CANTON The Northeast Ohio Genius Project is underway.
Created by ArtsinStark, the program teaches art and science together. The project began with 100 students and 20 teams from one county. This year, 350 students and 70 teams from six counties will participate, including students from Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit and Tuscarawas.
Genius Boxes were delivered to all schools with strict instructions not to open until instructed. On Feb. 1, middle school students were invited to open the boxes and read this year’s Genius Challenge: “Excursion Earth.” To solve the 2018 Genius challenge, students must design the model for a fleet of luxury planes, create a marketing plan, oversee a budget, and plan seven trips from the Akron-Canton Airport to places such as Costa Rica, the Sahara Desert, Siberia, the Great Barrier Reef, and even to another galaxy.
Genius team students have nine weeks to solve this year’s challenge using only the materials in the box. Solutions will be presented at the Genius Rally April 12 at the Cultural Center for the Arts in Canton. The Genius Project is being presented by KeyBank this year.