NOVA Fab Lab Design Challenge - Spring 2024
The Brief
Design a product to help improve the well-being of an animal.
Description
The behavior and wellbeing of all living things is greatly affected by the environment they live in. Think of a favorite pet or animal, wild or domestic, you are particularly fond of. Consider the current and the ideal habitat for this creature.
Design a component of the habitat or a device that would improve the animal’s existing living conditions, help it rehabilitate, or better coexist with humans. The design can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish.
Who?
Open to middle school, high school, homeschool, and post-secondary students within the United States. Both individuals and teams of up to 3 students may compete.
Dates
February 23, 2024 – Design Submission Portal Opens
April 14, 2024 – Design Submission Portal Closes at 11:59PM
April 22, 2024 – Finalists Announced
May 10, 2024 – Awards Ceremony
Prizes
Grand Champion – Prusa MK4 3D printer, + we will fabricate a scale model of your design.
Division Champions* – Prusa Mini+
*Divisions: Middle School, High School, and Post-Secondary
Design Requirements
Your solution MUST be a design for a product that can be fabricated in our lab. Reminder, you are submitting ONLY an idea with an accompanying design as your solution – not an actual physical product or prototype. You will submit your product design digitally using the Entry Form.
How to Submit
All entries must be submitted online at http://fablab.novastem.us/DesignChallenge. You will submit your product design digitally using the Entry Form.
Entry Form
The Entry Form will walk you through the required components which will include:
- Name of product
- Description of your design (maximum 500 words).
- Explain the challenge the animal of your choice faces in its current habitat.
- Explain how your product will work and how it would benefit the animal.
- Explain how the product fits in the overall habitat.
- Provide at least two different types of references to justify the needs and ideal habitat for the animal your product supports.
- References supporting your research can be attached as a word document, hyperlinks, PDF files, images, or a link to video (do not upload actual video), or commonly used citation formats.
- Provide a graphical/visual representation of your design in one of the following formats:
- digital version of a hand drawing
- a 2D or 3D digital design file
- digital documentation of a prototype or fabrication
- a video (include link to video in a document or PDF, do not upload actual video).
Note: Any uploaded files must be PDF, JPEG, PNG, STL, OBJ, SVG, DOC, DOCX file types. Maximum size of each file is 10 MB, up to 3 files can be uploaded per submission.
Judging Criteria
- Creativity — How innovative is your idea?
- Aesthetics — Is your design visually pleasing?
- Feasibility — Can the design be built?
- Effectiveness — Does your design solve the identified challenge? Can the product be modified to increase its impact on a larger scale? Habitats of other animals?
Helpful Resources
Register Here
Educator/Classroom Informational Sessions via Zoom
Register for a 15 minute-long Design Challenge info session on any Wednesday from March 6 - March 27, 2024, at 3:30 or 4:30PM. Feel free to project us on a big screen to present to your class or group. Register Here.
Educator Reference Guide
Download our educator reference guide for various ways to implement the Design Challenge in your classroom.
Download Educator Reference Guide
Questions & Answers
Q: How do I submit my design?
A: You will submit your design digitally via our Entry Form at http://fablab.novastem.us/DesignChallenge
Q: Do I have to physically build my product?
A: No. In fact, we are not accepting physical objects. However, you are welcome to build a prototype as a visual representation of your design, but it is not a requirement. You will submit this information via our Entry Form at http://fablab.novastem.us/DesignChallenge
Q: Do I have to be a NOVA Community College student in order to participate?
A: No. Any student attending a middle school, high school, homeschool, or college or university student (excluding graduate school) within the continental US may participate.
Q: I am a homeschool student in middle school, can I participate?
A: Yes. Any middle school, high school, or college student attending a public, private, or homeschool can participate.
Q: Is there a size limitation for my solution?
A: No. Choose the size that best fits your solution to the problem. The NOVA Fab Lab will fabricate the design of all Prize Winners including, if necessary, a scaled down version of the product.
Q: The Entry Form requires two different types of references to justify the needs and ideal habitat for the animal my product supports. What type of references are acceptable and how do I submit them?
A: The Entry Form will contain a field for you to cite references. References supporting your research can be photo documentation of your animal in its environment, an interview with a pet owner, zoologist, veterinarian or other animal professionals or enthusiasts, website links to any article, or information from any online resource. References can be attached as a word document, hyperlinks, PDF files, images, or a link to video (do not upload actual video), or commonly used citation formats.
Q: What kinds of equipment/processes does the Fab Lab have available to fabricate winning design?
A: Capabilities include
- CNC routing (4’x4’)
- Full Woodshop
- CNC metal mill
- Laser cutting/engraving
- UV flatbed printer
- Soldering/electronics
- Textile (sewing machines, sergers)
- Vacuum Former
- Additive Manufacturing (including color polyjet and filament printers with dissolvable supports)
Terms & Conditions
- The Challenge is open to any student enrolled in a middle school, high school, homeschool, post-secondary within the USA.
- For those under 18 years of age, parental consent is required at the time of Entry Form submission via the electronic entry form.
- Participation is open to individuals, or teams with up to 3 total members.
- The Challenge is not open to:
- employees of Northern Virginia Community College
- judges or any of their families
- employees of the NOVA Fab Lab
- Design Challenge sponsors.
- Only 1 entry per person is permitted regardless of whether they enter as an
individual or a team. If a participant enters one design as an individual, and a second
as a team, the individual entry will be disqualified.
- By submission of an Entry Form you:
- Agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges.
- Warrant that you are eligible to participate.
- Warrant that the submission is your original work.
- Warrant, to the best of your knowledge, your work is not, and has not been in
production or otherwise previously published or exhibited.
- Warrant neither the work nor its use infringes the intellectual property rights
(whether a patent, utility model, functional design right, aesthetic design right, trademark, copyright, or any other intellectual property right of any other person.
- Warrant participation shall not constitute employment, assignment or offer of employment, or assignment.
- Agree participation does not entitle to compensation or reimbursement for any costs.
- Agree Northern Virginia Community College and all affiliates have the right to promote your entry.
- Winners will be contacted by NOVA Fab Lab staff to get their contact information and any other information needed.
- Winning Product will be chosen based on the Rules and Requirements.
- Winning individuals or teams will be required to attend the Challenge Ceremony (at their own cost), located at the Fab lab, to collect their prize(s).
- Winning individuals or teams agree to be photographed with their winning designs.
- Winning teams agree that the prize allocations are the same amount regardless of whether it is an individual or team that wins an award. The winning team will determine amongst themselves how they share the prize; the prize will be awarded to the
team, not to individual team members.
- Winners agree to the following NOVA Fab Lab/NOVA Community College Graphics Release:
I hereby give NOVA Systemic the right to take, use, publish, display, broadcast, or print – in any media – photographs, slides, digital images, films, and audio or video recordings made in conjunction with the NOVA Systemic Fab Lab, to the full extent in which I am included. I understand that such sounds, images, and video may be used for instruction, promotion, advertising, and any other lawful purpose.
Our Sponsor
This Spring 2024 Design Challenge and related activities have been kindly sponsored by BAE Systems.