Farmingdale State College (FSC) was proud to recently host its seventh annual Innovation Challenge, an exciting applied learning workshop that brings students together to solve the world's most pressing issues through social entrepreneurship. Sponsored this year by PSEG Long Island, FSC’s Nexus Center for Applied Learning & Career, FSC’s Research Aligned Mentorship (RAM) Program, and the Hult Prize Foundation, the 2024 Innovation Challenge sparked new ideas for sustainable transportation solutions.  

The event was organized by School of Business Professor Jing Betty Feng, PhD, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Professor Marjaneh Issapour, FSC director of Renewable Energy and Sustainability Center (RESC). “Our goal was to drive multidisciplinary collaboration and innovation among FSC students for our sustainable future,” said Issapour. 

This year's event gathered 27 students from diverse majors into seven teams to tackle the critical challenge of electrifying urban transportation. PSEG Long Island employees served as industry mentors answering students’ questions, providing insights on the latest EV fleet technologies, and guiding teams to refine their solutions for real-world impact.  

Through a four-hour intensive ideation process, teams pitched ideas to reduce costs, boost accessibility, and ensure a sustainable EV fleet value chain in alignment with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Clean Transportation Program and United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) goals. Each team pitched for four minutes followed by four minutes of Q&A. Five industry judges evaluated the proposals and selected the top three winning teams, who collectively earned $1,800 in prizes.   

First Prize: Revolution 

Proposed to use a drone system to defect faulty aging utility infrastructure to support a safer, sustainable EV fleet supply chain.  

• Gustavo Velasquez Fernandez, '25, a mechanical engineering technology major
• Lilian Arriaza Alonzo, '25, a business management majour and international business and legal minor
• Sabrina Achille, '24, a computer programming & information systems studies major
• Daniel Barnes, '28, a computer security technology major

Second Prize: Peers Electric 

Integrated electric public transport with V2G technology to reduce grid demand by using transferred energy as a renewable resource.  

• Jaehyeok Kim, '25, an electrical engineering technology major
• Jaylin Williamson, '25, a science, technology, & society major
• Rojae Mighty, '27, a computer engineering technology major 
• Christian Intriago, '25, a bioscience major

Third Prize: TransitTime  

Rewards users for public transport use, aiming to reduce car dependency, cut emissions, and promote sustainability.  

• Lucia Ramos Dias, '26, a computer security technology major
• Ramisa Chowdhury, '28, a science, technology, & society  major
• John Apollo, '25, a bioscience major
• Omar Lubis, '27, an architectural engineering technology major

The 2024 Innovation Challenge also served as a local competition for the global Hult Prize Foundation. Regional finalists can earn a coveted spot in the Hult Prize National Finals. 

"The transformative solutions by our student teams have set a new benchmark for greener urban mobility,” said Feng. “We are thankful to our sponsors, judges, and participants for making this year’s event an outstanding success as we drive toward a sustainable future!" 

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