Always looking for ways to enhance the student experience, the undergraduate Student Government Association (SGA) has launched the first iteration of Buzzinga!, a competition it hopes will result in student-driven solutions to campus challenges. 

Buzzinga! organizers are asking students, both undergraduate and graduate, to form teams for a case-style competition that’s designed to place focus on enhancing campus culture. Winning teams can earn up to $10,000, funded by SGA, for the implementation of their solution.

“The idea of campus culture is broad, and solutions could impact everything from mental health resources to student attendance at sporting events,” said Amit Khanduri, a business administration major and vice president of the undergraduate SGA. “We hope to attract solutions that will improve pride in attending Georgia Tech in some capacity.”

The competition includes three phases: a written proposal, oral presentation, and public voting. Students have until March 25 to form teams or request to be put on a team and submit their interest at sga.gatech.edu/buzzinga. On March 25, an online submission form will be available for teams to submit proposals, which are due April 1. Semifinalists will make presentations April 8-10, and all students will be able to vote on finalists on April 19.

“Our community has its fair share of problems and may sometimes struggle to address them,” said Imran Momin, an industrial engineering major who is helping organize the competition. “We want to engage our students in doing what they do best: Solve problems.”

A breakdown of how each submission will be scored is available in the competition guidelines; extra points are awarded to those teams composed of both undergraduate and graduate students.

SGA will host a series of information sessions at its office on the first floor of the Student Center Commons to answer students’ questions, leading up to the competition:

• Wednesday, March 13, 8–9 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 26, 11 a.m. to noon
• Thursday, March 28, 6–7 p.m.