APRIL 26, 2023 (EDMONTON METROPOLITAN REGION)— Two University of Alberta students are taking home $10,000 as the winners of the Canadian Hydrogen Case Competition, an Alberta-wide student case competition that provided undergraduate students with the opportunity to showcase their problem-solving skills in front of Canada’s top leaders in hydrogen.
From the 12 teams from across Alberta that participated in the preliminary round, three teams (two from the University of Alberta and one from the University of Calgary) were selected to compete as finalists at North America’s largest hydrogen convention, hosted in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. Finalists were given all-access passes to the convention, allowing them to visit the exhibition floor featuring over 100 companies, attend the strategic and technical conferences, welcome reception street party and VIP international investors networking event.
As a new addition to the Canadian Hydrogen Convention, this year’s competition served as a platform to demonstrate the quality talent coming out of Alberta’s post-secondary institutions — the next generation of industry leaders in Canada’s hydrogen economy. With plans to return next year as a regular fixture at the convention, next year’s competition will expand worldwide, welcoming students from across the globe to participate in Canada’s path to a net-zero future. Students were tasked with creating a strategic plan to guide a hypothetical investment decisions to accelerate the Edmonton Region and Canada’s hydrogen economy.
The finalists presented their final solutions to a panel of expert judges from Air Products, Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association, Emissions Reduction Alberta, KPMG, Qualico Communities, Transition Accelerator, and the University of Alberta.
The winning recommendation, presented by Caven Consulting – University of Alberta students Alyssa Hartford and Keerat Sandhu, was a three-phased approach focusing on transitioning the commercial transportation sector to hydrogen using dual-fuel technology.
Out of over 30 participating teams from across Alberta, three teams (two from the University of Alberta and one from the University of Calgary) were invited to compete as finalists at North America’s largest hydrogen convention, hosted in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. Finalists were given all-access passes to the convention, allowing them to visit the exhibition floor featuring over 100 companies, attend the strategic and technical conferences, welcome reception street party and a VIP international investors networking event.
The Canadian Hydrogen Case Competition was organized in partnership with Edmonton Global and the University of Alberta Interdisciplinary Consulting Association, and sponsored by Diversified, Emissions Reduction Alberta, MacEwan University, and Qualico Communities.
Video: Keerat Sandhu (Caven Consulting – Competition winner) and Ebun Akomolafe (Genesis Group – Finalist).
The finalist teams from the student case competition. The teams shown (left to right) are H2You (Ghada Eldib, Lena Le, Chandhini Ramu, and Tuka Ali) Caven Consulting (Alyssa Hartford and Keerat Sandhu), and The Genesis Group (Ebun Akomolafe and Tiyani Zhao).
“Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association congratulates the finalists in the 2023 Canadian Hydrogen Student Case Competition. All the presentations were creative, focused, and well-delivered, making it exceptionally difficult to select a winner. Building a hydrogen economy in Canada will be challenging, but this competition illustrated the future is in good hands with this tremendous group of talent working on solutions.”
“It was a fantastic experience to judge the first hydrogen student case competition. All three finalist teams were professional and came with impressive ideas.”
“I was thrilled to be part of the judging panel. The enthusiasm and talent of the teams delivering all sorts of innovative ideas to help decarbonize our transportation and heating sectors were just fantastic. Thanks to everyone involved in the organization of this nice initiative and kudos to all participants for their work!”
“It is wonderful to see the next generation of students demonstrate such a thorough understanding and enthusiasm for emerging energy opportunities in the Edmonton Region.”
“The Hydrogen Case competition was an invaluable experience. Attending the Canadian Hydrogen Convention and learning about the hydrogen industry was a highlight of my experience as I was able to learn so much about the industry. While winning was an honour, the true value came from the experiences and people I met who are working towards the Hydrogen industry in Edmonton. I am grateful for this opportunity and the experience gained will remain with me.”
“Participating in this competition has provided us with the opportunity to apply our knowledge and skills to real-world challenges and show that young people can make a real impact in shaping Canada’s energy future. Edmonton is one of the few Regions in the world with the potential to be a leader in the global hydrogen economy and it’s an honour to have been able to make contributions to that conversation.”
Members from both the Interdisciplinary Consulting Association (ICA) and Edmonton Global.
About Edmonton Global
The purpose of Edmonton Global is to radically transform and grow the economy of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. We are a not-for-profit corporation founded by 14 municipalities that make up the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. Our focus is attracting foreign investment, helping Regional businesses export with the world, enhancing our Region’s global competitiveness, and bringing our Region together with a unified voice to attract the attention and interest of investors the world over.
About The University of Alberta Interdisciplinary Consulting Association
The University of Alberta Interdisciplinary Consulting Association (ICA) is a student run organization founded at the U of A. The ICA educates students on the consulting industry, interview processes, and case solving techniques. We also focus on connecting students to seasoned professionals and top tier consulting firms via mixers, mentorship programs, and case competitions.
