The Philadelphia Water Challenge is a partnership between the Philadelphia Water Department and Penn State, Abington aimed at protecting drinking water sources, and keep water streams safe for recreation and wildlife. The contest fosters innovation, creativity, and originality in a number of ways.
The challenge details the existing problem, and the desired outcomes. It invites student teams from local colleges and universities to participate in solving the problem. The challenge does not explain to the students how the problem should be solved. Rather, it encourages them to be innovative. Innovation is a concept that necessitates the development of solutions where none exist. In this case, the problem and the desirable outcomes have been presented. Since there are no existing solutions, the students need to be innovative in order to attain the desired outcomes.
By providing a sketch of the current sewer system (PennState, 2018), the challenge allows student participants to be creative. The solution to the problem needs to take account of the existing systems. Therefore, the partnership between the Philadelphia Water Department and Penn State is especially aimed at brainstorming creative ideas that can provide a solution. The challenge fosters creativity by providing requiring solutions to seek out solutions in the existing systems. The images provided to the student participants allow them to get a starting point for solving the problem. It requires creativity to do so.
The successful attainment of the targets set out in the challenge necessitate originality. Before the challenge, no existing solution had been found. This meant that an original idea was required. It is impossible for the authorities to develop a new sewer system. The contest fosters originality by requiring participants to develop solutions based on the existing systems.
*PennState. (2018). Philadelphia Water Challenge: Cross Connection Detection Improvement Challenge. Retrieved from PennState Abington: