2025 Whitman Dean's Sustainability Challenge Showcase Highlights Student Innovation Inspired by U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

Harnessing energy by walking in sensored footwear. Creating a community of underrepresented entrepreneurs. Raising awareness of carbon consumption using a scanner for retail purchases. These were just some of the innovations presented at the second annual Whitman Dean’s Sustainability Challenge Showcase on April 17 in Flaum Grand Hall at the Whitman School of Management.

The Dean’s Challenge is a semester-long initiative that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration as students used their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to create innovations inspired by the 17 United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). These SDG, were established to “promote prosperity while protecting the planet.” Students took part in the challenge out of genuine interest in sustainability and innovation, embracing the experience as a meaningful opportunity to make an impact. The challenge is part of Whitman’s portfolio of experiential learning programs, giving students hands-on opportunities to tackle complex, real-world problems. The teams were also competing for a share of $25,000 in prize money.

“The Dean’s Sustainability Challenge is a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when students are given the space to apply their learning in a real-world setting,” said Erin Draper, director of experiential programs at the Whitman School, who organized the initiative. “It’s experiential education at its best—hands-on, high-impact and purpose-driven. We are grateful to the many alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Whitman who supported our students throughout the process.” Sixteen teams initially submitted written proposals in early April. Of those, six were selected as finalists. All participating teams displayed their work during the poster and prototype showcase on the day of the event. This was a chance for all teams to display materials outlining their projects and answer questions posed by students and judges. Each team was required to have at least two Whitman students.

The competition heated up as the finalist teams delivered six-minute elevator pitches followed by three minutes of Q/A from the judges. This year’s judges were Seth Forman ’04, CEO, SocialSuite; James Jordan, president and founder, James Jordan Associates; Chris Paulus, chief financial officer, VIP Structures; Jerome Ryan ’99, G’13, head of operations, Carbonaires; and Gregg Wallace ’91, owner, AMA Financial.

James Jordan, Chris Paulus, Gregg Wallace, Jerome Ryan and Seth Forman

“The Dean’s Challenge reflects the values and priorities of the Whitman School through experiential learning and applications for real world challenges,” says Whitman’s Interim Dean Alex McKelvie. “At Whitman, we are building a culture of innovation, learning by doing and addressing meaningful problems with significant impact, while also addressing how we, as a community, can come together to make the world a better place through entrepreneurship and innovative thinking. I am so proud of the creativity, heart and rigor of the students who participated in this semester-long program.”

The following awards were presented at the event:

The Whitman Dean’s Sustainability Challenge Grand Prize: SustAINova $6,000 

SustAINova received the grand prize for its project aimed at harnessing kinetic energy for sustainable power using a groundbreaking solution addressing sustainable energy generation and physical inactivity. The idea, based on SDG goals of Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Responsible Consumption and Production (12) and Good Health and Well-Being (3), incorporates electric sensors into the sole of shoes in order to capture energy with every footstep. A battery inside the shoe stores the energy created, and a hidden USB port on the side allows users to charge smartphones and many other devices with the energy generated. The device is also linked to a blockchain system that incentivizes users to earn points for retail gift cards as they move. Members of the SustAINova team included Maragi Joshi ’25 MBA, Taiwo Ositimehin ’25 MBA and Prasham Mehta G’25 (ECS).

Second Place: Founders Without Borders $5,000 

Founders without Borders took second place for its initiative to assist underserved entrepreneurs in a survivalist mindset with the knowledge and resources to develop a growth mindset for their businesses. The team of Laurenne Yomi Mvete ’26 and Olivia Simons ’26 (WSM/NEW) created a community of underrepresented entrepreneurs to create a peer-to-peer global networking program that helps students become social innovators and global changemakers. The project was based on the SDG goal of Industry, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure (9), and the team has plans to start a pilot program in South Africa this summer with the hopes of expanding to other countries.

Third Place: GreenID $4,000 

GreenID took home third place with the team of Katayoon Faraji ’25 MBA, Qijun Ma ’25 JD/MBA and Erica Sujin Kang L‘25. Their idea, based on the SDG goals of Responsible Consumption and Production (12) and Climate Action (13), centered around the concept that changing climate action means shifting consumer awareness. The group created a receipt scanner that displays the carbon emissions of each product a consumer buys using an algorithm that tracks retailers and brands that align with their own sustainability goals. GreenID can also help consumers prioritize future purchases to reduce carbon emissions, as well as earn points redeemable for gift cards or donations.

Judges Distinction Award: PAPA Box $3,000

The Judges Distinction Award was given to PAPA Box as incentive to continue the development of the project they proposed. The team of Aleksandar Djordjevic ’25 M.S. (WSM/MAX), Rahul Raja ’25 M.S. (WSM/MAX ), Amos Bungei G ’25 (ECS) and James Cameron ’25 (LAW) created motorcycle battery swapping stations in support of the SDG goals of Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), Reduced Inequalities (10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11) and Climate Action (13). The innovation is targeted at the growing problem, particularly in emerging economies like Kenya, that commercial electric motorcycle users face in keeping vehicles charged due to inadequate infrastructure.

Best in Show Award: GreenID $2,500 

The Best in Show Award was given to GreenID (see above). This was selected by the judges based on the poster presentations prior to the finalist presentations.

Innovation Excellence Award: GymIn $1,500 

The Innovation Excellence Award was given to team GymIn for receiving the highest score on innovativeness based on their written project report submitted to a panel of alumni judges prior to the event. GymIn is an internet-connected platform that retrofits gym equipment with low-power sensors to track usage, weight and occupancy in real time. Team members included Antonio Goncalves ’27 (ECS), Armani Isonguyo ‘25 , Riddhiman Deka ’25 M.S. and Olivia Sauta ’25.

Audience Favorite Award: SOS $1,500 

During this year’s competition, audience members voted for their favorite teams based on the students’ posters presentations. The winner was SOS with team members Dalin Intharath ’25 M.S., Zhen Shi ’26 MBA, Meghana Nair ’26 M.S., Shaurya Jain G’25 (IST) and Prasad Ranka G’25  (ECS).

The Best Prototype Award: Founders Without Borders $1,500 

Prior to the competition on March 20, teams had the opportunity to present prototypes related to their initiatives. The winner of this year was Founders without Borders (see above).

For more information, visit the Dean’s Sustainability Challenge Showcase page on our website.