The Competition consists of a written report and oral presentation. Teams will be required to register in order to participate. Once registered teams can begin working on their solutions. Report and presentation evaluation guidelines can be found below.
Teams should consist of 3 to 6 members.
Though it is not mandatory, we strongly encourage participants to build diversified teams across various programs to gain different perspectives and skills useful for developing a successful innovation.
Along with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) students, other programs that could be considered when building a team are Horticulture, Water Quality, Environmental Sciences, Marketing, Finance, Public Relations, etc.
The purpose of this competition is for teams to create innovations that can be implemented in their communities to reduce the impact of intense rainfall events.
Teams have the option to design a brand new innovative solution or to modify and improve an existing one. Innovations are not restricted to being physical products like rain barrels, rain gardens, or blue roofs, but can also be technologies, outreach, education campaigns, fundraisers, games and more!
Teams are to look at their community and environment when designing their product and innovations can be made for a urban or rural application.
At the end of the competition, teams will have a chance to network with each other to determine if there is an opportunity to merge their ideas and collaborate to expand on their innovations.
Your team will create a report that describes the innovation, including details about the materials needed, the expense breakdown, and the marketing strategy. An electronic copy of your report must be submitted to submission@rainitinsc.com before midnight on March 1st, 2020.
Based on the report evaluation, the top teams are expected to attend the presentations on March 24th, 2020 at Durham College, in the Global Classroom. 10 minutes will be allotted to each team to pitch your innovation and showcase a prototype. After each presentation, the judges will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.
Your team’s report and presentation will be evaluated by a judging panel composed of industry experts. Please review the report and presentation assessment criteria for details on how you will be evaluated.
The first place team will receive a small monetary prize to help with the development and implementation of their innovation on their campus and/or in their community.
Presentations and awards will be hosted by Durham College in the Global Classroom on March 24th 2020.
We would like to invite you to attend our event. If you, your class, or organization are interested in attending the competition but are unable to attend in person, please contact inquiries@rainitinsc.com to learn about the opportunity to video conference through Durham College’s Global Classroom.
Our judging panel of industry experts are hand picked to maximize our competition’s potential and impact on our community
Alicia Fraser is the VP of Engineering, Capital and Support Services. Before joining the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA), Alicia held numerous roles including 10 years as a consulting engineer, where she designed and project managed water and wastewater plants upgrades throughout Ontario and 5 years with the City of Toronto managing the Basement Flooding Protection Program.
As the VP of Engineering, Capital and Support Services, Alicia’s job entails guiding the team, providing technical expertise and providing capital solutions support to OCWA’s operations so that they can deliver total solutions to our clients.
Jordan Wiedrick is a Water Resource Specialist with Credit Valley Conservation. Jordan has over 10 years of experience in hydrology and municipal asset monitoring in both the private and public sectors, focusing on performance evaluation and feasibility of Low Impact Development Technologies. Jordan is an active member of several GTA research and advisory groups, including the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Programs (STEP) advisory committee. Jordan is also a lead instructor for STEPs Stormwater Management Training Courses. Jordan is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in Environmental Sciences and Resource Studies.
Karen Kun founded Waterlution fifteen years ago with the purpose of facilitating cross-sector dialogue around complex water issues. From 2005-2012, Karen was publisher of Corporate Knights magazine. Born and raised in Toronto, yet having lived many years overseas, which formed the building blocks of Waterlution. This international experience included work in Bolivia, Colombia and Costa Rica, developing finance and marketing strategies with indigenous communities.
Edward is President and Senior Engineer at Civica Infrastructure Inc. He has over 30 years of consulting engineering experience and specializes in innovative Municipal Water Resources Smart Cities as it relates to storm and wastewater drainage. His areas of interest and expertise include: Sanitary Sewer Inflow and Infiltration Reduction, Sewer System Capacity Assessments and Optimization; Watershed Hydrology and Hydraulics; Low Impact Development (LID) analysis and Stormwater Management; Flood Foresting and Management; and Software Applications Development.
At Civica, Edward leads a team of over 50 staff involved in projects with Regional and Local Municipalities and Conservation Authorities.