About the High School Contest
This contest introduces students to design thinking practices that support artificial intelligence design. Sponsored by Duke Energy, this contest focuses on the need for smart grids and microgrids in Florida to mitigate the loss of power during storms. This contest has students working together to create a reimagined smart grid or microgrid for power distribution in their communities. Students will go through a design thinking process to construct a new smart grid.
Introductory videos from Duke Energy
Contest Overview
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Design Contest consists of seven activities the design groups will complete together. These activities scale with the complexity of the challenge and walk students through the design thinking process behind artificial intelligence.
Student design groups will familiarize themselves with power distribution using traditional and smart grids. They will also learn how both systems respond to an emergency, such as a power outage from a natural disaster. Then, groups will assess their communities using a mapping tool to identify categories of users and their power needs. Design groups then calculate and analyze each user’s energy and when it is consumed. The criteria factor into the rationale and justifications for prioritizing the loads in power distribution. Design groups will then reimagine their community’s power grid by redesigning and mapping a new network as a smart grid or microgrid. Design groups will formally present their final designs after receiving feedback from their college student mentors and peers.
Contest Procedures
1. Student design groups will begin with background reading, assigning roles, and arranging a virtual meeting with their contest mentor through the AI Contest Microsoft Teams.
2. Design teams will move through activities in order from 1-7. At the top of each activity page is an editable activity Word document for the group to download and work on. Design groups can message or arrange meetings with mentors through Microsoft Teams for support. The design groups must check in with their mentors on the activity before submitting any activity documents.
3. To submit the activity documents, the editor of the design groups will follow the submission link at the top of each activity page. This is also found in the navigation menu of the website. Then, use the drop-down to select which activity is being submitted and upload the Word document file to the survey. They will receive a confirmation email when their activity has been submitted.
