{"id":3431,"date":"2018-07-30T14:46:34","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T13:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/copyright.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/?p=3431"},"modified":"2018-07-30T14:47:40","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T13:47:40","slug":"challenge-x","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/postgraduate\/challenge-x\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenge X"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"contentsContainer\">\n<div id=\"contents\">\n<p id=\"E69\"><span id=\"E70\">One of the perks of undertaking higher education is the opportunity to participate for<\/span><span id=\"E71\"> FREE <\/span><span id=\"E72\">in extracurricular activities that are only available through a university. I recently participated in<\/span><span id=\"E73\"> the first ever Challenge X, a unique<\/span><span id=\"E74\"> 18-hour event that paired students with SMEs (small-to-medium enterprises) to develop solutions to real business problems. The event was hosted by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/len\/\">Loughborough Enterprise Network<\/a> (LEN) and sponsored by Santander. <\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E75\"><span id=\"E76\">Loughborough University has a very strong relationship with business, <\/span><span id=\"E77\">demonstrated by its investment in one of the largest science and enterprise parks in the UK and its commitment to providing opportunities for students to become entrepreneurs. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lboro.ac.uk\/services\/the-studio\/\">The Studio<\/a> on campus provides access to resources for <\/span><span id=\"E78\">graduates<\/span><span id=\"E79\"> wishing to start their own business. Since 2011, the Studio has supported 50 new businesses that have gone on to create 82 permanent jobs along with numerous internships and volunteers. <\/span><span id=\"E80\">At Challenge X, the<\/span><span id=\"E81\"> five companies that were involved had started with the support of the Studio. <\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E82\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3432\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture1-1024x868.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture1-1024x868.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture1-300x254.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture1-768x651.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture1-370x314.jpg 370w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture1-770x652.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"E84\" class=\"qowt-stl-Heading1\"><span id=\"E85\">Day 1 <\/span><span id=\"E86\">\u2013<\/span><span id=\"E87\"> Selection<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E88\"><span id=\"E89\">The fir<\/span><span id=\"E90\">st day of Challenge X was short, though the afternoon coffee\/tea and <\/span>hors-d&#8217;oeuvres<span id=\"E92\"><\/span><span id=\"E93\"><\/span><span id=\"E94\"> were <\/span><span id=\"E95\">a lovely surprise. The main activity<\/span><span id=\"E96\"> involved the participants (about 25 of us in total) listening to presentations given by the founder of each company describing what they did and the challenge they had for us. <\/span><span id=\"E97\">Another PhD student and I plan to participate in a workshop of a similar nature to Challenge X and so requested to be on the same team; w<\/span><span id=\"E98\">e selected which company we would most like to work with and <\/span><span id=\"E99\">went home excited for morning to arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E100\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3433\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture2-1024x420.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"369\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture2-1024x420.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture2-300x123.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture2-768x315.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture2-370x152.jpg 370w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture2-770x316.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"E102\" class=\"qowt-stl-Heading1\"><span id=\"E103\">Day 2 <\/span><span id=\"E104\">\u2013<\/span><span id=\"E105\"> Ideation<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E106\"><span id=\"E107\">While it\u2019s not like we had to sign non-disclosure agreements, I want to refrain from <\/span><span id=\"E108\">writing<\/span><span id=\"E109\"> too much about the exact nature o<\/span><span id=\"E110\">f the challenge and solutions my team<\/span><span id=\"E111\"> developed, and will reflect more on the process. <\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E112\"><span id=\"E113\">In recognition of our effort to help provide solutions for the participating companies, the event organizers provided free coffee\/tea, pastries for breakfast, and a fabulous lunch each day with lots of fruit and cake. After fueling up in the morning on the provided tea and a raspberry pastry, plus a little networking, I was happy to discover my friend and I were on the same team for our first choice: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecropclub.com\/\">The Crop Club<\/a><\/span><span id=\"E116\">. In short, and in the words of Rose (the founder), The Crop Club\u2019s primary mission is to \u201creconnect<\/span><span id=\"E117\"> communities through the joy of growing food<\/span><span id=\"E118\">\u201d.<\/span><span id=\"E119\"> Shown below are some of her products to help spread the joy of growing: giveaways that may be used for anything from corporate events to weddings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E120\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3434\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture3-1024x557.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture3-1024x557.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture3-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture3-768x417.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture3-370x201.jpg 370w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture3-770x419.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"E122\"><span id=\"E123\">Megan, the \u201cboss\u201d of the Studio who was gracious enough to take the selfie with me that is shown below, <\/span><span id=\"E125\">provided an introduction to<\/span><span id=\"E127\"> three methods for developing ideas to the problem posed by our <\/span><span id=\"E128\">chosen company. The first method involved using post-it notes and writing <\/span><span id=\"E131\">any and all<\/span><span id=\"E133\"> ideas out with typically one idea per post-it note. Our group spent the most time doing this exercise, though I did have to be nudged to stop using my laptop to take notes on what was being said. We spent about 30 minutes\u00a0<\/span>speaking with Rose about her company and her challenges. She then left us to <span id=\"E134\">work among our team of three.