iGIANT® ANNOUNCES AN EXCITING CHALLENGE COMPETITION!
DECEMBER 15, 2021 TO JANUARY 15, 2022
iGIANT®, Explore Mars, and Janet’s Planet are excited to announce a challenge competition to explore the impact of gender presentation/sex on innovation and novel technologies in our lives.
The National Academy of Medicine defines "gender" as a person's self-representation as male or female based on social interactions and "sex" as based on one's genes. The environment can impact gene expression which is known as "epigenetics”; therefore, the definitions are more nuanced today.
By partnering together, iGIANT, Explore Mars, and Janet’s Planet hope to inspire leaders to develop innovative ideas/concepts regarding gender presentation/sex within health, IT, transportation, and retail sectors.
The winner will receive a monetary prize from iGIANT and will have the opportunity to bring their idea to fruition with the help of iGIANT and its network of professionals. The first challenge competition was launched at NASA and the winner designed a modular space suit, which took into account how male and female presenting astronauts adapt in space. In another challenge competition, the winner designed a hospital gown which provided a better fit for men and women presenting individuals.
Gender presentation/sex impacts every aspect of our daily lives on Earth and in space. For example, the same dosage of medication has different effects on men compared to women, resulting in a need to understand these differential effects in the research and development process before doctors can effectively dose their patients. Similarly, although some products such as shoes, sports equipment, or cars seem to have separate designs for individuals presenting as men or women, it is important to distinguish between a simple change in aesthetics and a design that actually addresses the biological factors such as body composition and proportion, movement, cognition and metabolism that cause men and women to experience these products differently. Each small detail and seemingly insignificant change in design can heavily impact how we perform at work, school, or in our leisurely activities in any environment.
GUIDELINES
Participants:
The challenge is open to all participants.
Design Requirements:
The design elements can include:
→ Programs (e.g. an educational symposium);
→ Policies (e.g. a policy on inclusion);
→ Protocols (e.g. athletic or space mission training protocols, or medical guidelines); or
→ Products (e.g. sports equipment, clothing, protective equipment, tools, gaming devices, hardware and machine-human interfaces).
Solution Requirements:
The solution should:
→ Demonstrate the impact of gender presentation/sex on a design element.
→ The concept for the design element needs to be clear, concise, and actionable.
