Sustainathon: April 15th, 2026: 10 am - 12:30 pm

 

Mission Statement: The goal of this Sustainathon event at STCC is to provide our students, local high school seniors, and community with a broad understanding of Environmental Sustainability. Through hands-on workshops and competitions, students will be introduced to sustainability concepts and apply this knowledge to make environmentally sound decisions.

The 

Sustainathon competition involves conducting research using existing data or observations and presenting these results as a poster to celebrate Earth Day 2025 at Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA. The topic should be in the area of sustainability, specifically topics related to applications in the environment, engineering, and technology using STEM concepts. A list of potential topics is provided. Students in grades 9 to 12 are eligible to compete. Each team will consist of 6-8 students and will be guided by at least one faculty mentor per team. Registration is required for all teams.  

 

A stipend of $500 will be offered to the science teacher mentor of each participating school. All poster supplies requested by the mentors will be provided during the information session. A team of neutral, qualified judges will evaluate each poster presentation. A short information workshop for mentors guiding the competing teams will be organized in March with UMASS and STCC professors at the STCC campus. This workshop will provide additional information and guidance to the Mentors in developing their projects.

 

Sustainathon- Criteria for the competition

All projects will be assessed by judges on a 100-point scale.

1. Quality of research work: Topic chosen, Planning and organization of research material, Use of past literature, Solutions suggested. (20%)

2. Objectives, Hypotheses specified, Research methods, Experiments/ survey used, Analysis tools, Interpretation of data, Inference of results. (20%)

3. Poster quality: Organization of the poster, Graphics used, Writing, Poster style, and creativity. (20%)

4. Presentation quality:  Clarity of presentation, Answers to audience questions, Team effort in presenting, Use of other visuals. (20%)

5. Overall performance: Innovative concepts used, Team effort, Potential for application of the results in the industry, Individual and group performance, and STEM-based methods used. (20%)

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Potential Sustainability topics: (Or Choose your own)

• Engineering design

• Sustainable agriculture

• Biotechnology

• Local foods and agriculture

• Composting and organic farming

• Design for energy efficiency

• Renewable energy for residential and industrial use

• Reducing material use or waste

• Reusing of materials or waste

• Recycling of waste

• Plastics and nano-particles in the environment

• Protecting water quality

• Stormwater assessment and management

• Protecting biodiversity

• Watershed protection

• Fuel-efficient transportation

• Sustainable fisheries

• Water conservation

• Sustainable construction and building systems

• Indoor air quality

• Climate change impacts

• Climate change adaptation

• Bioremediation

• Carbon sequestration

• Urban ecosystems

• Landscape architecture and design

• Water treatment technology

• Wetland Assessment and Restoration

• Water supply management and treatment

• Environmental justice

• Sustainable development

• Citizen science

• Biomedical technology

• Public health for all

• Data science for sustainability

• Sustainable Management Strategies

• Resilient Systems

• Green Electronics

• Energy and Extractives

• Food Security and Food Justice

• Conflict minerals and responsible sourcing

• Plastics

• Ethics and Governance

• Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Business

• Walking the talk: Acting local

• Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights

• Transition to a Low-Carbon World

• Stakeholder Engagement

• Laser Technology and Sustainability

• Role of Photonics in Global Sustainability

• Robots for a sustainable future

• Math for Sustainability

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