What About This? Innovation Challenge
About the program · 1 linked sources
USM news dated March 9, 2026 describes What About This? as the university's first innovation challenge. On March 5, students were asked to reimagine waste from Maine's blue economy. Fifteen students on five teams had about 72 hours to build a pitch. Team Oceancycle won with a proposal to turn discarded fishing gear into nylon-based prosthetics and earned an all-expenses-paid trip to Iceland Innovation Week. The Office of Commercialization organized the challenge with the Maine Economic Improvement Fund, and the news says Provost Office funding backed it. Organizers said they hope it becomes an annual event.
This listing was compiled from public university pages on October 8, 2026. It is unclaimed and has not been confirmed by the school or a program director.
How we know this: the figures on this page come from the linked sources (last verified 2026-10-08); what those sources do not state is left unknown.
Key numbers
Funding range
Not listed
Equity
Unknown
Application
Annual
Campus Wide
Last activity
2026-03-09
Medium confidence
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Reminders
What About This? Innovation Challenge
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Student experiences · Read or add a note
Student notes
What About This? Innovation Challenge
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Application and Timing
The captured story covers a March 5, 2026 kickoff and a weekend pitch. A 2027 date is not announced. The story says organizers hope the challenge becomes annual.
Participants
USM students from several majors participated, including political science, women's studies, engineering, computer science, and human biology. Most were described as having no entrepreneurial background.
Funding and Equity
The documented prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to Iceland Innovation Week, not a cash award to the venture. Equity is not discussed.
Recent Activity
USM published the results story on March 9, 2026. The winning team was scheduled to travel to Reykjavik in April 2026.
Known Startups or Winners
Team Oceancycle (Florence Guimont '29, Chloe Turner '29, Wynter Simack '27, and Ashley Arsenault '29) took first place with a fishing-gear prosthetics concept.
Research gaps & things to verify
Verification Gaps
Whether a second challenge is scheduled, and whether any cash was awarded, are not stated.
Additional research notesShow
Evidence
Official USM news story, captured 2026-10-08.
News & articles
News articles and official sources documenting What About This? Innovation Challenge at University of Southern Maine.
1 source
USM What About This? Innovation Challenge
University of Southern Maine
University of Southern Maine
USM What About This? Innovation Challenge
USM news story on the first What About This? student innovation challenge.
Read on University of Southern Maine