General Information | Problem Statement | Design Review and Judging Process | Resources

Download the printable Program Guidelines in PDF. You will need Adobe Reader to view the document.

Welcome!

Your Task…

Why?

You Can Help!

Important Dates
August 2008	Registration Opens
November 25, 2008	Registration Closes
December 10, 2008	Round I Deadline Part I - Internet Scavenger Hunt Part II - Final Report
December 19, 2008	Semi-Finalists Announced
January 13, 2009	Round II - Virtual Semi-Finals
January 16, 2009	National Finalists Announced
February 26, 2009	Round III - NEDC National Finals

Awards

1. The top five teams will win a trip to Washington, DC for the NEDC National Finals competition.
   Each National Finalist team Coach becomes an automatic recipient of the MIT EXCITE award and is recognized as a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams finalist.

2. $3,000 is awarded to the Best Overall team, plus a trip to the NISH annual meeting — April 14-16, 2009 in Atlanta, GA

3. $1,500 is presented to two additional National Finalist teams.

4. Semi-finalist awards.

The Program

The NEDC is broken up into three rounds:

Round I	The Project : Research/Design/Construction/Reporting Part I: Internet Scavenger Hunt Part II: Final Report on Device Design, Construction & Testing
Round II	Semi Finals
Round III	National Finals

Once your team has registered you will have access to the online submission forms. All teams will complete Round I. Those who are selected from Round I will continue to Round II. Only five teams from Round II will be selected to proceed to Round III.

Round I: The Project

Step 1: Form a Team
There is no restriction on the number of students on a team, however teams of five to twenty students are recommended.

Step 2: Register Online by
November 25, 2008 www.jets.org/nedc
Register early! You will need several months to complete the project, so plan your time wisely.

Be sure to complete the optional Scholarship forms when you register, too!

Step 3: Research
The Internet Scavenger Hunt is intended to assist you with your research, but not be the only research you conduct. We suggest that you utilize the Internet, visit your local library, and reach out to an individual or organization in your local community. For assistance, refer to "Working in Your Community in the P"roblem Statement.

NOTE: The Internet Scavenger Hunt has a significant impact on your selection to the Semi-Finals. Refer to the Scavenger Hunt scoring rubric for details.

Step 5: Select a Scenario
Based on your research, which will it be Option A or B? Review the Problem Statement to help your team decide.

Step 6: Design and Testing
Now the fun begins! Refer to the Engineering Design Process (EDP) in the Resources section to guide you through the design and testing process. This is the core of the project and should take several weeks if not longer.

Step 7: Report Your Findings
Maybe not as fun as Step 6 (for some), but critically important to your team’s success. Refer to Guidelines for submitting your Final Report in the Resources section and the Scoring Rubric to be sure you address all the requirements. .

Step 8: Submissions Due — December 10, 2008
Internet Scavenger Hunt and Final Report on Device Design, Construction and Testing will be completed online at www.jets.org/nedc.

Round II: Semi-Finals

Teams with the top scores, based on the Internet Scavenger Hunt and Final Report scores, will advance to the Semi-Finals. The Semi-Finals will be held online as a virtual design showcase. Each teams selected as a semifinalist will produce a 6 minute video presentation that demonstrates their device research, design construction and testing. Additional details will be given to semi-finalists when they are selected.

Round III: National Finals Competition

Five semi-finalist teams will be selected to compete in the NEDC National Finals competition in Washington, DC, February 25-27, 2009. Additional details will be given to National Finalist teams.

The Fine Print

All students in grades 9-12 are eligible to compete in the NEDC. Students can be from high schools—public, private, home schools—youth groups or clubs (math, chess, physics) and organizations (Boy/Girl Scouts, 4-H, FIRST, Junior Achievement, etc )

1. Students must form teams and team members must be from the same school or group.
2. Team members must be in grades 9-12.
3. Teams outside the U.S.A. may participate but are not eligible for the Semi-Finals, National Finals Competition or scholarships.
4. A team can be any number of students, however JETS recommends teams of five to twenty.
5. National Finalist teams may only consist of 5 presenting team members. If teams wish to include additional "supporting members", they may but only five members and one coach will receive expenses paid if selected as a Finalist.
6. All teams must have one adult who functions as the team Coach.
7. An individual may coach more than one team.
8. The coach may be a high school faculty member or other qualified person appointed by the school or group.
9. The coach must be at least 21 years old by August 31, 2008.
10. The coach must chaperone the team to the National Finals competition if the team is selected.

Additional Rules

1. Each team shall present only one solution to the problem.
2. The device must be an original design.
3. The prototype device must be fully operational.
4. The device must be safe to operate.
5. Judges may represent the engineering profession and experts in disability workplace issues.
6. Judges’ decisions are final.
7. Semi-Finalists will be determined by the Internet Scavenger Hunt and Final Report.
8. National Finalist teams will be selected based on their Semi-Final presentation.
9. The Semi-Finals round will viewed and judged online.
10. The National Finals Competition will be held in Washington, DC on February 26, 2009.
11. Scholarship applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis.
12. Forms must be submitted by the December 10, 2008 deadline to be eligible for awards.
13. All submittal forms can be found online and are available once your team registers. Submissions will only be accepted through the online forms.
14. Only one Internet Scavenger Hunt submission may be entered and will be judged per team.

NOTE: Teams are encouraged to work with a technical mentor (i.e., engineer, expert in disability awareness). Technical mentors work with teams in an advisory capacity only; they do not physically assist the students in solving the problem itself.

Rights & Participation Agreement

1. In consideration for their participation in the JETS/AbilityOne National Engineering Design Challenge, all students and/or student teams and schools, hereby provide to NISH and NISH’s affiliated non-profit agencies a limited license to use such devices to enable an/or further the employment of individuals with disabilities.

2. In further consideration for their participation in the JETS/AbilityOne National Engineering Design Challenge, all students and/or student teams hereby grant permission to NISH, the NISH Institute for Economic Empowerment Clearinghouse and NISH's affiliated non-profit agencies to use a student's, coach's or mentor’s name, photograph, quote, likeness, report, graphics, images, PowerPoint presentations or video for informational, educational, publicity and promotional purposes.

Permission: Submission of any report, graphic, photo or video warrants that any individual featured in the graphic, photo or video submitted has provided permission for the photo or video to be used to illustrate the device by NISH.

The submitting author also certifies that all authors named have agreed for this paper to be submitted to the JETS/AbilityOne National Engineering Design Challenge. JETS, The AbilityOne Program or NISH shall not make any profit whatsoever from selling any device(s). Except as otherwise provided under the terms of this limited license agreement, this agreement shall not affect rights of the student and/or student team's to their devices.

For information on patents and trademarks, contact: United States Patent and Trademark Office General Information Services Division Crystal Plaza 3, Room 2C02 Washington, D.C. 20231 www.uspto.gov or call 800-786-9199 or 703-308-HELP.

Disclaimers

Teams outside the U.S.A. are welcome to participate but are not eligible for the National Finals Competition or scholarships.

JETS, NISH and the AbilityOne program reserve the right to use a student's, coach's or mentor's name, photograph, quote, likeness, report, graphics, images or video for publicity and promotional purposes. By participating in the NEDC, all team members, coaches, technical mentors and team affiliated parties do hereby give permission to NISH and JETS, to use their photograph or photographic image and negatives and reproductions thereof, in official business, including: Web sites, the Worldwide Web, magazines, catalogs, and brochures, etc.

JETS, NISH and the AbilityOne program are not responsible for any content on secondary links to the NEDC website.