Research & Development Forum - Shawnee Mission School District

May 2021 is the 59th year of the Research and Development (R&D) Forum. This year's forum will feature a virtual Student Showcase and a live streamed Pitch Finals competition at the Center for Academic Achievement on May 1, 2021. We invite students and staff to take part in one of SMSD's biggest showcases of the year, the Shawnee Mission R&D Forum.

Our sincere appreciation goes to the Regnier Family for 59 years of
generous support for the Shawnee Mission School District R&D Forum.

Startland Pitch Competition

The Next Great Idea

SMSD is excited to offer a new pitch competition for young innovators as part of the annual R&D Forum. Not only can you win cash prizes for your Next Great Idea, but get additional funding to Make It Real! And if you've never pitched an idea before, don't worry. You'll have pitch practice sessions with industry experts to fine-tune your idea and presentation.

In addition to the panel of judges, your pitch will be live-streamed so friends and family can participate as well. They can even vote for you in the People's Choice category (and win $500!). Top awards are $2,500, of which $1,000 is a cash award to be used by the winner to pursue their passion and education and up to $1,500 will be awarded as "build it" grants to support making the winner's pitch a reality.

This event is available to all SMSD students K-12. There will also be a Best Young Innovator award for the best presentation for students K-8, with a prize of $500.

We can't wait to hear the Next Great Idea!

The Shawnee Mission School District's Next Great Idea and the R&D Forum are made possible by the Regnier Family.

Deadline for the pitch competition
Friday, March 26th 2021.

Student Showcase

Students, families and staff are encouraged to enter student-created projects, experiments, or art projects to share in this districtwide event.

All submissions must be uploaded digitally and should include a short video or written explanation of work. Be creative. Think about a project, experiment, or art piece you can design and share. There will be no formal categories or judging of these projects this year.

Entries may fit the following categories:

Science – Grades 2-12
Visual Arts –
Elem. & Middle - Teachers will select works to display
High - Students & teachers submit
CTE – Specified categories (i.e. Business Education; Family and Consumer Sciences; Health Sciences; Industrial Technology)

In-process work is accepted with an explanation of next steps included in the student statement.

Deadline to submit Student
Work is April 16, 2021.

Questions

Dr. Leigh Anne Neal
Chief of Early Childhood Education/Sustainability
leighanneneal@smsd.org

Kim Barney
Asst. Dir. of Curriculum & Instruction
kimbarney@smsd.org

Abby Howe
Coordinator of Curriculum & Instruction
abigailhowe@smsd.org