WASHINGTON and OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Jan. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Because transformative ideas can come from anywhere, and
anyone, National Geographic, in partnership with Sprint, is
announcing "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation." This new CHASING
GENIUS challenge is aimed at inspiring innovative ideas focused on
wireless connectivity and the network of the future.
Advancements in wireless technology enable people to connect
around the globe, sharing new ideas, information, and solutions
that can change the world. Through the "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited
Innovation" challenge, National Geographic and Sprint will inspire
innovative ideas for using wireless connectivity to make positive
change, and award the winning idea $25,000 for further development.
The CHASING GENIUS platform, launched by National Geographic
last spring, brings together a community of active, aspirational,
socially conscious consumers who want to make a difference in the
world. Through the platform, challenges are presented to the
community in an effort to foster and grow innovative ideas around
some of the most pressing issues facing the planet. Through the
"CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation" challenge, Sprint and
National Geographic will tap into this community and ask them to
share ideas to create a better world.
"We were so impressed by the response to our first CHASING
GENIUS challenge announced last fall, that we wanted to continue to
use this platform to connect with our audiences and help them drive
change in the world," said Brendan
Ripp, Executive Vice President, Brand Partnerships, National Geographic. "Sprint
is an ideal partner in the effort to find the next big idea that
will help bring the power of wireless connectivity to all corners
of the world and we can't wait to see the innovative ideas that
come from the CHASING GENIUS community."
"Imagine a world where everyone, no matter their background or
where they live, has access to high-speed, affordable
connectivity," said Dr. John Saw, Chief Technology Officer, Sprint.
"That's what this is all about. We're thrilled to work with
National Geographic to support this platform and provide people
with a reason to explore their curiosities, share their ideas, and
work to make the world a better place."
Interested participants can learn more and apply at
www.natgeochasinggenius.com. To enter, consumers are asked to
create and submit one-minute videos describing their "CHASING
GENIUS" idea and the solution it provides. The submissions will be
evaluated based on the following criteria: innovation, creativity,
viability and inspiration. Members of the CHASING GENIUS Council
will determine the finalists and the CHASING GENIUS community will
cast their votes to choose the winning idea. The winner will
receive $25,000 to take their idea
further.
The CHASING GENIUS Council represents a mix of expertise and
influence. Members include top scientists, entrepreneurs,
storytellers, visionaries, explorers and creators who know what it
means to think outside the box, and are driven by a passion and a
purpose to make the world a better place. The Council includes:
ERIC
BERKENPAS
ENGINEER
As the Sr. Director of
Exploration Technology at Nat Geo, Eric leads a team of engineers
that develop specialized equipment to help media groups,
researchers, and explorers meet their technology needs in the
field. Eric has helped develop a camera that can film from the
deepest locations in the ocean; a camera system for collecting
video, audio, and other data from wild animals; and some of the
first aerial photographic drones used by Nat Geo.
VICTORIA
JAGGARD
EDITOR, JOURNALIST
Victoria Jaggard serves as the lead editor for
science and innovation news for National Geographic online,
primarily covering astronomy, paleontology, and technology. A
graduate of Lehigh University, Jaggard
has also worked as a reporter and editor for Smithsonian and
New Scientist magazines. During her career, she has chased
tornadoes in Colorado, witnessed
the last space shuttle launch in Florida, and dug up fossils in Wyoming.
TAN LE
INNOVATOR,
ENTREPRENEUR
Tan Le creates
innovations that extend and improve the way our brains are studied
and understood. She is founder & CEO of EMOTIV which aims to
advance neurotechnology, broaden participation in brain research,
and create a new worldwide platform for sharing brain data. An
emerging National Geographic Explorer, Tan's work is dramatically
accelerating the pace of brain research, and her mission entails
giving everyday citizens the tools to better understand how their
own brains function.
Dr. JOHN SAW
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
John
Saw, Ph.D., is the Chief Technology Officer at Sprint, responsible
for technology development, network planning, engineering,
deployment, and service assurance of the Sprint network, as well as
device development and engineering. Dr. Saw has more than 20
years of wireless industry experience and in 2017 was appointed to
the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee by Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, Ajit Pai.
ALBERT YU-MIN LIN
RESEARCH SCIENTIST, ENTREPRENEUR, EXPLORER
Albert Yu-Min Lin is a research scientist and
engineer focused on technology-enabled exploration and what he
calls the human frontier. A National Geographic Emerging Explorer
based at the University of California, San
Diego, he develops methods that combine satellite imagery,
crowdsourcing engines, machine learning, VR, drones,
ground-penetrating radar, and other tools to push the boundaries of
conventional science and take him into some of the most remote and
unexplored places in the world.
Each step of the journey can be experienced through
www.natgeochasinggenius.com and across National Geographic's social
platforms. The deadline for the "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited
Innovation" challenge submissions is March
5, 2018. The winner will be announced on March 21, 2018.
CHASING GENIUS is inspired by National Geographic's
Emmy-nominated series, Genius which will once again be
supported across National Geographic platforms including the May
cover of National Geographic magazine, travel, social, digital, and
other platforms. Season two, premiering April 24th, will chronicle the life of
another renowned mastermind and tell the untold narrative of the
person behind the genius -- this time, focusing on Pablo Picasso.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. The Challenge begins on
January 23, 2018 at 10:00am ET and ends on March 21, 2018 at 5:00pm
ET. Open to legal U.S. residents and D.C. who are 18 years
or older. Void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules for
complete prize description and full details.
About National Geographic Partners LLC
National
Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National
Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world
premium science, adventure and exploration content across an
unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global
National Geographic television channels (National Geographic
Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National
Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National
Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital
and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and
ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and
events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses.
Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the
core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are
committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for
our consumers...and reaching millions of people around the world in
172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns
27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic
Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration,
conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com
or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications
services company that creates more and better ways to connect
its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint
served 54 million connections as of Sept.
30, 2017 and is widely recognized for developing,
engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the
first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands
including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost
Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international
push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone.
You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or
www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
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SOURCE National Geographic