(By DaChawn Kincaid)

DaChawn Kincaid taking notes as a volunteer during the MIT Solve and RISE Resilience Solveathon

On May 31, 2018 I and many others had the privilege of attending a solveathon at the Norfolk Public Library. At the solveathon we were presented with specific problems that fit the MIT Solve Challenge criteria. Along with these problems we were given solutions by specific teams and groups at the event. When given the solutions we as a set of groups took those solutions and asked questions that involved things like the business plan surrounding the solutions or how these solutions would create an interest in communities. My objective specifically was to volunteer some of my ideas, and help with recording the many ideas from the groups I participated with that would help the participants better their entries to the SOLVE challenge. I feel that this experience was very rewarding. It felt nice to be able to hear the many different ideas people had and how I could help them with making their ideas better. From an apartment on a ship, to a community lab, or even a parking lot that uses a water turbine to generate electricity, the ideas I encountered were both vast and captivating.

More information about the RISE Coastal Community Resilience Challenge and the MIT Solve Coastal Communities Challenge.