Massachusetts Hydrovolt Student Team Wins Second Place at the 2025 CEF National Challenge Competition
On June 11 & 12, 2025, the Chemistry Education Foundation (CEF) held its annual National Challenge Competition, Dinner and Awards Ceremony events in Houston, where middle school student competition finalists from across North America showcased their chemistry knowledge and real-world problem-solving for STEM scholarships.
The CEF National Challenge is an exciting, team-based STEM competition designed to provide a dynamic learning experience. It builds essential skills like critical thinking, effective communication, entrepreneurship, and problem-solving 鈥� key tools for academic success and future careers.
Teams of 3-4 students from 5th to 8th grade participate in Regional Challenge events where they answer timed science-based questions. Teams simultaneously create a video to launch a start-up company aimed at solving sustainability issues and finding community-based solutions. At the June 11 Awards Ceremony, the 2025 National Challenge team finalists were recognized and celebrated for their innovative, chemistry-based solutions.
This year鈥檚 finalists addressed the theme, 鈥淵ou Be the Solution鈥攄evelop a sustainable solution to a local natural hazard that ensures community safety.鈥� Their innovative solutions included wildfire prevention, floodwater protection, sustainable energy storage, wastewater management, and water damage prevention鈥攃ritical challenges that communities worldwide are facing today.
The top three finalists included the Science Scholars Sandbox Team from Illinois, which won first place earning a $16,000 scholarship sponsored by Univar Solutions.
The Hydrovolt Team from Massachusetts 鈥� who were proudly sponsored by the AIChE Foundation - and the Biocharge Team from Virginia placed second and third, winning $12,000 and $8,000 scholarships through sponsorship support from Olin and LyondellBasell, respectively. The three student groups triumphed over more than 14,000 student participants.
The , in particular, were lauded for creating a fire-safe, health-friendly, sustainable alternative to current rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in the form of an optimized, rechargeable, zinc-manganese-dioxide battery.
With support from the AIChE Foundation, student-focused programs have grown to reach and inspire more than 20,000 students around the world. Initiatives like Bee a ChemE are creating excitement and building awareness among K-12 students by introducing them to the wonders and possibilities of chemical engineering and STEM disciplines. These initiatives provide access to vital career development tools, student regional conferences, and opportunities to build professional skills and lasting connections with peers and mentors鈥攑reparing the next generation of chemical engineers for success.
As the Foundation marks the 10th anniversary of Doing a World of Good, this growing impact underscores a decade-long commitment to empowering future leaders and strengthening the programs that help them thrive.
Fully Endowed Fellows Fund Fuels K-12 STEM Outreach
Through the incredible generosity of the AIChE Fellows community, over $50,000 has been endowed to expand the K-12 STEM Ambassador Program. Part of the Bee a ChemE initiative, this program has already reached over 300 students and will now extend to an eighth school, empowering underserved communities and inspiring the next generation of innovators. This milestone highlights the transformative power of collective action in creating a brighter, more inclusive future for chemical engineering.