The New Normal Challenge

• BU DXB Chapter wants to bring international BU students in Dubai together by reserving office and community spaces to be used for socially-distanced remote-learning, study, and community-building sessions.
  
  Team: Samridh Seth (CAS’23) and Malvika Khandelwal (CAS’23)
  
  
• ClubFare is an app that partners with on-campus BU restaurants to provide discounted meals for outdoor, in-person club meetings of less than 25 students.
  
  Team: Brooke Bedell (CAS’24)
  
  
• Conversations for Common Ground: BU Anti-Racism Module: The Stateless Collective (a team of undergraduates that develops training modules for students working closely with communities through research and service) is developing an Anti-Racism Module alongside UMOJA and BU Student Government. The four series will focus on concepts of social determinants of health, reflection of privilege, and compassion for students who do not share similar experiences.
  
  Team: Hailey Hart-Thompson (CAS & COM’21), Maria Camila Vargas (Pardee’21), Jessica Weber (Sargent & Kilachand ’21), and Christina Lamagna (COM & Kilachand ’21)
  
  
• Work and Earn plans to host live online workout sessions that can be done from home or a dorm that rewards the first five participants with a small cash incentive.
  
  Team: Mansi Thakrar (SPH’21)
  
  
• BUnified aims to be an on-campus and online art exhibition of BU students’ artwork, which could be of any medium, that reflects their personal 2020 experience. Included with the art piece will be a reflection that documents the creation process, the purpose of their piece, and a genuine statement on how 2020 so far has impacted them.
  
  Team: Mayuri Nagpal (COM’21) and Gabrielle Cockerham (Sargent’21)
  
  
• Intimate Grounds will be a program series that focuses on shared vulnerability as a catalyst to building long lasting relationships, or even, impactful moments with strangers. This weekly virtual series “Intimate Grounds” will allow the BU community to discuss certain stigmatized mental health and relationship topics within a casual, virtual setting with question cards to guide their experience.
  
  Team: Allie Wei (CFA’21) and Hayden Tutty (CFA & CAS ’21)
  
  
• Hammock City aims to install hammock poles and tandem systems on outdoor campus spaces to provide safe and social distanced study and community spaces.
  
  Team: Kira Milgrim (ENG’23)
  
  
• BU Sustainable Mask Design Content aims to host a design contest for more sustainable and reusable masks that ultimately chooses one design to be produced and provided to BU community members.
  
  Team: Jesus Amenta (MED’22)
  
  
• Campus Occupancy Monitor wants to help BU community members make more informed decisions as they move around campus by combining new web-based technology with University ID cards to track occupancy data.
  
  Team: Chloe Grubb (ENG’23), NIck Palladino (ENG’23), and Quentin Dassault (ENG’23)
  
  
• Play nice, Terriers! is a campaign idea to promote better online learning habits by translating advice and best-practices into bite-sized videos and content.
  
  Team: Reed Romanko (CAS’22), Elisa Cordeiro (ENG’22), and Dongyue Xu (CAS’24)
  
  
• BU NutriGeeks will be a YouTube channel led by a registered dietitian teach BU students, faculty, and staff how to prepare easy, time-efficient, on-budget, and healthy recipes. Each 7-minute video will share a healthy breakfast, lunch or snack ideas.
  
  Team: Ioanna Yiannakou (MED’24)
  
  
• Safari Saturday aims to connect students both on and off-campus by planning online social events like game nights, viewing parties, or craft tutorials. The team wants to keep the carefree feeling of Saturday’s that students usually use to explore Boston while offering safe and socially-distanced activities.
  
  Team: Ashley Hsieh (CGS’21, Questrom’23), Paul Ovadek (CGS’21, Pardee’23), Katie Fong (CGS’21, CAS’23), and Vickie Luo (CFA’23)

COVID-19 has turned our world upside down this year and required all of us to make sacrifices and adjustments as we figure out our “new normal”. BU is committed to having students back on campus this fall as well as providing remote learning and engagement opportunities, but the global pandemic will continue to impact all of our lives for the foreseeable future whether we are physically on or off-campus. 

The New Normal Challenge is an opportunity for students to be heard by key decision-makers, as well as develop their own innovative ideas for life on- and off-campus. Participants will also be provided with helpful resources and optional workshops to design equitable ideas and strong applications.

Faculty and staff members that are interested in supporting this program should fill out this form.

Have questions about the challenge? Email our team at sibuild@bu.edu. 

All submissions must adhere to the safety and health guidelines required by the federal and state governments, and the University (see resource links below to better understand these precautions).

Students are encouraged to address the following categories:

• Academics (including LfA implementation, classroom spaces, study groups, etc.)
• Athletic activities
• Arts
• Clubs, organizations and extracurriculars
• Common areas on campus (George Sherman Union, BU Beach, libraries, etc.)
• COVID-19 testing on campus
• Dining, food, groceries
• Getting around campus
• Households (on and off-campus)
• Large events (sporting events, concerts, Splash, protests, etc.)
• New traditions and celebrations
• Social life and relationships (on and off-campus)
• Student health and wellness
• Technology and communications (Zoom, social media, etc.)
• Other
• Waste Reduction

Ideas that address the following categories are not eligible for the challenge:

• Testing adherence on campus
• Restructuring of LearnfromAnywhere
• Housing and move-in procedures

Have questions about the challenge? Email our team at sibuild@bu.edu. 

