Introduction

A major part of project design is communicating the project’s purpose and utility, and describing the design process to others, including colleagues, superiors, outside clients, or the general public. Effective communication is key to expressing the importance of your work to relevant stakeholders. This competition is meant to emphasize that importance. It builds on design projects you may be developing as part of degree curriculums. With a focus on the utility of the design and the ability to bring it to market, we hope to highlight the innovative thinking of SAME student members.

Submissions in this competition will be evaluated on how well they convey the purpose of the project and its technical merit. Your task is to concisely communicate your design process and demonstrate that you have used sound analysis throughout and do so in a way that is easily understandable to technical and non-technical audiences. This document will outline the expectations for each team and submission as well as the grading rubric that will be used to evaluate your work.

All eligible projects will be posted on the SAME webpage and promoted to our industry members as possible R&D candidates. The top three teams will be awarded a $500 prize and be asked to present to an SAME audience.

All team members should be undergraduate-level students AND student members of SAME. Student membership in SAME is free to all students through the undergraduate level. Learn more about joining SAME as a student member.

Team sizes should have between 3-6 members. Expected submission topics will be based on capstone or design projects. All submissions must include the names of each of the team members, emails, year, and SAME membership number.

Submissions

Submission 1 – Abstract Submission – 300-500 words
Your abstract should summarize the key concepts, purpose, initial conclusions, and an overview of the science or engineering principles and results from your work. Think of this as a written elevator pitch; your abstract should be able to quickly showcase the importance of the great work that you are doing along with highlighting significant supporting information and descriptions. Additional details on areas to expand on are included in the Submission Discussion Topics section.

Submission 2 – PowerPoint Presentation Submission
Your presentation will consist of 5-10 slides that will outline the progression of your design project from concept and design, to planning, to analysis, and finally to the project build itself (or calculated results if your capstone project does not involve any physical construction). Additional details on areas to expand on are included in the Submission Discussion Topics section. Your slide deck should include a 5-10 minute audio narration overlay recorded into your presentation. More detailed instructions will be provided to teams advancing to phase 2.

Where do I submit?

Teams will submit their abstract in phase 1 using the attached submission form (Download the Word and PDF versions). Teams advancing to phase 2 will be giving additional instructions for submitting their PowerPoints.

SAME reserves the right to use any portion of a team’s submission in online and print marketing. Winning teams will need to provide a headshot for SAME promotional use. Instructions will be provided.

Submission Topics Discussion

For both submissions, the following areas should be discussed concerning your projects:

1. Introduction

   • A very brief introduction to your project, describing what it is and its significance. Assume the audience is familiar with your project

2. Engineering and Physical Analysis

   • Provide an overview of the engineering principles that guided your work along with any pertinent results.
   • For the PowerPoint Presentation submission, present the fully formulated and solved analyses of your project
     • Include supporting assumptions, figures, and physical laws/equations used

3. Concept Evaluation and Selection

   • Describe your concept evaluation process
   • For the PowerPoint Presentation, show and describe your chosen design concept

4. Project Planning

   • For the PowerPoint Presentation, present your design plan from concept to build phase of the project, with incremental tasks, realistic timeline, and milestones

5. Embodiment Design

   • Describe and illustrate the details of the final design for your project.
   • For the PowerPoint Presentation, provide relevant figures, pictures, CAD models, etc. of your final work and discuss your build process
   • Identify manufacturing methods to be utilized in creating your final product and any other assembly or implementation considerations

• 26 Feb 2021: Phase 1 Abstract Submission Deadline
• 22 March 2021: Teams Advancing to Phase 2 Notified
• 16 Apr 2021: Phase 2 PowerPoint Presentation Submission Deadline
• 10 May 2021: Top 3 Teams Notified
• TBD May 2021: The top three teams will be invited to present to SAME.

Three top teams will be chosen and recognized by SAME. The winning teams will receive a $500 award.

The attached rubric will be used to select the abstracts advancing to the PowerPoint phase and again to select the final three submission from the PowerPoint phase.

The review committee will be composed of SAME industry and government members, and members of the College Outreach Community of Interest.

Top 3 Submissions

If your project is selected to present, you will have the opportunity to update your PowerPoint presentation before your presentation to SAME. Use of your capstone project presentation for your school is perfectly acceptable but will need to be tailored to fit the presentation window. More presentation information will be provided when the winners are announced. Stay tuned!

Submission Grading Rubric

U.S. Department Energy Geothermal Collegiate Competition (Deadline: March 9, 2021)

The U.S. Department Energy is pleased to announce the Geothermal Collegiate Competition. This spring, student teams will design direct-use concepts leveraging geothermal energy to heat and cool buildings, campuses, districts, or entire communities. Participation is free and offers students the chance to win national recognition and earn cash prizes. In addition, competitors will gain real-world renewable energy industry experience conceiving a use case, performing resource and usage assessments, and developing plans alongside community stakeholders.

A Virtual Competition Offering Real-World Experience. The Geothermal Collegiate Competition will be conducted in a 100% virtual format, presenting a great opportunity for experiential learning with no need to budget for travel.

This Field is Wide Open for Exploration. The Geothermal Collegiate Competition welcomes students from a broad spectrum of disciplines. The competition is open to students enrolled at accredited collegiate institutions regardless of preexisting knowledge or faculty advisor expertise. Teams can participate as part of a club or extracurricular activity, as a formal component of their coursework, to earn independent study credit, or within a “senior design” or “capstone” program. Additional students can join teams at any time.

Gather your Team and Start Digging in! This is a semester-long competition. Progress submissions are due March 9, 2021. Final competition submittals are due May 4, 2021.

• Interested in learning more, have questions, or need a promotional flyer to help spread the word? Please send an email to Geo.Competition@nrel.gov and I’ll happily share more information.
• Join us for an informational webinar on February 10, 2021 from 1–2 p.m. EST.
• Ready to confirm a team? Join the Geothermal Collegiate Competition on HeroX. Create an account and submit a progress form by March 9, 2021.

Managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. To learn more, go to:

• www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geothermal-collegiate-competition
• www.herox.com/GeothermalCollegiateCompetitionSpring2021
• Geo.Competition@nrel.gov