The Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) aims to foster solutions developed by two-year college students to address real-world STEM problems. What is particularly unique this year is how many finalist projects came about from discussions about wildfires.
During a CCIC poster showcase held on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, 12 student-led teams from community colleges across the country pitched their ideas to congressional members and staff, federal government officials and other interested parties. When outlining what inspired their projects, students from four teams noted it was the recent wildfires in California, particularly the ones in Los Angeles in early January.
The two-student team from Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts pitched its idea for smart headphones — dubbed InSight — to assist visually impaired individuals. The idea for the product originated when team members Karl Hampton and Cortney Schultz-Corson heard a YouTube influencer who was blind detail her ordeal in navigating during the Los Angeles fires.
The NanoSense Mask — an advanced air-purifying respirator that detects toxic gases and monitors the wearer’s physical condition — also has its roots in discussions about wildfires. The four-member team from Houston Community College said the thick smoke in the L.A. fires and the firefighters who tackled the flames sparked conversations about a smarter breathing apparatus.
The project of the three-member team from Irvine Valley College in California focused on developing a fire prevention system that includes a fire-retardant gel to apply to homes. Team members said that discussions about the L.A. fires and subsequent insurance claims were also key to its development.
And the student squad from California’s Coalinga College developed a burn care innovation that’s like a second skin. It partially came about to help individuals who sustain burns during annual wildfires in the college’s service area, the team said.
Other challenges
Other CCIC projects sought to tackle environmental challenges. The Henry Ford College team’s innovation, called SunSync, is a solar-powered smart blinds system that aims to save energy. The team from Holyoke Community College developed Green Computer Processing, a cooling system for high-performance computer systems and data centers. Bergen Community College focused on pop-up hydroponic farms created with recycled shipping pallets.
Yet other projects sought to address challenges arising from other developing technologies. For example, Tulsa Community College crafted Portal, an integrated delivery solution. It would create a secure, designated delivery area in homes for packages transported by drones.
Dallas College developed an alert detection system to upgrade airplane systems to help pilots detect hazards more quickly. It drew particular interest given the mid-air collision of a commercial airliner and military helicopter over the Potomac in January.
Reynolds Community College sought a more efficient way to clean streets and sidewalks, hence RoboClean. It uses ultrasonic sensors for navigation and can get into tight spaces, particularly in urban areas. How do they look? Picture those six-wheeled autonomous food-delivery vehicles, but with rotating scrubbers underneath.
More than just innovations
For some students, the technical parts of the CCIC projects were the fun part. For others, it was the research. Kayla Millender of Houston Community College, for example, noted the NanoSense Mask uses NASA technology — as does Dallas College’s detection system, added student Khai Huynh. Leonard Gea of Irvine Valley College observed that the fire-suppressing gel used in the team’s project is based on the work of Stanford chemical researcher Eric Appel.
The innovations are central to CCIC, which is led by the American Association of Community Colleges in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). But during the CCIC boot camp this week leading up to the poster showcase, student teams learned how to pitch their products. That includes knowing your audience, said Middlesex Community College team member Karl Hampton. He learned the message is different depending on who you talk to.
Taylor Hill of the Dallas College team had similar takeaways from the boot camp. He noted that his team is very technical and talks like engineers — which is fine if you’re talking to a technical person. But a chat with a potential investor may require a different approach, almost like a two-minute elevator pitch with no jargon.
Izaiah Tinajero of Coalinga College said the boot camp session taught him to come out of his shell.
“I learned how to be proud of what I’ve accomplished,” he said.
Get up and go
The participants also heard inspiring words from national science and political leaders prior to the poster session.
James L. Moore III, assistant director for STEM Education at NSF — and a fixture at the poster showcase each year — said the communication and entrepreneurial skills the teams learned at the boot camp and the connections they are making can help them in many ways. For example, students can reach out to officials they have met for leads on scholarships or fellowships, or potentially work with their team faculty mentor to pitch a research proposal to continue work on their projects or other ideas. The point is to go after your dreams, he said.
“A closed mouth won’t get fed,” he added.
Victor McCrary, chair of the National Science Board and vice president for research and graduate programs at the University of the District of Columbia, also encouraged the students. He noted that a degree isn’t required to be an innovator.
“It happens when you wake up and are inspired to solve a problem,” he said.
And the 2025 winners are…
On Thursday afternoon, officials announced the top three winners of the competition. Bergen Community College took top honors for its pop-up hydroponic farms. Perimeter College at Georgia State University (GSU) was in second for RoyaNest, a life-saving cooling device for newborns suffering from asphyxia. Dallas College placed third for AVIADAR (Alert VIA Detection and Ranging), the aviation detection system.
GSU and Dallas College also placed first and second, respectively, in last year’s CCIC.
