At a time when climate change is one of the most pressing issues that the world is facing, IIT Bombay faculty V S Vamsi Botlaguduru is excited to listen to the ideas that the young people have to save the planet. An Assistant Professor in the Environmental Science and Engineering Department, he will be one of the judges of Sony BBC Earth Young-Earth Champions, a nationwide contest to evaluates 'innovative ideas for sustainable communities' by school students.

The contest, broadly divided into four domains — Clean water, Affordable energy, Waste Management and Clean air/Climate action, is open for students from classes V to IX. "When the team contacted our department for this, I was immediately on board," says Botlaguduru. "I thought this was a great opportunity to interact with students and get to know their innovative ideas in these areas. I have been working on this domain for years and it will be interesting to listen to the next generation and their ideas," he says, adding that the objective here is to recognise and reward innovative ideas.

The professor says that the students here are free to choose their desired domain areas. "They can in fact choose multiple domains. We expect them to have one big idea which they can write in 150 words and explain the scientific basis. They must also think about the execution, imagine the future and describe how their idea will help their community and neighbour," he says.

At the same time, the professor says that the evaluation of these projects will take time and the students will be judged based on their idea's prototype. The submissions for the contest are still open. The winner of the contest will be featured on Sony BBC Earth.