PLANO, Texas [April 24, 2017] — When many people think about students focused on “going places,” they may think of exciting jobs, prestigious fellowships or adventurous travel. But the nearly 600 students who took part in the second Next Generation Mobility Challenge had a different idea. 
 
The Challenge, a national competition from Toyota and Net Impact, inspires millennials to use design thinking to solve mobility issues, such as improving transportation systems for low-income workers and helping people with disabilities get around more easily.
 
Today, Net Impact and Toyota announced the finalists, who were selected based on project design, feasibility and social impact by a panel of judges from the two organizations.  Vote for your favorite by watching videos of their solutions through April 26 at this link.
 
“At Toyota, mobility is about more than going places. It means having access to opportunities,” said Ryan Klem, director of programs and partnerships, Toyota Mobility Foundation. “We were so impressed with all the students this year, but in particular, we thought the finalists were terrific. They thought outside the box to come up with mobility solutions that have the potential to improve lives.”
 
“Net Impact’s goal is to inspire youth to use their education and resources to address both business and social opportunities,” said Liz Maw, CEO, Net Impact. “Our partnership with Toyota on the Next Generation Mobility Challenge gives students the opportunity to see firsthand that their ideas are important and can, and will, change the world.”
 
The winning team will be announced in early summer. They will be offered summer internships at Toyota, funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation, which was established to address mobility challenges around the world. Additionally, the winners may be considered for funding to bring their solution to life from the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
 

 
In April of this year, Net Impact and Toyota convened the three finalist teams for a “boot camp” by Toyota’s North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, where innovation experts helped them fine-tune their pitches and prepare for the final judging. The finalists’ pitch concepts and student team members are:
 

• “The Hub”: A carpooling concept based in school communities that would be more efficient than public transit and allow commuting parents to spend more time with their families.
  • Sam Anderson, BFA in Interaction Design, California College of the Arts
  • Nisha Pathak, Masters in Information Management and Systems, UC Berkeley
  • Daniel Quon, MBA in Design Strategy, California College of the Arts

 

• “Project Mobius”: A company-sponsored employee transportation system for low-income individuals to help them acquire and retain jobs while boosting employee loyalty and reducing environmental impact.
  • Andrew Gelfman, Computer Science/Engineering undergraduate, University of Colorado
  • Carrie Cardona, Architecture undergraduate, University of Colorado
  • Wenjin Li, Mechanical Engineering undergraduate, University of Colorado

 

• “Para Pickup”: A service that gives people with disabilities safe, affordable and flexible ways to get home, improving on current options which can be inflexible and slow.
  • Sally Xia, Masters in Digital Media, Georgia Tech
  • Riley Keen, Masters in Industrial Design, Georgia Tech
  • Pranav Nair, Masters in Industrial and Product Design, Georgia Tech
  • Kris Weng, BS in Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech