Status

Challenge Status: Challenge is Complete; Resources are Available
Application Status: Closed

We have archived the resources from this challenge. These resources are valuable resources for educators and students.

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Overview

Offshore wind has the potential to reimagine the cityscape of New York City. With increased summer temperatures and the heavy reliance on an overworked cooling system, New York City will be the new home to a wind farm right in our backyard. The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal will be the new hub for Empire Wind 1 and Equinor’s wind farm. In this challenge you are asked to design solutions that remediate the building of offshore wind renewable energy infrastructure in New York City through the lens of STEM and the community, focusing on land and water preparation.

Challenge

At the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park, there are areas on land and in the water that call for immediate remediation to prepare for the new offshore Empire Wind complex.

Focus on one of the following areas and design a comprehensive solution for remediation:

• Preparation for building on land
  • Noise/traffic/actual construction/air monitoring
  • Current buildings from 1970s
  • Regrade hydraulics separator for run-off stormwater
• Preparation in the water
  • Marine traffic
    • Wind turbines and other building materials are taken in via barge or other water vessels
  • Dredging
  • Living edge/shorelines
  • Pile driving
    • Construction approach that is used to build the foundation of a new structure

Integrate the following into your solution:

• Social justice 
  • A concept that asserts every person should have the same rights and opportunities, and that wealth and resources should benefit everyone – is not always integrated into remediation, making already disadvantaged communities even more vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change.
  • Think about how social justice can be included in your solution, looking at racial, urban, identity, accessibility, and/or environmental justice.
• Community co-design
  • The shared mapping of a problem, identifying shared priorities, and designing, implementing and evaluating a potential solution together with those most affected by the issue (in this Challenge, residents of Sunset Park).
• New or adapted technologies (AI, AR/VR, nanotechnology, materials, robotics),
• Processes, steps (such as detecting seafloor anomalies/seafloor mapping, underwater sea vehicles) that are preliminary to your solution.

Innovative solutions may be completely new ideas or solutions that have worked in other regions but are adapted for New York’s unique needs and people. Solutions need to be tested to ensure they are effective for community needs as offshore wind infrastructure is built up in the near future.

See the challenge course syllabus.

Success Evaluation Criteria

Solutions will be judged based on the following criteria:

• Innovation and Design Thinking: Is the design and approach unique and/or innovative? Does the design show a high degree of originality and imagination?
• Scientific Quality: Are the appropriate references and analytical methods used and are the insights derived correctly?
• Presentation Quality: Is this concept concisely and clearly explained? Are the findings/recommendations communicated clearly and persuasively?
• Commercial Viability/Potential: Does the solution have the potential to make a difference?
• Sustainability: What is the social impact on local communities? How does the solution incorporate positive environmental or social objectives? Is the solution in line with a sustainable or justice focused future?
• Teamwork and collaboration: Was the experience a collaborative endeavor? Was the knowledge gained from the experience reflected upon and tied back to a civic engagement mindset? (From Personal Reflections)

See the challenge rubric.

Winners

The winning team, Remediation in South Brooklyn: Upgrading the Hydraulic System, had an innovative approach of finding ways to remediate the areas on land and in the water to prepare for the new offshore Empire Wind complex.

Team members:

• Cameron A. (Team Lead) (New York, United States)
• Ohee S. (New York, United States)
• Cindy W. (New York, United States)
• Ankea C. (New York, United States)
• Ayten A. (New York, United States)
• Annika C. (New York, United States)

Mentor: Xiwei Huang (New York, United States)

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