Wichita State students will join students from around the globe as they compete in Invent for the Planet (IFTP), a 48-hour event that challenges people to put theories into practice by solving real-world problems.

The competition is set for Feb. 15-17, in WSU’s Experiential Engineering Building.

Media are welcome to attend. The best times for photos and videos are:

Students working: Any time from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
Judging: Any time 2-5 p.m. Sunday

IFTP aims to motivate student innovators, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers to come together, apply design thinking and find solutions to difficult and wide-ranging problems.

About 50 WSU students will participate in the local event, which is sponsored by Airbus and GoCreate and organized by the Institute of Innovation. At the same time, 35 other universities from around the world will hold their own Invent for the Planet competition.

The top teams from each of the schools will move on to the next round and have the opportunity to clean up their idea/ prototype before sending in a 10-minute video explaining their idea. Then the top six 6 teams will be chosen and invited to showcase their idea in the IFTP Finals hosted at Texas A&M with the opportunity to win an additional $3,000.

“Invent for the Planet will introduce you to people and opportunities outside of your traditional cohort,” says Kristyn Smith. “As a participant, you will be working with a team and industry leaders to develop a solution for a world problem. This year, the stakes are even more exciting with Airbus being a sponsor - they're looking to award an internship to any student participant that sticks out of the crowd.”

---

The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.