Sarah Jassim, a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, and Nicole Mubarak, a senior majoring in Applied Mathematics and minoring in Software Engineering, worked on the winning “Strike the Balance” team with Matthew Barnes, a junior in the Health Care Management program, and Brian Ogendi, a Biomedical Sciences doctoral student.The competition, which gives teams the task of creatively solving a complex problem, combined a real-life scenario -- the city of Birmingham is preparing for the 2021 World Games -- with a hypothetical crisis. The city has allocated $80 million to make transportation improvements on the route from downtown to the CrossPlex. Hours after the announcement, a group called “Strike the Match,” angry about living in underserved neighborhoods, takes hostages and demands that the money be used there.
After receiving their packet on Monday, March 28, the “Strike the Balance” team got to work on coming up with a short-term plan that would satisfy both sides with the $80 million budget.
Jassim said that the team talked to people in the area to get their ideas, which helped shape their plan that won the $1,500 grand prize after the team presented on Saturday, April 2.
"One aspect that I think made us look really good is that we went into the community and found what they really need," said Jassim.
Their solution included a new mode of transportation called SLIM (Streetcar Like Innovative Machine), four acres of green space, a building for educational purposes, and public art projects along Third Avenue North.
“Our plan had the best of all sides: something innovative and new, local investment in the community, improvement of the overall area and the chance to expand into other communities in Birmingham,” Mubarak said.
