UNF MedNexus Innovation Challenge
The University of North Florida, along with the City of Palm Coast and Flagler County Schools host the MedNexus Innovation Challenge, a team-based competition showcasing regional high school students pitching their solutions to Florida’s evolving healthcare needs.
This is an exciting educational opportunity for high school students that offers the chance to receive scholarship prize money, mentoring by university faculty, and a platform to share innovative solutions to real healthcare needs within Florida’s First Coast.
1st place - $1,000 scholarship prize money per team member
2nd place - $750 scholarship prize money per team member
The third annual UNF MedNexus Innovation Challenge will take place Thursday, April 11, 2024 with a theme of social media addiction. Teams of four students will come up with solutions to address social media addiction (spending more than three hours per day on social media) in adolescents. Research has shown that despite increasing use and undeniable benefits for interaction, social media's impact on adolescent well-being is a source of concern. Increased use of social media can lead to addiction and negatively affect relationships, sleep, and academic performance.
2024 Schedule
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Friday, January 26 | Applications Open |
| Friday, February 16 | Applications Close |
| Monday, February 19 | Teams Selected Announced |
| Tuesday, February 27 | Kick-off Meeting (Mandatory for all team members) |
| Monday, March 4 to Friday, April 5 | Meetings with UNF faculty coaches |
| Friday, April 5 | Final Presentations due to faculty coaches by 5pm |
| Thursday, April 11 | MedNexus Innovation Challenge |
Application
Students establish teams of four and research the challenge area of Social Media Addiction to determine how they could design a health intervention or program to reduce social media addiction.
Register your team online and explain how you will approach this health issue with an innovative solution.
Once the UNF team receives applications, four teams will be selected based on their preliminary solution idea to participate in the MedNexus Innovation Challenge.
The Community Intervention
Throughout February and March, the four selected teams will develop an innovative community intervention to improve social media addiction among adolescents. University of North Florida MedNexus will connect each team with a UNF faculty member to provide feedback on their intervention and presentation.
Kick-off Meeting
The Presentation
Presentations
The MedNexus Innovation Challenge culminates at the Pitch Competition where teams present their innovative community-based intervention before a panel of judges. Teams are scored and provided on-the-spot feedback from the judging panel which gives students direct exposure to industry experts, corporations, investors, and university faculty.
Thursday April 11, 2024
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Palm Coast Community Center
305 Palm Coast Pkwy NE
Palm Coast, FL 32137