Please complete this form to register interest in the Block Club Chicago Challenge. You will receive an invitation to a blackboard meeting to discuss the next steps and form teams. Block Club Chicago is offering $5k to a winning team that can pitch a scalable solution to the outdoor dining dilemma facing Chicagoan restaurants this winter. How do you keep customers warm? The solution must not involve adhoc equipment, but rather involve easily purchasable items. The deadline for submission of the proposal is 9.7.

There are several ideas for students from all disciplines ranging from maximizing heat efficiency through direct contact of the heat source to the body: heated cushions, sleeveless heated jackets etc.  There are physics/engineering calculations that can be easily made to determine how much heat is needed to keep someone warm given their body shape and ambient temperature. There are interesting questions involving the physiology of the body- preventing shivering by applying heat to the kidney area. Then there are interesting design questions around how to adapt summer tents to winter tents with additional insulation. Ideally we want to form multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, and design experts. We potentially have access to a river side Chicagoan restaurant to stimulate and test out ideas.