Contest Details

In collaboration with the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC), the Atomic Allies, which is comprised of the Nuclear Energy Institue (NEI), North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN), U.S. Women in Nuclear (WiN), and American Nuclear Society (ANS), brings to you the first North America Innovation for Nuclear (I4N) Contest!

The idea is to encourage and challenge young professionals to be innovative and take charge in creating sustainable solutions to the problems the world faces.

The purpose of Innovation for Nuclear – North America (I4N-NA) is to reward innovative ideas focused on nuclear technologies or applications that will contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

A Brainstorming meeting with the Organizing Committee will be arranged in July before the forum to help teams prepare their pitch and development plan.

Teams will receive I4N-NA giveaways.

The winning team awarded during ANS 2021 Young Professional Congress (YPC21)  Conference will receive a travel grant to attend the I4N finale during IYNC 2022 in Sochi, Russia!

Want to get connected and find a team? Fill out the Address Book form link  and you will be added to and gain access to our google spreadsheet to find others interested in solving similar problems!

Rules and Guidelines

  • A team up to four members, all under 40 in 2022
  • The contest is open to students and young professionals living currently in North America (U.S., Canada and Mexico)
  • There are no restriction on members background (technical, political, commercial, academia, industry, regulatory, etc.)
  • The submission form that will be completed will summarize the team information
  • The language of the contest is English : although presentation skill will be evaluated during the contest, proficiency in English will not be a limiting factor.

Furthermore the language of the contest will remain English during Phase 3

Phases

Phase 1

Each team to submit the submission form, a recorded 3 min pitch and a maximum 5 page-long “development plan” evaluated by a panel composed of experts from the nuclear industry.

Please submit one form and one paper (maximum 5 pages) per team to i4n@naygn.org by September 17, 2021.  Please ensure contest submissions adhere to your company policies on use of proprietary information and intellectual property if representing your company.

Phase 2

The top teams will be selected to develop a 10 min pitch and a maximum 10 page-long “development plan” which will be presented at the ANS YPC21 Conference.

Phase 3

The winning team will be selected and announced at the ANS Winter Conference 2021 and participate in the international finale I4N at IYNC 2022 in Sochi, Russia.

Scoring Criteria

Any innovative idea aligned with the purpose of the contest can be submitted. It can be either a Technical or  Societal idea. It will be evaluated based on the following 5 criteria (scoring rubric):

Description of the idea (max 6 pts):

Clarity, Thoughtful use of illustrations or videos

Innovation contribution (max 4 pts):

Forward Thinking, Creativeness, Resolution of current problems and limitations

Applicability of idea (max 6 pts):

Possibility of bringing the idea to effective action by using various resources in an undefined time scale, Business plan proposal, Individuation of possible stakeholder interests, Depth of research, Quality of arguments and analyses

Contribution to sustainability (max 4 pts):

Contribution to the sustainable goals : http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-developmentgoals

Bonus points (max 3 pts):

Team members have representation from NAYGN, ANS and WIN

Sample Ideas

 

Small Modular Reactors Energy Transition: The Role of Nuclear Radioactive Waste: Closing the Circle Breakthrough in Nuclear Fuel & Materials
What advances are making them closer to real deployment? Can policy and regulations pave the way forward for nuclear? How should we deal with our nuclear heritage? How are materials being developed for upcoming designs?