BioenergizeME 2017 Infographic Challenge Kicks Off DEADLINE: February 3, 2017

Competitions, Contests Education Energy (DOE)Federal Agency/Executive Branch K-12 Activities Teacher Resources

September 29, 2016

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(Department of Energy) Mark your calendars: the 2017 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge kicks off tomorrow (September 30, 2016)! Give your 9th–12th grade students an opportunity to learn about topics in biofuel and bioenergy and to share their knowledge through infographics. Registration opens Sept. 30, 2016, and continues through Feb. 3, 2017. Read about the 2016 winning team and their trip to Washington, D.C. You can also check out past webinars that provide an overview of the BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge and that explain how to integrate bioenergy into the classroom.

The U.S. Department of Energy's BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge engages 9th–12th-grade high school teams to research one of five cross-curricular bioenergy topics and design infographics to share what they have learned through various social media channels. The purpose of the Challenge is to enhance energy literacy and foundational knowledge about bioenergy, as well as help students understand how they can play an important role in shaping America’s energy future. The unique design component of the Challenge also encourages creativity and engagement through arts-based learning of Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM). Students can participate in this interdisciplinary STEM-focused and Next Generation Science Standards-aligned Challenge through classroom learning or informal education programs. Students with a qualifying infographic will participate in a national social media campaign. The winning team is selected based on the overall quality of their infographic’s design and content as well as the number of unique page views. The winning team is invited to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO’s) annual conference.

Check out the interactive BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge Map to see submissions from teams across the country from prior years. Put your school on the BioenergizeME map by participating in the next BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge.

Registration will kick off September 30, 2016 and closes February 3, 2017, by 5:00 p.m.Central Time. Submissions are due March 3, 2017, by 5:00 p.m. Central Time, and the Social Media Campaign period will take place from April 10–21, 2017.

CHALLENGE DETAILS

The BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge is designed for teams of two to six high school students (grades 9–12). Team advisors can adjust team size as needed for their teaching situation, but only six students and two advisors/chaphrones from the winning infographic team will be hosted at BETO’s annual bioenergy conference in Washington, D.C. Educators are encouraged to integrate the Challenge into their curriculums but should also keep in mind the submission deadlines and the social media campaign schedule.

To help guide advisors and students through the process of researching a topic, creating an infographic, and participating in the social media campaign, the BioenergizeME Team has developed the following resources:

All advisors are encouraged to begin by reading through the BioenergizeME Toolkit, which contains a full list of Challenge rules and guidelines, as well as a good overview of bioenergy and resources to help students navigate the Challenge successfully. Please pay special attention to rules governing research resources and citations.
Within the BioenergizeME Toolkit, advisors will find the Infographic Guide, which provides tips and guidance for creating an infographic, the Challenge Rubric to assist advisors in evaluating infographics prior to submission, and the Social Media Guide to assist students to plan and execute their social media campaigns.
The research topic areas can be found in a separate document called the Annual Update.

For anything not covered in the Toolkit, check out Frequently Asked Questions.