Grand Challenge Newsroom

Rural Reimagined is pleased to recognize the winner of the TN Tech Eagle Works Idea Challenge Rural Reimagined award, Elijah Brooks! Brooks is a junior studying civil engineering, and he also plays baseball for Tech in an outfielder position. His Idea Challenge project was about how smart contracts can benefit small businesses, especially in rural areas. 

About his progress and the competition, Brooks says, “Getting involved with Eagle Works has been one of my best decisions I've made here at Tech; the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I've had two years to grow interest within my field of study, and now it is time to develop business skills that will take my career to the next level. Eagle Works serves as a program striving to build an entrepreneurial mindset within Tech students.” 

For the competition, students from programs across campus develop an idea for an innovative product, business, or service that is feasible and solves a specific problem. Competitors present a 90 second pitch of their idea to a panel of judges and compete for $1,500 in scholarship prizes. Brooks comments that when he heard about the Idea Challenge, he “could not pass up on the opportunity to speak in front of people [he] did not know about a topic that interests [him].” Brooks continues by saying, “I am very thankful to have placed in the challenge and I plan to participate even more next semester!” Congratulations to Elijah Brooks!