Global Students SDG Challenge
is a student-centred iniciative that connects students from different universities and countries for developing solutions and possible products that can be strategic to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda's goals. Our focus is in engineering and computer science, but people with all backgrounds are more than welcome. This project was started by professors of Production Engineering at the University of Brasilia (UnB), Brazil, and from Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark, and it is sponsored by Grupo Gestão, the Junior Enterprise of Production Engineering at UnB, and IDA, the Danish Engineering Association.
Partnership:
The Opportunity
Every semester, in many universities, a big number of students do semester-projects applying their knowledge in engineering, computer science and other areas.
What if we could coordinate with their supervisors and make these projects part of bigger contexts focused on the sustainable development goals? What would be the impact?
We are looking forward to find out, because that's what we do.
How do we do what we do?
Before every semester starts, we have an event, in which students from the partner universities meet and build project proposals. They start by defining a project theme focused on the 2030 Agenda. Sometimes there is some problem/context (MEGA-THEME) in which their project must fit, but in other times they can choose freely, just needing to find a way to apply the skills the supervisors require. In many cases, the projects proposed come from past semesters and are continued by the same or new students.
After the event, when they're back home*, the semester starts and they start cooperating via internet! They share work and use each others background's to build a more impactful result.
Global Students SDG Challenge VI
Global Students SDG Challenge
Global Students SDG III
New EPIC + SDG Challenge V
Global Students SDG Challenge VII
Jan/2019
Feb/2020
Jan/2022
2/2018
Jul/2019
Jul/2020
...
ONLINE
Aug/2023
Jan/2023
Global Students SDG Summit
Global Students SDG IV
through EPIC
AUGUST, 2023.
COMING!!!
EGALITARIAN
SDG CHALLENGE
COMING!!!
EGALITARIAN
SDG CHALLENGE
COMING!!!
EGALITARIAN
SDG CHALLENGE
Aug/2024
Aug/2025
Aug/2026
Jan/2024
Jan/2025
Jan/2026
ONLINE
COMING!!!
EGALITARIAN
SDG CHALLENGE
COMING!!!
EGALITARIAN
SDG CHALLENGE
COMING!!!
EGALITARIAN
SDG CHALLENGE
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Our current cycle of projects.
08.2023 - 01.2024
We're focusing our projects on a MEGA-THEME: Preventing, Reducing, Reusing, Recycling of solid waste via cooperatives of waste pickers - P3RSW. This approach started in the first semester of 2019 and more than 50 teams have worked on projects connected to it.
The New EPIC + SDG Challenge is completely opened for projects with other themes as well. See more about the confirmed ones below:
PROJECTS #1
RIVER PLASTIC WASTE RECOVERY
The River Plastic Waste Recovery is a project to research about the problem of plastic pollution in rivers, designing machines to recover this plastic and building supply chain solutions for recycling it.
IOT IN SELECTIVE COLLECTION
IOT in Selective Collection is a project to track containers in order to optimize collection routes and, consequently, reduce CO2 emissions from the day to day operations.
MOBILE Financial EDUCATION
Mobile Financial Education for Waste Pickers is a project to help waste pickers acquire knowledge about money through digital solutions.
PROJECTS #2
PUMA MODULES
The PUMA platform is a web application that centralizes the processes of creating and managing university projects. It also connects the projects to the market.
hEALTH CONDITIONS DIABETES
This project aims at creating a product to help poor people with diabetes to face their daily challenges.
WASTE SORTING QUALITY ASSESSEMENT
Measuring Waste Sorting Quality in the Triage Centers in Brasília.
GRAVIMETRY
Investigating what kind of waste is produced in large waste generator in Brasília and, by that, maximizing the selective collection benefits.
BUSINESS MODEL
SLU NEW COMMERCIALIZATION BUILDING
How can waste pickers maximize their profits with selling waste? Is it possible to create a futures market of waste. What are the experiences related to it? The focus here is to improve the way they trade their recyclables.
There is a big new warehouse in Brasília that was funded by the Brazilian National Bank for Economical and Social Development. Although it was built years ago, it's still not used. The focus here is investigate why and make a plan to bring purpose to it.
