About the challenge
SeaAhead, National Grid, and the Cambridge Innovation Center established the BlueGreen Innovation Challenge to support novel approaches to interconnected challenges in Rhode Island. This systems design challenge leverages a key asset in southern New England - its university students - to conceive and develop big ideas at the energy-food-urban community-coastal nexus.
Rhode Island’s ambitious climate and clean energy goals make this the opportune time for our next generation of leaders to think BIG.
Goals of the BlueGreen Challenge include:
Increase the availability of clean, sustainable energy in Rhode Island
Enhance sustainability of the Ocean State’s seafood system, from boat/farm-to-plate
Promote the circular economy
Improve community resilience: economic empowerment, health, and food security
Inspire the next generation to focus on solving problems that really matter
Finalists received:
Mentorship and feedback from program partners and industry experts
The opportunity to pitch solutions at the Demo Day event, on June 17th
Prize money and public recognition
1st Place Prize: $10,000
2nd Place Prize: $5,000
3rd Place Prize: $1,500
Access to facilities at CIC Providence
Opportunity to work with project partners to implement solutions
Meet the winners!
1st Place ($10,000)
Shellfish Farming on the Block Island Wind Farm
Zoe Lee — RISD, Industrial Design (2023)
Caleb Callaway — RISD, Industrial Design (2024)
Louis Hand — RISD, Industrial Design (2022)
Geneva Casalegno — MIT, Mechanical Engineering (2021)
2nd Place ($5,000)
The Valorization of Oyster Shell Waste as a Bio-Filter Media in The Port of Providence’s Stormwater Management Infrastructure
Claire Hodson — URI, Environmental Science & Management (2018)
Jessica Vandenberg — URI, Marine Affairs (2020)
3rd Place ($1,000)
Integrating Wave Energy Conversion & Data Collection Buoy Systems
Marcello Nicoletti — WPI, Mechanical Engineering (2021)
Clayton Richardson — Northeastern University, Architecture (2022)
Meet the finalists
A “Kelping” Hand for Rhode Island: Realizing the Potential of IMTA
Emma Kaufmann — Brown University, Engineering (2021)
Graham Keely — Brown University, Engineering (2021)
Meta Austin — Brown University, Engineering (2021)
Jasmine Gabor — Brown University, Engineering (2021)
MissionHydro: Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Port Electrification
Sarvesh Handa — UMass Lowell, Engineering & Computer Science (2023)
Ryan Beishline — UMass Lowell, Mechanical Engineering (2023)
Aadith Arasu — UMass Lowell, Physics & Computer Science (2023)
Ali Semerci — UMass Lowell, Mechanical Engineering (2023)
Harnessing Ocean Energy to Increase Coastal Resilience
Alexander Kamper — Brown University, Computer Science & Geography (2022)
From Fryer to Fuel: A Ferry Biodiesel Conversion Pilot Program
Jason Walsh — URI, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics (2018)
John Burley — Brown University, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (2022)
The Intersection of Electrified Rhode Island Ports and Local Food Waste
Muram Bacare — RISD, Architecture (2022)
Challenge themes
Globally today, there are a variety of acute, interrelated challenges at the energy-food-water-urban nexus. Rhode Island, with its history of creativity, has an opportunity at the local level to demonstrate leadership and innovation to tackle these challenges.
Renewable energy
In January 2020, Governor Raimondo signed an Executive Order committing Rhode Island to be powered by 100 percent renewable electricity by the end of the decade. What new ideas could help us to sustainably leverage Rhode Island’s resources to eliminate fossil fuels?
Local Food-Energy Nexus
In 2019, more than 100 million pounds of seafood landed in Rhode Islands ports, with a value of over $1 billion. As ‘whole chain’ sustainability becomes more important to consumers, how can we ensure that every step in the supply chain - from boat and farm to plate - has as little environmental impact as possible?
Ports, Urban E-Mobility, and Electrification
With the rapid development of New England’s offshore wind sector, Rhode Island’s ports are expected to see a rise in activity. In contrast RIDOT reported that only 3% of residents used public transportation in 2019, lagging behind neighboring states. How can we better connect Rhode Island in ways that support the state’s clean energy goals?