Kick-off Events & Helpful Workshops

These events are optional but highly encouraged. Kick-off and Workshops will be recorded and made available here.

July 16-22 Dean of Students: Back2BU Virtual Info Sessions Boston University will hold ten meetings to discuss the fall 2020 semester and the University’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Check the schedule for your school/college’s session. All sessions will be recorded.

Tuesday, July 28 1-2:30 pm EDT Challenge Kick-off and Ideathon! Watch the event video replay. View the event slides. Learn more about the New Normal Challenge, ask questions, and find potential teammates to work with.

Friday, July 31 1-2:30 pm EDT Is My Idea a Good Idea? Workshop Watch the workshop video replay. View the workshop slides. We’ll help you identify ripe opportunities for ideas and find teammates through student leader-facilitated breakout sessions.

Tuesday, August 4 1-2:30 pm EDT Idea Feedback Session Watch the workshop video replay. View the workshop slides. Get constructive feedback on your idea through small breakout groups with campus experts, students, faculty, and staff.

Tuesday, August 11 1-2:30 pm EDT How Do I Effectively Communicate My Idea? Workshop Watch the workshop video replay. View the workshop slides. We’ll help you finalize your application before the deadline and share helpful marketing and communication strategies to support your idea.

Deadlines & Announcements

Saturday, August 15, midnight EDT Submission deadline for both tracks. Charles River Campus Ideas Track Student Impact Track

August 24-28 Student Impact Track applicants will be notified of seed grant award status.  Up to 10 ideas will receive $500 seed grants. All applicants are encouraged to continue working on their ideas with the help of Innovate@BU’s Innovation Pathway program.

Late August and Mid-September New Normal Challenge Virtual Showcase The 10 finalists form the Student Impact Track will present a 2-minute pitch of their idea, share progress, and make a call for additional students to join their team.  The audience will vote for one team to receive an additional cash prize. Top ideas from the Charles River Campus Track will also showcase their ideas.

 

Have questions about the challenge? Email our team at sibuild@bu.edu. 

While it is not required to work on a team, we highly encourage it! Diverse perspectives, talents, and experiences will help you build a strong and equitable idea. Below are a few resources for finding and building a team of fellow students.

• Contact Sheet: Share your contact information and the type of idea you want to work out. Feel free to reach out to anyone else on the list to talk about working on an idea together.
• Slack Channel: Join Innovate@BU’s Community Slack and check out the #NewNormalChallenge channel. Introduce yourself and let the community know if you’re looking for teammates.
• Brainstorming Notes: Get inspired by the brainstorming session that took place at the kickoff event.

All ideas must adhere to federal, state, and campus guidelines for health and safety. In addition, we highly recommend you leverage the following resources as you develop your idea.

• BUild Lab Staff and Industry Expert Office Hours
• Back2BU website 
• Same Campus, New Campus Life
• Resources for Wellbeing from Health and Wellness 
• BU ISSO
• City of Boston Coronavirus Disease website
• State of Massachusetts COVID-19 Updates and Information website
• We encourage students to visit the department websites and to connect with BU faculty and staff working on related ideas.

This track is led by the Dean of Students Office and is focused on the Back2BU Guide which is aimed primarily at undergraduate students.

We encourage students, both undergraduate and graduate, to also participate in the Student Impact Track!

Charles River Campus Ideas will be reviewed by Kenneth Elmore, Dean of Students, Judy Platt, Director of Student Health Services, Peter Smokowski, Vice President of Auxiliaries, and a panel of student leaders.

All ideas will be reviewed and will receive follow up for either: 1) more details that could lead to idea implementation 2) or feedback to help the student continue to workshop the idea.

The Dean of Students Office will contact students if this track if their idea is being implemented on campus.

Absolutely!

Nope! We welcome all kinds of ideas at whatever stage it is at, so long as you meet our other requirements. Remember your idea can still be in the development phase but you must demonstrate your commitment to continuing to develop the idea if awarded prize money.

We use blind scoring to evaluate all applications. Please be thorough in your responses as ideas. This scoring rubric will be used by our BU community of experts for initial applications.

Unfortunately, not this time. Pick the idea that you’re most excited about, and don’t worry, Innovate@BU’s resources are still available to help you move all of your ideas forward!

Prize money should be used to continue developing and implementing your idea.

Check out all of Innovate@BU’s offerings here to see which programs resonate with where you are in development. We also recommend that you consider joining the Innovation Pathway which will help you reach more milestones through additional programs, 1:1 coaching and resources to track your progress, gain measurable traction, and potentially earn additional funding to help move your idea forward.

Thanks for your interest in supporting this program! Faculty and staff that are interested in providing expertise, advice, and guidance to students working on ideas can complete this form.

A staff member will be in touch with more details.