2025-2026 R&D Student Competition
The NYSP2I Sustainable Innovation Student Competition Exhibition & Research Poster Showcase celebrates student-led solutions to real-world environmental challenges. The event brings together undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, industry professionals, and sustainability leaders from across New York State to highlight innovative research and applied problem solving.
Event at a glance:
Date: Monday, April 20, 2026, during Earth Week
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, NY
Participating universities: Binghamton University, Clarkson University, Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Rochester Institute of Technology
Prizes: Up to $18,000 in competition awards + up to five $1,000 research poster awards
Through oral presentations and a poster showcase, the event highlights both newly developed competition projects and existing student research, creating a collaborative forum for applied problem-solving, knowledge sharing, and recognition.
Sustainable Innovation Student Competition
Application Period: Closed
Exhibition: April 20, 2026 | RIT
NYSP2I’s Sustainable Innovation Student Competition supports full-time undergraduate and graduate students from NYSP2I’s five partner universities in proposing, developing, and designing solutions to defined environmental challenges.
Selected teams receive funding to advance their projects and present their research at the 2026 Exhibition & Research Poster Showcase. A total of up to $18,000 in awards is distributed to top-performing teams based on innovation, impact, feasibility, and presentation quality. In addition, competition teams may be selected for an all-expenses-paid trip to present their work at the 2027 REMADE® Circular Economy Technology Summit & Conference in Washington, D.C., providing national exposure and professional networking opportunities.
Featured Research Projects
Two outstanding teams from Cornell University will present their work at the 2026 Exhibition:
Project Title: Energy Atlas: City-Scale Digital Twin for Operational Carbon Reduction and Retrofit Planning in Tompkins County, NY
Team Level: Graduate
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Timur Dogan
This project leverages digital twin technology to model and reduce operational carbon emissions across buildings at a community scale, enabling strategic retrofit planning and data-driven climate action in Tompkins County.
Project Title: Circularity Beyond Compost: Valorizing Cornell’s Food Waste through Hydrothermal Liquefaction
Team Level: Undergraduate
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jillian L. Goldfarb
This research explores hydrothermal liquefaction as an innovative pathway to convert food waste into valuable bio-based products—advancing circular economy solutions beyond traditional composting methods.
Student Research Poster Showcase
Now Accepting Applications
Application Deadline: March 18, 2026
Showcase: April 20, 2026 | RIT
The Student Research Poster Showcase will feature high-quality sustainability research already underway across NYSP2I’s partner universities. The showcase provides students with an opportunity to gain visibility, receive feedback from sustainability professionals, and connect with peers and industry leaders at the April 20 event.
About the Poster Showcase
- Open to undergraduate and graduate students from NYSP2I’s five partner universities: Binghamton University, Clarkson University, Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Rochester Institute of Technology
- Up to five (5) teams per university will be selected
- Work must be existing research or coursework (not new or specially created projects) that demonstrates environmental impact, technical innovation, or applied sustainability solutions.
- Format: Poster presentation
- Participants will engage directly with judges and attendees
- Up to five (5) awards of $1,000 per team will be presented
How to Apply
Students interested in participating in the Research Poster Showcase should:
- Complete the official entry form.
- A faculty advisor must sign and submit the completed entry form on behalf of the student via email to their university’s designated NYSP2I representative.
- Applications are due March 18, 2026.
University NYSP2I Representatives
- Binghamton University Representative: Michael Jacobson, mjacobso@binghamton.edu
- Clarkson University Representative: Susan Powers, spowers@clarkson.edu
- Cornell University Representative: Lori Leonard, ll536@cornell.edu
- RPI Representative: Joel Plawsky, plawsky@rpi.edu
- RIT Representative: Dr. Nabil Nasr, nzneie@rit.edu
