
In Spring 2020, The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego launched the first-ever Jacobs Institute Changemaker Challenge. This worldwide event, sponsored by Dr. Irwin and Mrs. Joan Jacobs, supported educators and teenagers in developing social good solutions aligned to the UN Global Goals. The competition began with:
- 40+ educators
- 1500+ students
- 3 countries
- 13 US states

Prizes
The intrinsic reward of developing an innovator’s mindset and making a difference in the world is a great incentive. Additionally, we wanted to make it extra rewarding by providing a tangible award!
- 1st place winners* receive $500 for the student team and $500 for their teacher
- 2ndβ5th place winners* receive $250 for the student teams and $250 for their teacher

1st Place: Go-Green Food Bags
Over 300 million tons of plastic is produced annually. 50% of that plastic is manufactured for single-use purposes. What if you could help the Earth by changing one small thing in your lifestyle?
Introducing Go-Green Food Bags! These may look like your average, reusable food bags, but they’re not. Our Go-Green Bags are hand-made, resuable, 100% eco-friendly, and made from recycled materials.
Created by a 9th grade team with two girls and two boys from Mount Everest Academy and supported by teachers Eric Nielson and Kris Rodenberg.



2nd Place: Idle Reminder
Idle Reminder is a solution to target greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, specifically idling busses. By addressing this issue, they hope to improve air quality and slow the impacts of increased temperatures and rising sea levels making our cities more sustainable.
Created by a 10th-grade team of two girls and two boys from E3 Civic High School and supported by teacher Stephen Cerruti.


3rd Place: PhytoAttack
PhytoAttack is a system to help protect shellfish from the impacts of climate change.
Created by team Hidali, Alana, Jeshua, Lillian, and Leilanie, a team of 10th-grade scholars from E3 Civic High School and supported by teacher Stephen Cerruti.


4th Place: Gender Equality
Gender Equality is an app designed to protect and provide resources for women, emergency protocols, reporting features, and community building.
Created by Femme, a team of five 9th grade girls from Mount Everest Academy and supported by teachers Eric Nielson and Kris Rodenberg.


5th Place: Life in a Bucket
Life in a Bucket is a bucket that helps filter water, intending this to be used in underdeveloped areas where clean water is not always easily accessible.
Created by a team of 9th graders from Kearny High School of Biomedical Science and Technology and supported by teacher Daina Weber.



Finalists
The following student teams and their teachers will receive finalist certificates in recognition of their solutions. Finalists are listed alphabetically.
- 10th Grade DT Housing 2 – Created by team “10th Grade DT Housing 2” from E3 Civic High School and supported by teacher Luis Marquez (SDG #11)
- Alternative Face Masks – Created by team “Interesting Story” from E3 Civic High School and supported by teacher Jaime Green (SDG #11)
- Bic Mac – Created by team “Big Mac” from Kearny High School of Biomedical Science and Technology and supported by teacher Daina Weber (SDG #6)
- Clean Water Filtration Project – Created by team “StVE” from Frances S. Demasi Middle School and supported by teacher Maria Kruzdlo (SDG #6)
- Life Under Water – Created by team “Life Under Water” from Mt. Everest Academy and supported by teachers Eric Nielson and Kris Rodenberg (SDG #14)
- Mood Tracker – Created by team “Fet’s Luck” from E3 Civic High School and supported by teacher Jaime Green (SDG #11)
- The Awareness Initiative Project – Created by team “The Awareness Initiative ” from Frances S. Demasi Middle School and supported by teacher Maria Kruzdlo (SDG #13)
- The Health Insurance Project – Created by team “Pineapple Juice” from Kearny High School of Biomedical Science and Technology and supported by teacher Daina Weber (SDG #3)
- The Mental Health Project – Created by team “uwu childs” from Frances S. Demasi Middle School and supported by teacher Maria Kruzdlo (SDG #3)
- Wildfire Awareness – Created by team “Sofia, Valeria, Kassandra, and Alexander” from E3 Civic High School and supported by teacher Stephen Cerruti (SDG #11)
- World Puzzle Piece – Created by team “Plant Gang” from E3 Civic High School and supported by teacher Jaime Green (SDG #11)





What’s Next?

You can help build a better world by donating to support our work. We are thankful for all contributions, no matter how small. You can make a difference!
*All prize awards will be provided in Visa gift cards. Prizes over $600 given to U.S. Citizens and resident aliens will be reported by the University of San Diego on an Internal Revenue (IRS) Form 1099-MISC. Please note, the IRS has stipulated that amounts less than $600 are required to be self-reported by the recipient on their personal tax return.