Up for The Challenge
NSCC students band together to find new ways to solve problems during competition
STELLARTON, N.S. — Students at the NSCC took the challenge on Nov. 22.
“This is a provincewide challenge sponsored by the NSCC’s entrepreneurship department,” said Anne McDonah, academic chair of the school of business, standing in a hallway at the Stellarton campus.
The 12-hour NSCC Student Challenge is a competition that is intended to encourage innovation, help foster technical and creativity abilities, and enhance teamwork and collaboration, by bringing groups of students together to find new ways of solving problems.
There were more than 400 students taking part across the province, more than 40 of them at the Stellarton campus; students from business administration, office administration, welding inspection and quality control, and academic and career connections.
“This year’s question is, how are we going to stimulate more startups, that turn into highgrowth businesses?” McDonah said.
Team submissions will be viewed by an external panel of judges. More than 410 students at 12 campuses across the province are brainstorming, collaborating and researching to contribute to the province’s current economic and social well-being.
By early afternoon on Nov. 22, the students in Stellarton were having a brainstorming session.
“We have a number of mentors at the campus throughout the day,” said McDonah. “They’re still in the brainstorming stage and this afternoon, they’ll pick an idea and ultimately, make a 90-second video.”
Scott MacPherson, dean of school of business for the Nova Scotia Community College system, said the only commitment required of the students is the video.
“What they do to help them get to that 90-second video is up to them. It’s great to see the students working together, to see them trying to take all of these ideas and narrow them down. Everything is so wide-open at the beginning, you could tell they were a little overwhelmed at first, and you just try to narrow the topics down more and more.”
McDonah called it “an excellent opportunity for students to network with the community, to network with each other (and) to spark their critical thinking skills, and to help be a part of solving an issue for Nova Scotians.”
The winning videos will go to the premier’s office.
First prize for the student’s challenge is $2,000 cash, split between the team, while second prize is $1,500 and third is $1,000.