SparkED Team to host Spark Tank Showcase Jan. 29

  • Published
  • By Giancarlo Casem
  • 412th Test Wing Public Affairs

The 412th Test Wing’s SparkED Innovation Team will host a Spark Tank Showcase at Club Muroc on Edwards Air Force Base, California, at 12:30 p.m., Jan. 29.

The showcase follows the “Eddie Needs the Right Ideas 19.2 Campaign.” During the campaign, Team Edwards were challenged to submit their ideas in to the Edwards AFB Ideascale. The SparkED Team then chose 15 ideas and now the Showcase will allow the idea owners to present it in front of live judges.

“It is important to do the showcase in this manner because we want to elicit excitement and build a culture of innovation engagement,” said Britney Reed, SparkED Team member. “Mindset is key to creativity and we want to help people see things in a different light where they feel they have the freedom to execute that mindset.”

The showcase also allows the team to highlight the Airmen and civilians at Edwards, she said.

“Culture change starts with them,” Reed said. “They have all the skills to make things around them more successful for the Warfighter, we just need to give them the tools and empower them to do so.”

The Showcase further shows how Edwards continues to be a hot-bed for innovation. The current challenge garnered 7,201 votes through Ideascale, making Edwards number one in voting, Air Force-wide. Edwards was also number three in comments and ideas submitted. Earlier this month, the SparkED Team also hit another milestone.

“Our Slack (phone application) innovation channel, xcite.edwards.slack.com, hit four thousand members and with over 25 thousand messages proving Team Edwards has joined the conversation,” Reed said. “Our next challenge will focus on the previous two categories plus quality of life issues affecting the community.”

The Showcase will have two categories: Test Capability/Capacity and Workforce Efficiency. Five ideas will be presented in the first category, and 10 will be in the latter. Presenters will have three minutes to present their ideas to the judges, followed up by two minutes of a question & answer session.

A few of the innovative ideas to be presented include: 6-Day-a-Week Operations, 24/7 Safety Vending Machine and SSD (Solid State Drives) upgrades for networked computers. Team Edwards members are encouraged to attend the Showcase. A “Fan Favorite” award, voted by audience participants, will also be awarded.

“The ideas that were not showcase finalists will continue on to implementation with the persistence of the idea owners,” Reed added. “SparkED will be there to assist the idea owners with resources.”