STEAM ICAC 2025 is tentatively scheduled for June 6th, 2025, from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. It will be located at the Canoe Landing Center in Toronto.
Overview
The STEAM Innovation Challenge Annual Conference is a competitive event designed for the innovative youth of today. The conference encompasses career counseling and social awareness workshops and allows youth to connect with industry professionals. Students research and develop an invention to solve a real-world problem in one of three events. In teams of 1-4, participants create a prototype/model of their solution as well as a report. Finally, participants present their innovations to a panel of judges at STEAM ICAC.
The 3 events for STEAM ICAC are Astronomy, Engineering and Life Sciences. Each team presents their innovation in a creative way to a qualified judge in their field for 10 minutes at maximum. The teams must also submit a hard-copy of their report to the judges upon entering the presentation room. The teams are permitted a digital visual aid if needed and will be assessed on their presentation/report as well as other criteria.
Itinerary
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Registration
9:30 am – 10:00 am
Opening Ceremony
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Presentations & Workshops
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Closing Ceremony
Learn More
Prompts
Astronomy
To advance human civilization to other planets, it’s crucial to gather accurate data on planetary systems. Since stars play a significant role in solar systems, gathering accurate information about them is essential. Thus, we often use star clusters as a controlled environment to study stars more effectively. However, star clusters are currently classified based on observational data such as size, age, and density. How can the classification methods of star clusters be improved in order to gain a deeper understanding of their life cycles and their role in galactic evolution? What additional observations need to be collected for an improved classification method? How can we classify star clusters to draw useful conclusions from each classification category?
Engineering
More and more cities around the world are becoming urbanized. However, a growing population means excess strain on the municipal infrastructure; this leads to a higher cost of living and worse quality of life. Thus, many cities have started expanding underground in order to meet the increasing demand for space. How can a suburban area expecting rapid urbanization utilize underground space to better the quality of life for the residents? Which services or components of the city should be moved underground? How can the underground and overground components of the city have seamless integration with one another? What sort of a city plan for constructing underground spaces in an urbanizing suburb is efficient, cost-effective and safe?
Life Sciences
There are approximately 12,000 new cases of cerebral palsy annually. Furthermore, 80-90% of the individuals diagnosed with CP struggle with daily activities that require the use of fine motor skills such as eating, brushing, etc. Although there are many assistive technologies for individuals with CP, they are too task-specific. This is often inconvenient and makes it difficult for individuals to be independent. What kind of assistive technology can allow individuals with CP perform the wide range of movements needed for everyday life? What can be done to make this device versatile, discreet and easy to use?
Criteria
All criteria are marked out of 5 except sustainability which is marked out of 8. There are a total of 33 points that can be awarded.
Report
The report is properly organized and well structured with the problem, methodology and solution outlined clearly. Diagrams, descriptions and explanations are in-depth and are logically arranged to effectively communicate ideas. The report follows the 10-page limit (size 12 font in Times New Roman) and grammatical conventions while maintaining a high degree of coherence.
Presentation
The presentation is engaging throughout and clearly communicates ideas. Delivery is creative, with effective use of visuals and multimedia. The presenter(s) is/are well-paced and respond thoughtfully to questions.
Model
The model demonstrates precision and attention to detail, effectively applying concepts and ideas to communicate a feasible solution to the problem. The model is cohesive and logically organized to represent the solution appropriately.
Scientific Application
Relevant scientific concepts are thoroughly explained and correctly utilized, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the problem. The solution is efficient and well-researched, with thorough analysis of scientific principles.
Innovation
The project is original and creatively builds on existing concepts and ideas to create an effective design for the problem. The design considers various factors related to the project (social, economic, political, etc.) and reflects forward-thinking principles, anticipating future needs and developments.
Sustainability
Project planning involves the exploration of topics such as resource efficiency, long-term viability, sustainable use, etc. The model is also constructed sustainably with the thoughtful use of recycled materials and practices.
Highlights
Rules & Regulations
STEAM ICAC Regulations
- Judges may penalize contestants, after consultation with STEAM Innovation Challenge management, if they feel there has been a rule infraction not explicitly stated in the Rules and Regulations.
- All materials submitted at the STEAM ICAC become the property of the STEAM Innovation Challenge. The STEAM Innovation Challenge may use or allow affiliated partners to publish submitted material.
- Contestants may not provide judges with any items, gifts or notes. Participants may only present their model, report, and planning to the judges.
- Contestants must submit a hard copy of their report and planning.
- The report submission must be under 6000 words and have a maximum of 10 pages (discluding citations).
- All attendees of STEAM ICAC must be dressed in business formal attire.
Eligibility
- Teams must be registered with the STEAM Innovation Challenge by latest March 1st, 2025 to attend ICAC.
- All members of a team are required to compete in the same event.
- A team can only participate in one event at a maximum.
- If accommodation for STEAM ICAC is needed, it must be requested by March 15th, 2025.
- All members of a team must be in high-school or between the age of 13-19.
Point Deductions
- Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Judges will determine point deductions will be made depending upon the extent of the plagiarism.
- Teams should arrive 5 minutes before their slotted time. Should contestants arrive more than 5 minutes later than their slotted time, a penalty may be administered with which 15 or more points can be deducted
- The presence of all team members at the STEAM Innovation Challenge Annual Conference (STEAM ICAC) is mandatory unless exempted through the STEAM IC team
- Team members who are absent during the presentation are ineligible to attend the awards ceremony.
- Teams should aim to complete their presentations within the allocated time of 10 minutes. If a team exceeds the time limit, the presentation will be interrupted and any additional material presented will not be scored. No points are deducted if a team has to be cut off.
