Challenge How-to
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge … one step at a time
In this Challenge, you and up to three other team members will work together to choose, learn about and improve a local environmental problem. You will be encouraged to use your creativity and what you know about science to propose environmental changes and make your community a better place to live. As part of the Challenge, you will also help others across the nation improve their communities by sharing your ideas. Check out the six easy steps below.
STEP 1: Choose it!
Work with your team to identify a local environmental topic that you care about and want to tackle. This step will take at least one brainstorming session! Think about the issues that are important to you and others in your community. You may want to talk to family, friends, your teacher, community leaders, and mentors to learn about issues that affect them. You can also utilize local websites, publications, news sources and historical records.
STEP 2: Research It!
In order to fix the problem, you have to understand it, right? In this step, you and your teammates will learn all you can about the issue, its history, how it impacts people and what’s been done in your community or other communities to fix it. Then you’ll use what you’ve learned to define the problem and explain how it impacts your community.
STEP 3: Plan It!
The next step is to work with your team to propose a solution to fix or impact the problem in your community, and to design a plan to actually “do” the solution! Your plan should include all of your action steps, who will do them, what resource you’ll need to get them done and a timeline. Some projects will go on longer than this Challenge, but you should plan to at least get this one started and collect some results. You may wish to do a “pilot” version of your project.
STEP 4: Do It!
It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work! As you follow your action plan, you should collect data, keep records of everything you are trying (even if it doesn’t work), and test your ideas. You can keep written notes, create data tables, or take photographs and video. This step will require the most time.
STEP 5: Analyze It!
Now you get to summarize what happened, at least so far. Did your solution fix or have an impact on the problem? If so, how do you know? If not, what could you have done differently? What challenges did your team face? What adjustments did you make along the way?
STEP 6: Share It!
A unique part of this Challenge is where you share with others how they can learn from and apply your results to make their communities a better place to live.
In this step, you will give ideas for how your solution could be implemented in another community and what advice you’d give to those who want to try it. Also, if you could expand your project to do more, what would you do?
