The Sky’s the Limit in 3M Disruptive Design Challenge

Student teams from four universities compete in real-life test of
engineering solutions designed to improve humanitarian aid delivery

ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#BuiltToBond–Who has what it takes to solve a sticky design problem, using adhesives
and tapes, and build solutions that have the potential to improve lives?
Teams from four schools with the nation’s finest engineering programs –
Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, North Dakota State
University and University of Wisconsin-Madison – are about to
face that test this week, during the finals of the 3M
Disruptive Design Challenge (DDC).

This marks the inaugural year for DDC, a hands-on, interactive
competition that 3M’s Industrial Adhesives and Tapes division created to
expose and educate the next generation of innovative engineers to the
various uses and design benefits of chemical bonding and adhesive
solutions. Often, alternative systems are excluded from engineering
school curriculums. These bonding solutions help solve many design
challenges including, strength, fit, flex, impact, aesthetics, noise,
weight, speed, sealing and assembly. 3M wants to help close the
knowledge gap by giving future engineers at the collegiate level the
experience of applying these technologies to show how they promote the
freedom to design. These skills, resources and applications will follow
them into the workforce and help reshape the way they design tomorrow.

“These students represent the next generation of scientists and
engineers who will make discoveries that improve lives by connecting
science and technology to ideas,” said Shirin Saadat, IATD Technical
Director, 3M. “The 3M Disruptive Design Challenge offers them an
opportunity to hone technical skills, tap into their creativity and
perhaps most importantly, experience the importance of collaboration,
which is fundamental to 3M’s values, all while gaining valuable
experience with product solutions that are not frequently taught in the
classroom.”

To help put these teams of future engineers’ skills and creativity to
the test through a real-life simulation, 3M teamed-up with
not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief to design the
challenge scenario. 3M has been a partner with Direct Relief for thirty
years, and together this partnership helped with the delivery aid of
1,813 tons of medications, vaccines, and medical supplies in all 50
states and 81 countries abroad in FY2016. In continuing with this
commitment and passion, this year’s DDC scenario is inspired by the
distribution of relief supplies to remote and inaccessible locations in
the aftermath of a disaster.

Each student team will develop an emergency relief delivery container
designed to overcome current relief challenges, with a focus on ensuring
the container carrying relief supplies survive an air-drop in-tact.
Direct Relief indicates that on-the-ground relief efforts can become
compromised if supplies are damaged during transport and delivery. With
this in mind, teams will be judged on the resiliency, moisture
resistance, technical process and repurposing capabilities of their
design – which must include the use of 3M
Industrial Adhesives and Tapes as an alternative to traditional
mechanical fasteners.

On April 13, the competition will culminate at 3M
headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, when each team’s container is
dropped forty-meters to the ground from a crane, mimicking a real-life
air drop.

As part of the competition, students are documenting their design
journey and posting content on their social channels using the hashtag
#BuiltToBond. Each team will receive a 3M immersion, including a tour of
the 3M
Innovation Center, and attend an on-site networking event.

The winning team will be selected by two guest judges and a 3M
representative: Grant Imahara, an electrical engineer and roboticist;
Patricia Bacuros, director, philanthropic investment for Direct Relief;
and Shirin Saadat, IATD Technical Director, 3M.

Each member of the winning team will earn a $1,500 prize.

For more information about the 3M Disruptive Design Challenge, visit www.3m-ddc.com.

About 3M

At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily.
With $32 billion in sales, our 91,000 employees connect with customers
all around the world. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the
world’s problems at www.3M.com or
on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.

Contacts

3M
Colleen Harris, 651-733-1566
[email protected]
or
Ketchum
Stephanie
Ross, 646-935-4249
[email protected]