Got An Idea to Fight Climate Change? You Could Win $75,000

Do you have an idea (high-tech or low-tech) to fight climate change by reducing carbon emissions? If so, then the Forum for the Future wants to hear about it. The organization has teamed with the Financial Times newspaper for the Climate Change Challenge competition. Their goal is to seek out the best, most innovative, most practical ideas to fight global warming.

While just about any idea can qualify, entries do need to be ready for implementation, as the $75,000 prize money (sponsored by HP) must be used toward making the idea a reality:

"We want to find ideas that are below the radar – being developed by think-tanks, academic institutions or individual entrepreneurs – and identify those that can be taken to scale quickly and make a real difference. We will be scouring the world for the most exciting low-carbon ideas. These could be new technologies, systems or services, novel organisations or business models."

Entries are already being accepted, and the 12 most promising ideas will be sent to a panel of "celebrity" judges, including Sir Richard Branson and other business and environmental leaders. The judges will then pick five ideas to be published in the Financial Times this March for reader voting. The winning idea, chosen by FT readers, will be announced in April 2009.

Obviously, since those top entries will be published before the winner is selected, the entries need to be ideas that are already being put into practice. Otherwise, they'd be made public and you'd never be able to capitalize on them.

But if you're feeling entrepreneurial, and your idea is already protected (copyright, patent, etc), and you think getting that idea in front of some top minds is a good way to get some seed money, this contest was created just for you.

Don't delay if you're interested. The deadline is January 30, 2009. Full details are at the link above.

Tough times in the tech sector?

The high-tech sector may lose as many as 180,000 jobs in the U.S. this year, according to a consulting firm called Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which says this may be the worst job year for the technology sector since 2003.

The report, which comes on the heels of Sun Microsystems announcing it would cut 5-6,000 jobs -- tracks companies in the computer, telecom, and electronics industries.

So what does this mean for folks like you who may just be entering the job market? Well, it could be more difficult to find a job in those fields, but highly skilled applicants always have an edge. If you have talents that are hard to outsource, you may be okay.

It's also important to note that not all of these job cuts will come from the actual high-tech workforce. In tough times, the first things to get cut tend to be marketing, administration, middle-management, and other support functions. So the engineers actually doing the work might be okay.

Meanwhile, this is a great time for consultants. While a company may reduce its workforce, it rarely cuts the amount of work that needs to be done. That leaves a lot of work open for temporary workers, contractors, consultants and freelancers, none of whom the company needs to pay benefits.

So yeah, tough times are ahead. But high-tech innovation may be the only thing that can lift us out of a recession, so keep a positive outlook and don't worry. Just stay competitive.

Is a PhD enough?

For most jobs in technology, a PhD is all you need (if that). But having a little bit of extra education is always important, and it may make a difference in your career.

You can accomplish this any number of ways. For example, a minor in an area outside of your field could come in handy -- imagine the strength of a computer programmer with a sociology background.

You can also take all kinds of individual courses at conferences or through professional societies. I took half-a-dozen classes through the American Marketing Association, and they made me a more valuable and flexible employee.

Or you could take a leap and get a whole different degree, like William Webb, head of R&D at Ofcom, Europe's telecommunications regulator. Early in his career, Webb added an MBA to his PhD, and he told me it gave him the ability to do things few others in the telecom field could accomplish: "It struck me that in order to be effective I needed to have some grounding in business, so an MBA seemed to make sense. It's been tremendously helpful. People tend to be more research-y or go the other way. It's rare to go down the middle. You need a few people in business who can sit in the center and act as a translator. You can look at the research others have done and talk to business people -- explain to them that these are the business implications of this technology."

Webb acknowledges that his role is useful, "but if not for the researchers and the authors it wouldn't be there."

So what about you? Where do you want to stand out? Have you taken other courses to supplement your skills, or to add a new perspective to your work? Think about it, and let us know!

Are You Submitting Your Papers for Publication?

Engineering students have all kinds of opportunities to submit their papers for publication, or even for fame and fortune.

Well, "fame and fortune" might be overstating it, but many paper contests offer cash prizes or travel subsidies allowing you to attend a conference in your field. And publications or contest wins always look good on your resume.

Here are a few opportunities you have to submit your papers in the coming months.

IEEE Potentials magazine is seeking articles geared to young engineers for its March 2009 issue. Articles should deal with cutting-edge technical ideas, advice about professional development, or insights into the problem-solving process. The deadline for submitting manuscripts is December 1st. For information on how to submit, click here.

IEEE also has an ongoing student paper contest, with deadlines varying depending on where you live in the world. You have to be an IEEE student member to submit, but membership is about the cost of a good dinner, so don't let that hold you back.

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine is also looking for submissions. No deadline, they're just always looking for good papers.

Another professional society, ASME, offers an oral presentation competition called the Old Guard Prize. Just about any subject in engineering is allowed. Presentations must be 15 minutes, with five more minutes for audience Q&A. Top prize is $1,000!

There are literally hundreds of other opportunities out there, ranging from magazines to conferences to contests, so keep an eye out for them and submit!

(And if you know of any others that you're submitting to, post information about them!)