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"contentsContainer\">\n<div id=\"contents\">\n<p id=\"E135\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3435\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture4-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture4-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture4-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture4-370x493.jpg 370w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture4-770x1027.jpg 770w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture4.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"E138\"><span id=\"E139\">Our team spent less time with the second and third idea-generation methods that Megan had presented. The second method involved using plastic straws and connectors to create an abstract structure that could represent our solution, an idea or other thought construct. We all had trouble with this method, though it was fun to play with the materials! <\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E140\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3436\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture5-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture5-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture5-370x493.jpg 370w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture5-770x1027.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"E143\"><span id=\"E144\">The final method involved \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/petemosley.com\/\">The Art of Work<\/a>\u201d cards<\/span><span id=\"E149\">\u00a0that had abstract words and images intended to spark idea creation. For example, one card said \u201cSay boo! to the geese\u201d which at first is baffling, but one of my teammates had a brilliant interpretation that the geese were like critics<\/span><span id=\"E150\"> who destroy ideas (since geese steal your<\/span><span id=\"E151\"> <\/span><span id=\"E152\">food<\/span><span id=\"E153\">)<\/span><span id=\"E154\"> and so we should think of ways to address any potential criticisms of our solutions. <\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E155\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3437\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture6-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture6-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture6-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture6-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture6-370x278.jpg 370w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture6-770x578.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"E158\"><span id=\"E159\">After a tasty lunch, <\/span><span id=\"E160\">we did a short brainstorming session where we tried to think \u201coutside of the box\u201d and develop some ideas that were a little wild and crazy. Then, <\/span><span id=\"E161\">we began the arduous process of filtering and sorting our ideas, particular<\/span><span id=\"E162\">ly<\/span><span id=\"E163\"> the ones on post-it notes. While there w<\/span><span id=\"E164\">as <\/span><span id=\"E166\">a brief moment<\/span><span id=\"E168\"> of tension as<\/span><span id=\"E169\"> my friend<\/span><span id=\"E170\"> and I<\/span><span id=\"E171\"> had different thoughts on how to approach this process, we were able to find a compromise that was also satisfactory to the third team member. As we were all very out-spoken, this was an unexpected and delightful discovery of Challenge X: how much fun it is to debate and creatively <\/span><span id=\"E172\">cooperate<\/span><span id=\"E173\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E174\" class=\"qowt-stl-Heading1\"><span id=\"E175\">Day 3<\/span><span id=\"E176\">: Pitching<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E179\"><span id=\"E180\">The last day went very quickly and we spent most <\/span><span id=\"E181\">the morning<\/span><span id=\"E182\"> <\/span><span id=\"E183\">selecting and evaluating a few of our many ideas to pitch to Rose. One of our team members suggested using canva.com for our presentation, which I hadn\u2019t heard of before. It all turned out brilliantly though and during our <\/span><span id=\"E185\">15 minute<\/span><span id=\"E187\"> presentation, we were able to provide some insights into the company\u2019s challenge that will help it moving forward to expand and brand. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3438\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture7-1024x838.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"737\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture7-1024x838.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture7-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture7-768x628.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture7-370x303.jpg 370w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2018\/07\/Picture7-770x630.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"E190\" class=\"qowt-stl-Heading1\"><span id=\"E191\">Join us!<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"E192\"><span id=\"E193\">The Studio plans for Challenge X to be an annual event so if you <\/span><span id=\"E195\">weren\u2019t able to<\/span><span id=\"E197\"> participate this year, keep an ey<\/span><span id=\"E198\">e out for it next year.<\/span><span id=\"E199\"> My experience was very positive and if I <\/span><span id=\"E201\">am able to<\/span><span id=\"E203\">, I plan to participate again next <\/span><span id=\"E204\">year as the opportunity to gain experience while also helping find solutions for a real problem was invaluable. Not only that, but I met many fantastic people who I hope to meet again. In fact, the companies and organizers were so inspirational, they got me thinking about what kind of business I <\/span><span id=\"E205\">could start! Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank the other members of our team: Louisa, Christina, Rose and Kola. You all will rock the world!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the perks of undertaking higher education is the opportunity to participate for FREE in extracurricular activities that are only available through a university. I recently participated in the first ever Challenge X, a unique 18-hour event that paired students with SMEs (small-to-medium enterprises) to develop solutions to real business problems. The event was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":540,"featured_media":3439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"lboro_blog_alternative_thumbnail_image":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-postgraduate"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Challenge X - Student Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/students\/postgraduate\/challenge-x\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Challenge X - Student Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the perks of undertaking higher education is the opportunity to participate for FREE in extracurricular activities that are only available through a university. 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