The annual project gives students the opportunity to create a proposal that could have a positive impact on OU’s campus.
The Scripps Innovation Challenge is an excellent example of both invention and diversity at Ohio University.
Last year’s winners of the project were awarded a total of $15,000 for a proposal that aimed to prevent sexual assault on university campuses. The group, dubbed “Team Du Monde,” won the $10,000 first-place prize as well as an additional $5,000 for the diversity enhancement prize.
The diversity enhancement prize is awarded to teams that develop ideas focusing on audiences that are typically underserved and underrepresented — something we hope both the university and participants continue to spotlight.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="4858db48-d1ab-11e4-bec4-2f7780578cec"}}
The international community at OU brings more culture to a town that otherwise would severely lack diversity, so having a university-sponsored activity that has awarded its top prize to students in that demographic shows that it appreciates those who are typically not recognized.
All of last year’s winning team members were international graduate students. The winners of the 2014 challenge were also all international students.
The project awards thousands of dollars in prize money to students who are challenged to create a proposal that would help bring about change. COMM 2900 “Special Topics in Communications,” a class being taught this fall by Andy Alexander, a Scripps Howard visiting professional, was designed specifically to help those wishing to participate in the challenge, further showing the commitment on the university’s part to creating a valuable experience.
Last year, the topics for the challenge centered on sexual assault prevention on campus and encouraging students to vote — both critical issues facing OU’s campus.
We eagerly await what fresh ideas come out of this year’s challenge and have faith that participants will continue in the footsteps of their predecessors.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: Editor-in-Chief Emma Ockerman, Managing Editor Rebekah Barnes, Opinion Editor Will Gibbs and Digital Managing Editor Samuel Howard. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.
