The Grand Challenge
Help us solve the local and global problem of mosquitoes.
The Grand Challenge is open to all students, from undergraduate, to postgraduate, and to all staff as well as alumni. Thousands of dollars of funding is available to teams who bring forward the most innovative solutions.
To solve the challenge, students, staff and alumni will need to work as multi-disciplinary teams with support from experts. It’s an opportunity to think creatively, hone your communication and collaboration skills, connect with peers and have fun.
Great ideas come from everywhere - so no matter your background or experience with innovation, you should join in.
About the challenge
There are two elements to this Challenge. Proposed solutions should respond to one or both of the following questions:
- How might we reduce the health risks that certain species of mosquitoes pose to humans?
- How might we lessen the nuisance factor imposed by urban and invading mosquito populations?
All proposed solutions should be socially and environmentally responsible.
We realise that no single solution is going to meet all these criteria, and certainly not in one year. This is why we are asking you to identify a ‘step along the way’.
It must work towards the benefit of either local or global communities. Collaboration and teamwork are encouraged and the inclusion of external team members is also encouraged.
Why mosquitoes?
In the warmer months, mosquitoes can be a major annoyance in Australia, and staff and students would love to find ways to reduce their number. In some parts of the world, mosquitoes pose a major health risk as they carry diseases like malaria, dengue and Zika virus. This makes the mosquito the most dangerous animal on the planet. But there are hundreds of species of mosquito and most are neither a nuisance nor a threat to humans, and in fact are an important part of the wetland ecosystem.
60 of them can be found
in Newcastle
in Australia per year
Stay tuned for Grand Challenge workshops and events that will help you find team members, explore ideas, develop solutions and pitch your idea.