The UNLV Office of the President, UNLV Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, UNLV Graduate College, UNLV Office of Economic Development, and Black Fire Innovation are pleased to announce the teams that have advanced to the final round of the 2nd annual President's Innovation Challenge, a multidisciplinary team competition that encourages social and business entrepreneurship to help solve major problems of our day in Southern Nevada and beyond.
This year's competition commenced in fall 2022 with 20 teams. From there, 16 teams submitted proposals to answer this year's competition challenge centered around sustainability. The most competitive proposals were selected, and seven teams have moved on to the final round.
During spring 2023, the teams will build final proposals to address the problem statement and present them at the final President's Innovation Challenge showcase event on May 1 at 4 p.m. in the Thomas & Mack Center Strip View Pavilion. A panel of judges will award prizes, including a $25,000 grand prize. The event is open to the public, and registration is encouraged.
Congratulations to the teams that advanced to the final round:
Team: Scarlet and Green
- Team Mantra: Putting a Scarlet Twist on Sustainability
- Mentor/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Caitlin Saladino
- Zachary Billot, Political Science
- Mary Blankenship, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Miguel Soriano Ralston, Political Science
- Jacob Vecchione, Civil Engineering
- Annie Vong, Political Science
Team: YouChef
- Team Mantra: Reducing food waste, one SCAN at a time
- Mentor/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ian McDonough
- Allister Dias, Economics
- Ferris Ferris, Engineering
- Vianey Lozoya, Architecture
- Richard Palenik, MBA
- Christen Smith, Hospitality
Team: LutumPotentia
- Team Mantra: Turning your spoil into soil
- Mentor/Faculty Advisors: Lauren Boitel and Dave Ray
- Nour Benjelloun, Philosophy & Law
- Andres Carrasco, Marketing
- Ryder Hankins, Marketing & International Business
- Scott Luk, Management Information Systems
- Angie Shenouda, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Team: WellSpaTech
- Team Mantra: Bringing health and wellness to a property near you
- Mentor/Faculty Advisor: Glenn Nowak
- Daphne Cuellar, Architecture
- Natalie Klainer, Architecture
- Sherrie Tennessee, Hospitality
Team: ECOVISION
- Team Mantra: A Look into a Greener and More Economical Future
- Mentor/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Gregory A. Borchard
- Haley Cabias, Marketing
- Taylor Finelli, Computer Science
- Maryam Raja, Political Science
- Daniel Valdes, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Team: Local Cup
- Team Mantra: Save a cup, grow the meadows
- Mentor/Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kenneth Varner
- Justus King, Public Policy
- Tam Nguyen, Finance
- Karla Nicole Opiniano, Landscape Architecture
- Gabby Weaver, Art