The challenge of solving complex real-world problems is not something that intimidates the Shads; in fact, for this group of innovative youth, it’s a big part of the Shad program’s appeal. Their ability to think outside the box and draw on different fields of study to inform the creation of truly novel design solutions is inspiring, and this year their talents were directed towards helping youth in Canada integrate affordable and reliable green energy sources into their everyday lives to create more sustainable communities.

“We all learned so much through this experience,” shared Lali R., a student from Fort McMurray, Alberta, who attended Shad’s McMaster campus this summer. “Everyone brought unique skills to the group, so we learned from each other and really grew as a team as we worked on this project.”

Shads presenting their 2024 Design Challenge Project to judges at Wilfrid Laurier University

The Design Challenge is the capstone project of the Shad program, affording Shads the opportunity to showcase the lessons and skills they’ve gained over the month through enriching activities, community field trips, and lectures from field experts and Knowledge Keepers. Students are challenged to create a prototype of their product solution, develop a business plan, and then present their design through a professional pitch to a panel of judges, including industry leaders, in a more formal setting.

Last week, the Shads unveiled their design solutions and the excitement was palpable. Each group approached the challenge from different perspectives, the variety of solutions reflecting the diversity of skills and backgrounds within the Shads themselves, as well as the academic focus of the university campuses they were a part of.

“It was amazing to hear from experts in the field, they gave us so many ideas through lectures on green energy and sustainability,” noted Andy Xu from London, Ontario. “At Laurier, we also worked with mentors at StartUp Lab who talked us through the process of setting up a business, which was incredibly helpful, they taught us so much.”

Andy and his group members at Shad’s Wilfrid Laurier University campus were concerned with the volume of greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by data storage centers, which have become ubiquitous given our ever-growing dependence on technology. To address this problem, the group, who named their company RePowerIT, developed a system that generates green electricity by turning the heat produced by the computers at data centers into high pressured gas that rotates a large turbine to produce electricity, thus powering the center without the need for fossil fuels.

RePowerIT’s system solution to using heat produced by data centers to generate green electricity and cut out GHGs

“We were all concerned with the impact of AI and data storage centers on the environment, so after we did some research on the issue, we decided this was what we wanted to focus on since it’s a problem that is only going to become more urgent,” shared Josh W. from Aurora, Ontario.

RePowerIT team presenting their design solution to judges: (L-R) Joshua L., Ashleigh C., Andy X., Josh W., and Dianne M. (Mallani N. team member not photographed)

Other ShadLaurier students chose to focus on challenges closer to home, like RE-GEN-Z, a company that tackled green transportation by developing a bike wheel that fits on any regular bike and is motorized by a battery powered through induction braking, or Sparks, a group that developed an AI energy tracker for the home that can be programmed to moderate energy use and make adjustments to reduce energy waste.

At Shad’s University of Waterloo (UW) campus, many groups focused on the youth empowerment aspects of the challenge. Some chose to develop ways to educate young people about climate change and how green energy can help address the crisis, while others focused on uniting youth through digital platforms that help to elevate their voices and coalesce around their common goals. The group “Mewtopia” developed an online video game that helps youth better understand the impact of climate change while offering green solutions they can incorporate into their daily lives as they move through the game’s levels.

Graphics from the game “Mewtopia” meant to educate youth about climate change and green energy

Another group, The Green Team, focused on bringing Indigenous voices to the forefront of discussions on climate change by creating a digital platform that creates space for members of Indigenous communities to share stories and insights on the land and green energy with the wider public, building a more holistic view of the crisis shared by those who best know the land affected.

“We were really impacted by the sunrise ceremony with Myeengun Henry (the Indigenous Knowledge Keeper at UW) and the message he shared with us about Indigenous teachings,” said Gabby K., a member of The Green Team. “We knew whatever we did with the design challenge, we wanted to focus on incorporating those important perspectives.”

Gabby and her team member from ‘The Green Team’ presenting their design challenge solution

A team from Shad’s McMaster campus was similarly inspired to focus on Indigenous communities. The team, Byson Tidal Solutions, was concerned with how communities in Nunavut were often dependent on fossil fuels for energy and wanted to implement green energy that utilized the natural resources of the area while preserving those same resources. They designed the Byson Water Wrap, a water turbine that uses a special mesh that allows it to capture power generated by the tidal currents of local water ways while protecting against damage to marine life that water turbines can cause.

Byson Tidal Solutions’ prototype of its Tidal Water Wrap green energy solution

“We picked that region specifically because it often doesn’t have access to many green energy technologies,” shared Sydney S., one of this year’s recipients of Shad’s Entrance Scholarship for Indigenous Students. “Tidal energy is such a large resource that really hasn’t been tapped into yet, and coastal areas have the resources to make use of this technology and move away from fossil fuels.”

The team ‘Byson Tidal Solutions’ presenting their Design Challenge solution at McMaster University

Students at ShadAnywhere, Shad’s digital campus, were just as innovative in their design solutions. They tackled green transportation options, with the group GMT (Get Moooving Transportation) designing a modular Light Rail Transportation (LRT) compartment that standardizes the design for easy and widespread adoption throughout Canadian communities, as well as every day utility needs, like Vanadium, a group that designed a solar panelled cellphone case that charges using the sun as a renewable energy source.

Vanadium’s solar paneled phone case prototype

Regardless of how the Shads approached the design challenge, whether it be from an engineering, technology, or advocacy perspective, they all succeeded in taking an aspirational desire to improve Canada’s ability to tackle climate change and turning it into actionable strategies for youth to embrace as a means of securing their climate future, creating an immense sense of hope in this generation’s capacity to formulate effective solutions to global problems and lead the world to a brighter tomorrow.

“This experience was amazing, we all had different strengths and weaknesses, but we came together like puzzle pieces and formed this really effective whole that was able to take a really big and complex problem and break it down into smaller parts to be solved,” shared Allie H. from ShadMcMaster. “We’re all just proud of what we accomplished, I’m excited for what’s next.”

 

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