Check out our Facebook event here!
Blueprint 2021: Rainforests + Restoration focuses on developing revolutionary ideas in response to critical challenges in the world’s rainforests through a thoughtful, innovative design process. This year’s event aims to inspire actionable blueprints for sustainable and scalable technologies or policies that branch out in rainforest conservation
102
Competitors
32
Universities
16
Experts
SCHEDULE
IDEATION TRACKS
-
Land Management
- The Land Usage track will focus on creating solutions that tackle the misuse of rainforested land, through managing wildfires, containing pollutants, reforming agricultural practices, or enhancing carbon storage.
-
Resource Exploitation
- The resource exploitation track explores finding and producing resource alternatives to minimize consumption, mitigating pollution at its source, or working to eliminate externalities on the surrounding rainforest .
-
Environmental Justice
- The Environmental Justice track will mainly focus on environmental policy which account for indigenous land rights, unique indigenous religions and social norms, and scientific diplomacy/communication. Policy structures can also vary between top-down and bottom-up approaches that will balance sociopolitical, economic, and environmental concerns.
-
Biodiversity
- The Biodiversity track will focus on establishing solutions that will stabilize or even increase the biodiversity in the rainforest, through strengthening existing conservation tools, protecting species habitats, decreasing poaching and trafficking, or controlling invasive species
COMPETITION RESOURCES
Day-of Ideation Packet
Competitor Ideation Guide with all of the day-of, need-to-know information and ideation resources!
DevPost
Competitors in Blueprint 2021 submitted their blueprints to Devpost. Check out their projects in our DevPost Gallery!
Mentor Packet
A comprehensive guide for mentors to navigate the conference and help our competitors develop solid blueprints.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Marconi Campos-Cerqueira
Biodiversity Scientist
Dr. Marconi Campos-Cerqueira is a bioacoustics expert. For over 12 years, he has worked in the tropics, and his primary interest is to develop a global acoustic monitoring network to improve biodiversity monitoring across the globe. He has used passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to study the impacts of natural gas exploration, mining, and forest certification on the Peruvian avifauna and to study the effects of climate change on species distributions of frogs and birds in Puerto Rico. He is an expert at creating species models, validating species identification models and training data, and working closely with the developers in testing and validating the platform.
Zephyr Gold
Director of Product Impact and Client Success, Rainforest Connection
Zephyr Gold has spent the last 5 years of her career in software, managing product implementations for enterprise companies and collaborating with engineering teams to build high quality software. Zephyr is leading a new department at Rainforest Connection that was formed to ensure that the technology we build is providing maximum value to all our users. This includes ensuring that our Guardian hardware is delivering on the impact metrics we’re committed to achieving; empowering our on-the-ground partners to be successful at stopping illegal activity in rainforests around the world. This also includes supporting the scientific community by providing high-value software tools for doing eco-acoustic research and analysis, that accelerates their ability to make an impact in conservation.
Eric Berkenpas
Co-Founder, Second Star Robotics
Eric Berkenpas develops innovative products to meet the needs of clients in academia and industry. His current work focuses on developing novel autonomous sensor platforms for terrestrial and marine applications to help clients survey and monitor Earth’s natural resources. Formerly, Eric was the Senior Director of the Exploration Technology Lab at the National Geographic Society where he developed technology programs in both terrestrial and marine conservation, established critical partnerships with technology companies, and provided National Geographic grantees, and collaborating researchers, with novel technology solutions for use in the field.
Peter Houlihan
Technical Lead, Rainforest Prize
Peter Houlihan specializes in planning and leading expeditions into understudied and threatened rainforests all over the world for conservation. Regularly operating in more than 20 countries across Africa, the Americas, and Asia, Peter is passionate about working with local scientists and communities, and inspiring others to learn about our natural world. A tropical ecologist and conservation scientist by training, Peter is a Senior Research Fellow with UCLA’s Center for Tropical Research, a frequent visiting scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, International Advisor for the Borneo Nature Foundation, and an Adjunct Professor for Johns Hopkins University instructing international graduate level field courses in tropical ecology and conservation.
Dr. Stuart Pimm
Director of Saving Nature & Professor of Conservation Ecology, Duke University
Dr. Stuart Pimm was awarded the 2019 International Cosmos Prize, which recognizes Pimm’s groundbreaking research on endangered species, as well as, his work through his non-profit organization Saving Nature, to promote practical approaches to help slow or reverse species’ declines by protecting and restoring their shrinking habitats. Pimm’s commitment to the interface between science and policy has led to his regular testimony to both House and Senate Committees of the U.S. Congress. He is also asked to advise international governments on biodiversity issues and the management of national parks.
PAST PARTNERS
