Compressed Air and Gas Institute
Compressed Air and Gas Institute

  1. The Contest
    1. Description
      The CAGI Innovation Awards is a contest that invites engineering students to compete to have their design honored as an innovative use of compressed air. Students will submit designs for judging by CAGI members, professionals in the field of compressed air and gas systems and equipment.
    2. Design Categories
      Each entrant will create a design in one of the following device categories (entrant’s choice):
      • Machine Tool Application
      • Motion Control Device
      • Consumer Product
      • Other (Specify)

  2. Submission & Judging
    1. Requirements
      Entries can be submitted online at www.CAGI.org in Microsoft Word and/or PDF format, for distribution to judges. Each entry should include, at a minimum, the following:
      • Statement of design category
      • Description/essay: how the design satisfies each of the assessment areas: innovation, marketability, presentation
      • Description/essay: how and why the final design was developed
      • Supporting calculations
      • Schematic drawing(s)
      • Product rendering(s)
    2. Judging Process
      CAGI member volunteers will be deemed the judges of the contest, and they will evaluate each design submission in the following areas:
      • Innovation
      • Marketability
      • Presentation
      Each submission will be awarded points, from 1 to 10, by each judge in each of the assessment categories. Categories will be weighted: Innovation will make up 50% of total score, Marketability will be 30%, and Presentation 20%. Designs deemed to be unsafe or unnecessarily energy inefficient may be penalized points. The submission with the highest overall point total (all areas) wins First Place. Second highest score wins Second Place.
      Should no applicant meet the selection criteria, CAGI reserves the right to not award any prizes. CAGI retains all rights and control over the Innovation Awards contest and its entries. All entries will be handled confidentially. Upon request, entries will be returned to teams.
    3. Announcements
      The winning teams, participating schools, CAGI members, and industry will be informed about the contest winners by CAGI. Winning teams will be notified by postal mail, email, and/or a phone call of congratulations. A letter will also be sent to the Dean of Engineering and other faculty of each participating school, announcing the winners.
      4. Press releases announcing the winners will also be distributed to relevant trade publications, education publications, and local media of the participating schools.
      The contest results will also be published in the CAGI member newsletter, CAGI website, and other relevant association publications and events.
    4. Resolving Disputes
      The decision of the judges will be final and their evaluations will remain confidential.

  3. Awards
    1. Two prizes will be awarded in the following amounts:
      • First Place: $8,000 will be awarded to the winning school’s participating department, and $2,500 will be awarded to the winning student team
      • Second Place: $4,000 will be awarded to the winning school’s participating department, and $1,500 will be awarded to the winning student team

  4. Establishing Teams
    1. Schools
      The following five schools are being invited to participate in the 2007-2008 CAGI Innovation Awards contest:
      • Iowa State
      • Milwaukee School of Engineering
      • University of Minnesota
      • Purdue University
      • Virginia Tech
    2. Number of Teams per School
      There is no minimum or maximum number of teams per school.
    3. Team Size
      Team size can very…any size is acceptable.
    4. Class/Age Requirements
      Entries must be solely from undergraduate engineering students. All team members must be enrolled in an undergraduate engineering program during the semester/term they contribute to the design. Projects submitted by graduate students are not eligible.

  5. Mentors
    1. Mentor Volunteers
      CAGI members will be assigned as mentors to each team that enters the contest. Once teams are formed, teams are encouraged to schedule weekly meetings, conference calls, or email correspondence with the volunteer mentors to discuss contest rules, timeline, responsibilities, brainstorm strategy, mechanics, etc.

  6. Timeline
    7. Date Task
    Aug. 1, 2007 Announcement of competition (via press release)
    Aug. 1, 2007 Invitation Kit sent to offices of the Deans and ASME heads
    Sep. 15, 2007 Deadline for school participation forms
    Oct. 1, 2007 Direct mail or email invitation sent to the 5 schools’ engineering students and ASME members
    Oct. 1, 2007 Posters/displays sent to the 5 schools for placement in engineering building, ASME office, other locations
    Oct. 31, 2007 Deadline for team registration
    Nov. 1, 2007 Welcome Kit sent to student teams via postal mail or email
    Nov. 15, 2007 CAGI mentors assigned to teams
    Nov. 15, 2007 Press release about registered teams and mentors sent to media
    Mar. 1, 2008 Deadline for submission of designs
    Apr. 1, 2008 Completion of Judging
    Apr. 1, 2008 Announcement of winners via phone, mail, and/or email to faculty, students, ASME
    Apr. 1, 2008 Press release on competition results distributed to media
    Apr. 15, 2008 Prize disbursement
    May 1, 2008 Announcement of Year 2 Competition

  7. Publicity
    1. Welcome Kit
      Once teams register, a follow-up Welcome Kit will be sent (per contact information provided), including contest rules, mentor contact information, passwords for E-Learning System, etc.
    2. Public Relations
      The public relations effort will help increase awareness nationwide of the contest, the participating schools, and the winners through editorial coverage in academic publications, trade publications, related websites, plus consumer publications and broadcast. Of course, CAGI publications will also run stories on the contest and winners.
    3. Website
      Our website, www.CAGI.org, will help promote the contest, provide contest details and rules, enable teams to submit their entry online, and later feature the winning teams.

  8. Finances
    1. Registration Fees
      There is no registration fee from the students or school, to eliminate barriers to entry and encourage participation in the contest.
    2. ASME
      Local chapters of ASME have been contacted as possible co-sponsors of the Innovation Awards, to help the contest get noticed by students and further encourage participation.

  9. Educational Opportunities
    1. Course Credit
      Offering credit hours to students for participating in the contest is encouraged. But this will be at each school’s option (not mandatory) and will need to be structured within the individual university’s coursework.
      If this is of interest, please provide CAGI with a faculty contact who can provide input to us on how to apply for course credit for the contest.
    2. Integration with Current Curriculum
      We suggest that your college or university utilize the contest within current curriculum to help increase participation. Senior Projects and other coursework requirements can be “freshened up” by using the contest.
    3. Online Tutorials
      Student teams will receive free access to the CAGI E-Learning System, providing them access to online tutorials on compressed air and gas, a resource for developing their contest entry. Free “seats” will be set up for each team and student participant. The Online Tests can be taken by the students if desired, but only for self-assessment of mastery. The Online Test results will not influence the contest and awards.
    4. Guest Speakers
      CAGI would be happy to provide a guest speaker for your university classroom or ASME chapter event. Providing professional guest speakers can help students receive practical, real-world knowledge. Please contact CAGI to arrange for a speaker.