Richard Elevar says 3D generative AI and digital fabrication are transforming local production. Now, anyone can create custom, build-ready designs from a sketch or prompt—making it easier to repair, invent, and manufacture sustainably, right where they are. 

Richard received Top Honors.

Mike Ogle says educators must evolve. With students using AI to bypass learning, teachers should become scaffolding masters—guides who use AI to foster real thinking. By replacing lectures with dialogue-driven tools, classrooms can restore true learning and prepare students for the real world.  

Mike received Second Honors.

Abby Brannon argues that in an AI-driven world, authenticity is our edge. Instead of hiding behind perfection, we should use AI to amplify our real voices—building trust and leading with confidence. Pia Albinsson argues that instead of distracting us, AI can help us reconnect with real life—by cutting through digital noise, guiding healthy habits, and supporting a more grounded, human-centered way of living. 

Abby received Third Honors.

Generative AI has broken traditional student assessment—and Shishir Shakya argues that pretending otherwise is the real risk. His solution flips the script: AI shouldn’t answer student questions, but ask them, using domain-specific models to scale authentic, Socratic learning in modern classrooms.

Leigh Tauss argues students should build AI, not just use it. By creating tools rooted in student ethics and needs, AI can shift from a source of fear to a trusted force that supports learning, community, and student-led innovation. 

David Shows argues we should build AI that’s honest about being a machine. By making AI transparent and trustworthy, we can ease fears and create a future where humans and AI work together with confidence, not dread. 

Pia Albinsson argues that instead of distracting us, AI can help us reconnect with real life—by cutting through digital noise, guiding healthy habits, and supporting a more grounded, human-centered way of living. 

Trish Oxford says AI is reshaping business, replacing entry-level roles with a faster, flatter structure. To succeed, the next generation must adopt an explorer mindset and build new, tech-powered, human-centered enterprises.