Journalistic Reporting on our projects (watch original)
The origins of the SDG Challenge (minute 17:15)
Our Verdensmålsprisen video
Our team and facilitators
João Mello da Silva
Professor (Ph.D.) at University of Brasília
Global Students SDG Challenge Co-Founder
João obtained his doctorate in Operational Research at Case Western Reserve University (1975). At the University of Brasilia since 1979, he is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Production Engineering at the Faculty of Technology at the University of Brasília.
Jens Myrup Pedersen
Professor (Ph.D.) at Aalborg University
Global Students SDG Challenge Co-Founder
Jens is now Professor in the Department of Electronic Systems at Aalborg University. His main research area is Cyber Security. He has a long experience in Problem Based Learning, and in establishing international student projects, e.g. through the coordination of multiple Erasmus and Erasmus+ projects.
Giajenthiran (Kalle) Velmurugan
Assistant Professor (Ph.D.) at Aalborg University
Global Students SDG Challenge Co-Founder
Mateus Halbe Torres
Research Assistant at Aalborg University
Global Students SDG Challenge Co-Founder
& General Coordinator
Paulo Celso dos Reis Gomes
Professor (PhD.) at University of Brasília
Global Students SDG Challenge Advisor
Daniel Russo
Associate Professor (Ph.D.) at Aalborg University
Global Students SDG Challenge Advisor
Kalle (how he is known) is a Ph.D. fellow at Aalborg University. His research focuses on Problem-Based Learning at Higher Educations. Specifically, the question: how students make decisions in regard to their given problems?
Mateus is a Production Engineer from University of Brasília who currently works at the Department of Electronic Systems at Aalborg University. He is also Grupo Gestão's Senior Advisor for International Affairs and the General Coordinator of the Global Students SDG Challenge.
Paulo is Professor at the Technology Institute at University of Brasília since 1998. He was the Technical Responsible for the closure of the second biggest dumpsite in the world in 2018, the "Lixão da Estrutural" in Brasília.
Daniel is an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University in Copenhagen. His main research area is Empirical Software Engineering.
Simone Borges Simão Monteiro
Professor (Ph.D.) at University of Brasília
Global Students SDG Challenge Advisor
Simone is a Production Engineering Professor at University of Brasília. She is a researcher in the following areas: Quality Management, Project Management, Risks Management, and Problem Based Learning for Higher Education.
Dianne Magalhães Viana
Professor (Ph.D.) at University of Brasília
Global Students SDG Challenge Advisor
Gabriel de Lanna Fiuza
Production Engineering Student at University of Brasília
Global Students SDG Challenge Coordinator
Márcia Terezinha Longen Zindel
Professor (Ph.D.) at UnB
Global Students SDG Challenge Advisor
Luiza Cardoso Queiroz Melo
Production Engineering Student at University of Brasília
Global Students SDG Challenge Advisor
Dianne is a Mechanical Engineering Professor at University of Brasília. She obtained her Ph.D. degree in a Civil Engineering Program at COPPE/UFRJ. Research Areas: machine design, product design, engineering education
With a background in Management and Innovation, Gabriel is one of the coordinators of the SDG Challenge event and the SDG Challenge projects portfolio at UnB.
PhD and Master Degree in Production Engineering (UFSC/SC/Brazil) and Graduation in Psychology at UFSC/SC/Brazil.
Fields of Research: Behavioral Economics, Human Behavior at Work and Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
With experience in performance, planning and project management, Luiza is one of the coordinators of the SDG Challenge event and the SDG Challenge projects portfolio at UnB.
Tatiana
Caiado
Production Engineer at UnB
Global Students SDG Challenge Advisor
Tatiana is Production Engineer by UnB, and researcher in Circular Economy and sustainable production-consumption. She coordinated recycling issues for the productive inclusion of waste pickers, during the closure the world’s second largest dumpsite, “lixão da Estrutural” in Brasilia.
Contact
PLACE
The SDG Challenge is an initiative started within Grupo Gestão (GG), the junior enterprise of Production Engineering at the University of Brasília. Therefore, the headquarters for the SDG Challenge is GG's Headquarters.
COMPLETE ADDRESS
Ceftru, University of Brasília. BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL.
CONTACT:
contactsdgchallenge@gmail.com
mateushalbe@grupogestaoconsultoria.com
mateusconsigo@gmail.com
contato@grupogestao.co
We really believe young people must be the protagonists for a sustainable future.
