FM Student Genius Competition
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Fla., USA
Held at IFMA’s World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo, the FM Student Genius Competition is an extraordinary opportunity for students in FM higher education programs to showcase their talents and abilities. Student teams will be asked to solve a problem related to the operations and maintenance aspect of facility management. The competition will educate students and professionals alike about the important role that operations and maintenance plays in providing a healthy and safe workplace environment. It is also a unique opportunity for students to network with others in FM academic programs, enhancing their understanding of the cultural differences that exist in this professional global village.
Teams must register their intent to participate with IFMA Foundation Director of Academic Affairs, Charles Claar, before Sept. 1, 2009. E-mail charles.claar@ifma.org or call +1-717-372-4868.
Rules for Competition at IFMA’s World Workplace 2009
- Teams may enter from any facility management for credit academic program. Please see following paragraph about competitions at individual institutions.
- A team may not exceed six members.
- The FM problem to be solved will be given to the competing teams on the morning of the competition. The problem will be related to the operations and maintenance aspect of facility management.
- Teams must register their intent to participate with IFMA Foundation Director of Academic Affairs (DAA), Charles Claar, before Sept. 1, 2009. We realize that some programs are not in session at this time, but notice of intent should be made for planning purposes.
- At the time the institution selects the individuals to represent them, the students must be enrolled as full-time students at the institution they represent.
- There cannot be mixed teams of undergraduate and graduate students. A separate judging of graduate participants will be determined by the number of programs that register their intent to compete.
- It is intended that each FM program would enter one team to represent the institution. If a university has both undergraduate and graduate programs, it may enter a team in each program level. If an institution does not register their intent to compete by Sept. 1, 2009, it will be understood that they are not planning to be present and the DAA will notify participating institutions that they can bring more teams. This is not intended to limit any programs, but rather to gauge the level of participation as a whole so that the event is manageable.
- The competitors must present both their oral and written work (PowerPoint, for instance) in English. A LED projector will be provided.
- Laptops and printers will be allowed for the competition.
- With the exception of the Internet, competing teams may not solicit or seek outside help in any form during the entire day of the competition. This includes, but is not limited to, conversations during the opening keynote session and lunch times. Any individual doing so will cause his/her team to be ineligible for any awards.
- Competing teams may not watch their competitor’s presentations until they have concluded their own presentation.
- Judges will be as mutually agreed upon. The judges will use evaluation criteria determined by them in a pre-competition meeting. The criteria will be furnished to each team when they are given the competition problem.
Guidelines for RDP Institutions to Select the Team(s)
- It is not the intention of this section to dictate how an FM program should select the team(s) to compete in this event. How the team(s) is/are selected is at the sole discretion of the institution selecting the team(s). It could be by conducting a competition or simply selecting a team(s).
- The competing team(s) and their members must abide by the criteria set forth in the section “Rules for Competition at IFMA’s World Workplace 2009.”
- It is suggested that each FM program conduct their own individual competition using the “Rules for Competition at IFMA’s World Workplace 2009.” They should be modified to suit the local situation if necessary.
- It is recommended that each school secure a sponsor or sponsors who would fund the school-held competition and any awards given at the school-held competition. It is hoped that the sponsor(s) would fund (or contribute to) the school’s winning team’s travel expenses to compete at IFMA’s World Workplace in Orlando, Fla.
Competition Schedule - Wednesday, Oct. 7
- 7:00 a.m.: Team sign-in at convention center competition room and continental breakfast.
- 7:30 a.m.: Problem statement and case study is given to teams.
- 9:15 a.m.: Teams suspend working on the problem solution. Laptops will be secured at the competition site.
- 11:30 a.m.: Competitors attend conference opening and keynote address.
- 12:30 a.m.: Student lunch in conference exhibition hall.
- 12:45 p.m.: Teams resume problem solution.
- 2:30 p.m.: Teams cease problem solution.
- 2:30 p.m.: Written presentations reviewed by judges.
- 2:55 p.m.: Presentations order posted.
- 3:00 p.m.: Presentations begin.
- 5:30 p.m.: Presentations end and judging begins to select top teams.
- 6:00 p.m.: Conclude.
Awards/Education Reception - Thursday, Oct. 8
Around 6:00 p.m., FM Student Genius winners will be announced. Awards will go to the programs/schools, not individuals or teams.
The following awards will be presented:
- 1st place team US$1,000
- 2nd place team US$500
- 3rd place team US$250