The project idea shall

• Bring older and younger generations together, upon its implementation
• Be beneficial to both older and younger generations, and reflect positively on society
• Be realizable, i.e. implemented and transformed into reality, within a 6-month period
• Be realizable, within a budget of no more than 10,000 USD

The proposal shall include

• A project idea that helps reduce the generation gap (as described above)
• A development of the idea, discussing the positive impact on the different age groups, and on society
• The potential challenges that could be faced during and after the project implementation
• A detailed budget estimation
• A Gantt Chart showing the project’s milestones and their estimated time of completion
• No more than 10 pages

Proposals should be submitted to [email protected] not later than May 15th, 2016. Any team of 1 to 5 students is eligible to participate, and three winning teams will be announced by June 12^th. Show us what you can do!

Q. What is the purpose of Mind the Gap! Challenge?
A. IEEE R8 SAC has initiated a special call for proposals from students in R8. We are in search of creative team-based student projects to solve a real-world problem. Proposals should reflect the identification of the aging gap between generations, and the proposed solution. In addition, IEEE R8 SAC is looking for projects that can be implemented by the same team within 6 months and with a budget limit of up to $10,000.

Q. Where can proposals be submitted?
A. Proposals and questions may be addressed to [email protected].

Q. Where can I find more information on the Mind the Gap Challenge?
A. A comprehensive source of information can be found here: mtg.ieeer8.org and facebook.com/MtGR8SAC

Q. Who is eligible to be a team member?
A. Teams must have a minimum of one and a maximum of five members. At least one team member must be an IEEE Student Member. Teams including one or more high-school students, and teams where members belong to different fields of study, are encouraged.

Q. Can a team work with schools in this proposal?
A. Working with high-schools is encouraged but not compulsory.

Q. Can a team include members from different fields of study?
A. Such teams are encouraged but not compulsory.

Q. What are the requirements for MtG proposal submission?
A. Each team should submit a proposal (maximum 10 pages) including a description of the idea, challenges, milestones in a Gantt chart, as well as a detailed budget.

 Q. What should the proposal address?
A. The submitted proposal should present a way to reduce the generation gap and benefit older and younger generations. The proposed project should be transformable into a proof of concept within a maximum of 6 months and a budget of no more than $10,000.

Q. What are the submission dates?
A. The proposal submission deadline is May 15^th, 2016.

Q. When will the winners be announced?
A. Winners will be announced by June 12^th, 2016, and results will be published during the SYP 2016 taking place in Regensburg – Germany.

Q. When will we receive our certificates?
A. Certificates are distributed electronically by September 15^th.

Q. When will we receive our awards?
A. Awards are handled with each team individually. Timing varies based on the winners’ country regulations and other variables.

Q. Can members of team be from different institutions?
A. Yes team members can be from different institutions/universities/sections.

Q. Can a team participate without having an IEEE member?
A. This competition requires at least one participant to be an IEEE member. If you do not know anyone who is a member, any of your team members can join. Follow this link to become an IEEE Student Member: http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/join/index.html

Q. Is the challenge open to IEEE graduate members who are still pursuing further studies?
A. Yes, at least one team member should be an IEEE Student member, including Graduate Student members.

Q. Is there any age restriction for the team members?
A. No, not as long as one of them is a student. IEEE Young Professionals are encouraged to participate.

Q. Is this also open to part-time students who are working full-time as well?
A. Yes.

Q. How many winners are there?
A. There are 3 winning teams in total.

Q. What is the review process?
A. A panel of judges from IEEE R8 SAC, IEEE R8 Life members and EPICS in IEEE will review the applications and grade them based on the judging criteria.

Q. What are the judging criteria?
A. TBD

Q. What happens next?
A. Phase II’s objective will be to fund three winning teams (from Phase I) and encourage them to transform their ideas into a proof of concept within a suggested 6 month period, and $10,000 budget. However, Phase II is not yet confirmed and may not take place.

What is Mind the Gap! Contest?

This time… please CROSS the line!

Mind the Gap! is a contest challenging IEEE Students in Region8 to come up with a project proposal describing an idea that helps reduce the gap between generations and bring them together. It should be feasible, useful, and beneficial to all generations.

The first, second, and third prizes amount to 750, 500, and 250 USD, respectively.
Proposals should be submitted to [email protected] no later than May 15th, 2016. Any team of 1 to 5 people (at least one of them being an IEEE Student Member) is eligible to participate, and three winning teams will be announced before the end of June. Show us what you can do!

Connect with us!
– Facebook page: facebook.com/MtGR8SAC
– Web address: mtg.ieeer8.org
– Email all submissions / questions to [email protected]

What is the Generation Gap?

The term “generation gap” describes the sociological and psychological differences between people belonging to different generations: differences in values, lifestyle, attitude, even opportunities. Sociologists differentiate between three generations: Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (1965-1984), and Millennials (also known as Generation Y, 1985-2010).

The biggest gap exists between Millennials and their predecessors. Millennials grew up in a time where everything they needed to know or wanted to know was at their fingertips thanks to the advancement of technology. This innovative need to know, want, and do more led Millennials to obtain a skill set that is infinitely scalable compared to previous generations, mostly in terms of the ability to use technology efficiently and absorb information rapidly. However, what they lack most is what their predecessors abundantly have: experience.

Guidelines

The project idea shall:

• Bring older and younger generations together, upon its implementation
• Be beneficial to both older and younger generations, and reflect positively on society
• Be realizable, i.e. implemented and transformed into reality, within a 6-month period
• Be realizable, within a budget of no more than 10,000 USD

The proposal shall include:

• A project idea that helps reduce the generation gap (as described above)
• A development of the idea, discussing the positive impact on the different age groups, and on society
• The potential challenges that could be faced during and after the project implementation
• A detailed budget estimation
• A Gantt Chart showing the project’s milestones and their estimated time of completion
• No more than 10 pages

Proposals should be submitted to [email protected] no later than May 15th, 2016. Any team of 1 to 5 people (at least one of them being an IEEE Student Member) is eligible to participate, and three winning teams will be announced before the end of June. Show us what you can do!

For more information, please visit facebook.com/MtGR8SAC, mtg.ieeer8.org, or send an email to [email protected]. Looking forward to receiving your amazing ideas!

All the best,
Your IEEE R8 SAC Team
[email protected]

Everyone knows about the generation gap… What are YOU going to do about it?

This is “Mind the Gap!”, the contest open to Region 8 distinguished students who can come up with an idea on how to reduce the generation gap.