Jackson State University freshmen Lionel Reaves and Kendrick Law were named the winners of the grand student prize of the Power Down for the Planet Video Challenge on May 4. The pair won $5,000 and each team member received a 2009 Specialized Globe Vienna Deluxe 1 bike and a license for Microsoft Expression Studio.
Power Down for the Planet is a program that encourages universities and campus communities to reduce their energy consumption and get their students, faculty, and staff involved in the fight against climate change.
"The criteria were for us to come up with a video that would show the benefits of efficient computing," said Law, an 18- year-old biology major. "We were trying to figure out a way that would show that using your computer every single day and leaving it plugged in would waste energy."
After researching the topic of energy consumption, the students learned new information about the role wasteful energy consumption plays in global warming.
"I found that certain things you think might be saving energy may not, such as screen savers," said Reaves, a 19-year-old business management major.
"I knew that somehow wasting energy had something to do with global warming and greenhouse gases," Law said. "But I found that the more energy you waste, the more energy you have to keep producing. That means more fossil fuels have to be burned, and more carbon and pollutants are emitted into the ozone."
The students, who are both members of the Jackson State University Tiger P.R.I.D.E. Connection, learned of the contest through the club's advisor, Linda Rush. Using Windows Movie Maker software, the students produced the video in about a week.
Reaves has already made plans for his portion of the reward money.
"I'm going to fix my car and put the rest in the bank," he said.
The winning video was selected based on a combination of content and relevance. It can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/JSUTigers1877.
