COVID-19 changed the world. And in Las Vegas, it achieved the unimaginable: it shuttered the Strip. 

When the city’s famous lights went off in 2020, it became even more evident that the Las Vegas economy needs to be more diversified, resilient, and sustainable. 

Teams of UNLV students came up with how to do just that through the inaugural President’s Innovation Challenge. 

The challenge, spearheaded by UNLV’s Office of the President, Graduate College, Office of Economic Development, Black Fire Innovation, and the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, brought together teams of UNLV students across disciplines in a competition to solve Southern Nevada’s major problems. 

“The goal of the program is to see what kind of ideas students can come up with that could lead to the development of a new company, a new sub-industry, or a new sector for the economy in Southern Nevada,” says Robert Rippee, executive director of UNLV's Black Fire Innovation. “Beyond hospitality and tourism, what else can we do to make our economy more resilient to these kinds of unforeseen events in the future?”

The President’s Innovation Challenge began in fall 2021 and asked UNLV students to come up with actionable solutions by this spring – the end of the academic year. 

“The world has changed a lot since the pandemic began, and as we look for ways to emerge stronger and smarter than we were before, it made sense to turn to the future leaders of our workforce for answers,” said UNLV President Keith Whitfield. “By building diverse and interdisciplinary teams, we’re challenging students to create a vision for our region’s future that incorporates their varied perspectives and experiences in ways that move beyond the status quo.” 

And in just a few short months, the program has garnered enthusiastic student interest. 
A total of 16 teams submitted their proposals in December, and nine finalists gathered April 6 to present their solutions to a panel of industry judges and hundreds of spectators gathered at UNLV’s Strip View Pavilion. 

One team – The Esenjays and its design for stackable, indoor microgreen grow boxes – walked away with the grand prize of $25,000. The team’s plan for automated and self-watering microgreen gardens highlighted the business, community, and personal potential for the product. Microgreens use little water but pack a big nutritional punch, a combination needed in a community faced with high rates of malnutrition-related diseases and limited water availability.

“The finalists didn’t just pose incredibly smart and creative solutions – they brought different perspectives together in ways that made their innovations more well-rounded and doable,” said Kate Korgan, senior vice provost for academic affairs and former dean of the Graduate College.

Second place went to the team More Sustainable World to support its plan for sustainably sourced plant-based biopolymers that “continue the versatility of plastics without the physical waste and toxic ingredients.” The third-place prize went to Team Aero AI and its concept to build an accessible digital library of 3D drone data. 

Beyond the monetary prize, incentives such as extended access to campus research facilities and study spaces, free parking passes, and sustenance scholarships surely spent on a healthy dose of free pizza and coffee have galvanized the competing teams. Working closely over two semesters, these diverse teams represented a cross-section of the university. The teams, per the challenge’s requirements, were multidisciplinary and had at least one undergraduate and one graduate student. 

“By requiring interdisciplinary teams, we're encouraging people to get out of their academic silos,” says Korgan. “The teams are also structured to provide near-peer mentorship. Graduate student members mentor undergraduate students, and each team has faculty and/or community members to advise and mentor the group. So even the composition of the teams is innovative and impactful.”

Because of the excitement – and entrepreneurial ideas – the competition generated, it is safe to say that this is the first of many President’s Innovation Challenges. 

“We're going to see this program just continue to grow over the next few years, and it could become a model for many universities on how to do these things,” says Rippee. “All credit to President Whitfield. He is the impetus for this idea, and it's commendable that he and other members of university leadership are directly engaging students in finding innovative solutions to our region’s economic challenges.”