The IPD Online Trade Show runs from November 27 at 12 p.m. through December 2 at 12 p.m. During this time, participants can explore a virtual marketplace by visiting IPD Voting Website. Each participant is given a hypothetical budget to allocate across products based on personal preferences. 

The challenge concludes with an in-person Trade Show on December 4, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the Ross School of Business Winter Garden. Guests will have the opportunity to interact directly with student teams, experience the products in person, and vote for their favorites. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the winning team.

THE CHALLENGE

How might we help people deal with electrical power outages to ensure that basic needs are met, the impacts of the disruption are reduced, and/or possible benefits of the situation are leveraged or embraced?

THE CONTEXT

American life in the last 100 years has been fundamentally shaped by electricity. Most of the necessities and pleasures of everyday life are made possible by convenient, reliable, affordable electrical power. People’s livelihoods—and indeed lives—are tied to this energy source.

Changes related to energy production, distribution and infrastructure, as well as weather, have contributed to the rise in power outages and left the grid increasingly vulnerable. It has been reported that there were 64% more US outages between 2011 and 2021 than the previous decade, with Michigan’s power grid reliability ranked near the bottom.

Multi-day outages are common. They can be disruptive and even life-threatening. While long-term remedies are debated, what can individuals do in the near term when such a crucial utility is not available, and it's unknown when the power might return?