Cleantech Commons Partners with “Rain It In” Student Competition
Cleantech Commons is partnering again this year with Rain It In – an annual competition that invites post-secondary students to collaborate to solve real-world problems.
The focus of this initiative is on creating innovative solutions that will mitigate the impacts of intense rainfall events and flooding caused by climate change to both help create new career opportunities for students and implement solutions that will positively impact communities and the environment.
Rain It In is built around three core pillars: providing experiential learning opportunities for students; creating an industry spotlight through a mentorship program, which networks students with industry professionals to learn about different career paths in the water space; and implementing change by supporting students with the transition from ideas to entrepreneurship and product commercialization.
As part of the Rain It In competition, students gain hands-on experience as they research the impact of uncommon rainfall events and the risks of increased flooding. Teams selected to participate will receive support from industry experts to bring their projects to life.
“We support Rain It In because it provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for students to take the knowledge and skills they are developing through their education and apply this to a challenging real-world problem,” Cleantech Commons executive director, Martin Yuill says.
This year, the project host will be the Town of Ajax.
Across Canada, municipalities are dealing with the effects of flooding and identifying the need to prioritize flood and stormwater management. The impacts of flooding are widespread and can cause damage to property and critical infrastructure, disrupt transportation systems, and pose a serious risk to public health and safety.
The Corporation of the Town of Ajax has identified the need to address these impacts proactively.
Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, ageing stormwater infrastructure, and increased urbanization exacerbate the problem and highlight the importance of building resilience towards these impacts. As the Town of Ajax experiences unprecedented urban growth, collaboration and innovation is key to addressing the devastating impacts of flooding.
“In Trent University and Fleming College Peterborough has two top-tier environmental academic institutions, and it would be wonderful to see our region’s students embrace this opportunity to contribute to the fight against climate change,” Yuill, says.
“Our partner, Trent University, was recently recognized for its environmental leadership through education and its Lands and Nature Areas Plan by being awarded the Otonabee Conservation Environmental Excellence Award for Business.”
Trent has also been ranked First in Canada for Sustainability Education & Research and has maintained its standing as the third most sustainable university in Canada according to the 2021 UI GreenMetric World University Ranking
You can check out previous Rain It In competition solutions here!
Registration is now open for Rain It In’s annual competition! This year’s competition will be hosted virtually.
Why Participate?
- Rain It In provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for students where they can take the knowledge and skills they are developing through their education and apply it to a real-world problem.
- Through a mentorship program, students can network with industry professionals and learn about different career paths in the water space.
- The competition is also a great extra-curricular activity that can help students develop technical and transferable skills and participation can be added to a resume to help students stand out from other candidates when applying to jobs.
- After the competition, Rain It In will assist students interested in pursuing the development of their solutions by connecting them with resources, mentors and programs.