Let’s take a moment to reflect on the evolution of education in terms of the popular metaphor: thinking outside the box. Early forms of education were confined to the four walls of the classroom — so to be quite literal, inside a box. Centuries later, research, advancements, and innovations in technology would provide educators with the materials to begin encouraging students to think outside the box. This change in thinking, which is still popular today, results in unconventional or new perspectives, still housed within a structured formal learning environment.

The Conrad Challenge has no such box. The multi-phase innovation and entrepreneurial competition’s “no-box thinking” approach to teaching and learning focuses on surfacing students’ unfiltered ideas to develop 21st-century solutions, that address some of the most pressing global challenges.

To unleash students’ potential and support the development of their entrepreneurial skills, student-led teams work with an adult coach to develop new products and services, that address the biggest global challenges. For the past 13 years, the Challenge has worked with student teams, from more than 70 countries, and educators with a passion for preparing learners to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Here are three common traits of educators who help students think with no box:

1. Guide on the side, not “sage on a stage” – Throughout the competition, educators transition from leading the charge to at-the-ready support systems, when students are in need of their guidance. While educators are instrumental in providing direction and structure, students will lead their own journey. It’s amazing what ideas students have when given the right environment to brainstorm, create, and innovate.
2. Empower students to explore what matters to them – Exploration isn’t only in outer space! With six global challenges to choose from, students are encouraged to seek out solutions to problems they are truly passionate about. True to form, the STEM competition includes science, technology, engineering, math, and much more.
3. Help them see the real-world relevance of their solutions – Students who participate in the competition iterate on their own designs, to develop products that address a real-world challenge, present a power pitch to a panel of judges, and work toward bringing their product to market. Students will make a lasting impact by creating future-defining solutions to ensure a sustainable society for generations to come.

The Challenge is designed so that students take direct control of their learning — extending it well beyond the bounds of the school day. In a true sense, the Challenge becomes an all-encompassing, passion-fueled mission for its participants. They leave the title of ‘student’ and become entrepreneurial problem-solvers, addressing challenging social, scientific, and societal issues, through creativity and critical thinking.

And without a box, students and alumni take the world by storm with their achievements. From securing patents to starting their own companies, and even presenting during noted science events at the White House, the Conrad Challenge is just the first step on their journey. The three examples below illustrate how Challenge participants and alumni have launched innovations that make an impact:

1. Making the World a Safer Place: Ankesh Madan participated in the Challenge in 2010 and later went on to co-found Undercover Colors, a startup dedicated to developing products that detect date rape drugs. Ankesh recalls his participation in the Challenge as “an incredibly formative role in my entrepreneurial career [by helping] me develop a framework to take scientific concepts and translate them into innovative products.”
2. Business Women Before College Freshman: Kavya Kopparapu started her entrepreneurial journey with the Conrad Challenge in 2016, where her team invented a 3D-printed lens system and mobile app. Following her participation, Kavya founded and serves as CEO of the Girls Computing League, a nonprofit that empowers underrepresented groups in computer science. She has since created a device to diagnose diabetic retinopathy without the need for an extensive eye exam.
3. A Conrad Innovation Goes to Space: Sisters Mikayla and Shannon Diesch created a nutrition bar to be used as a meal supplement for astronauts. After the competition, the Conrad Foundation worked closely with the sisters to get their product to space as they continued with product development. Just one year after competing in the Challenge, the sisters’ STEM-bar flew in the resupply payload on mission STS-134!

Registration is closing on November 2nd for the 2018-19 Conrad Challenge, so make sure your students have the chance to get involved! Learn about the six Challenge categories for this year’s competition and register your team at Conrad Challenge.org.