or advise once the competition begins.  

  • Only team members should develop the materials and presentation, not teachers, parents or advisors.  

  • Campaigns and presentations should not include information that is offensive or derogatory toward any organization, race, sex, or country.  

  • All digital materials must be submitted via email to [email protected] by March 23 by 9am. Physical materials such as posters can be brought on the morning of the event.    

Your 4-minute pitch should include and will be judged on the following elements:   

  • Knowledge of the issue: Teams are encouraged to use, but not limited to, the materials provided on the Solve It! website.    

  • Presentation quality: Demonstrates teamwork and audience engagement.  

  • Clarity and creativity of solution: A unique and viable solution is presented that addresses the challenge and reaches the target audience.  

  • Persuasive plan:  This could include any or all of the following: slide presentation, PSA (public service announcement), sample social media posts, posters, dramatic or musical performance, demonstration that can be used to convince others to get behind their idea . 

  • Social and Global Impact: The proposed solution clearly highlights at least one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

  • Team ID and participant names should be presented at the start and end of the presentation.  

  • No school affiliations/logos may appear in the presentation.

  • Each team will submit a one (1) page document listing the references and resources used by the team for their presentation.    

Deadlines and Details:  

  • Teams should ensure functionality of embedded images, animations, videos, and/or audio files upon submission of the digital content on March 23. Submit the content to [email protected].        

Presentation Process:   

  • The judges will provide a brief overview of the process and then signal that the team may begin presenting, upon which the four-minute timing process will begin.  

  • A timekeeper will indicate time at the three-minute mark, so teams must be complete by that time.   

  • A short Question and Answer period will follow the formal presentation.    

  • Students may not seek judges' feedback or assistance until the competition is completed.    

  • A recording of each presentation will be made by Penn State and shared with teams upon request. All other recording will be prohibited.  

  • The top three scores will result in the first, second and third place winners of Solve It!   

  • Competition questions should be directed to Penn State Greater Allegheny for clarification of any of these competition details at [email protected]  

Judging Procedures:  

The judging will be rated using the following rubric.  

                                                                                 Strongly Disagree                                                Strongly Agree  

Presentation  

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

Demonstrates understanding of problem  

  

  

  

  

  

Well Prepared and Organized  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Visuals were Supporting  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Engages judges/audience  

  

  

  

  

  

Content

1

2

3

4

5

Evidence of incorporating reference materials  

  

  

  

  

  

Solution is well-defined and clear  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Has a plan to reach users/customers  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Solution is Viable and Unique  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Addressed Potential Obstacles  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Solution has a Sustainable and Social Impact