future problem solving international 2023

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Future Problem Solving

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FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING

Competition for 21st Century Learning Skills

Future Problem Solving Program International is celebrating 50 Years!

The year long celebration will culminate with the Future Problem Solving International Conference June 5-9, 2024 at the University of Indiana Bloomington.

Kentucky teams who place at our State Finals in March may earn an invitation to the International Competition to represent Kentucky on the world stage.

Kentucky has been a part of Future Problem Solving since 1988 with multiple top 10 finishes at the International Competition.

Kentucky: One of the International Leaders in FPS

Future Problem Solving (FPS) helps students obtain lifelong goals by teaching problem solving skills today. The diverse components of this internationally recognized, award-winning program prepare students for emerging new realities.

The Institute for Competition Sciences has recognized KAAC as the number one FPS affiliate in the world.

KAAC offers FPS through Governor's Cup Team FPS and FPS Component Events .

What is FPS?

Through academic competition, students apply critical thinking, advanced problem solving, and decision making skills to hypothetical future scenarios using the following FPS Six-Step Process:

• Step 1: Identify potential challenges or concerns from the Future Scene.
• Step 2: Identify a singular underlying problem.
• Step 3: Identify potential solutions to the underlying problem.
• Step 4: Develop criteria to judge potential solutions and their positive impact.
• Step 5: Evaluate and rank the potential solutions using criteria to rank solutions in order of importance.
• Step 6: Develop a complete action plan based on the highest-ranking solution.

Component Events

• Community Problem Solving (CmPS) - An individual or team of students work to identify a problem that exists in their school, community, state, or nation. Participants utilize the Six-Step Process to examine this area of concern, then develop and implement real-world projects to address these problems.
• Scenario Writing - Individual students write 1500-word stories related to one of the five yearly FPS topics. Each fictional story must be set at least 20 years in the future and outline logical events taking place in the world.
• Scenario Performance - Individual students develop and deliver oral stories related to one of the five yearly FPS topics. Each oral story is set 20 years in the future and should be told in a natural and spontaneous nature that is creative and entertaining to an audience.
• Junior Division FPS - A team of four students in grades 4-6 may participate in the Junior Division of FPS.
• Individual FPS - Individual students work through the FPS Six-Step Process and have two hours to complete a booklet. Individuals generate eight challenges in Step 1 and eight potential solutions in Step 3. The other steps are the same as the team competition.
• FPS Alternates -The FPS Alternates competition is for students who are part of a team that qualified for the State Finals, but are not actually competing in Governor’s Cup team FPS. The FPS Team Alternates Competition is held at the Governor’s Cup State Finals. It is NOT part of Governor’s Cup. Each FPS Alternates Team will consist of not more than four students from different schools who work through the FPS process. Each team generates 8 challenges in Step 1, and 8 solution ideas in Step 3. Step 2, Step 4, Step 5 and Step 6 are exactly the same as the team competition. Participants have 90 minutes to complete a booklet.

Don’t let your FPS questions go unanswered. We’re here to help. Give us a call at (502) 223-0088 or email us at Chris Hill .

Programs  >  Topics

Tourism not only benefits host locales but those on holiday. Travel enriches their lives, expands their understanding of people and cultures, while also serving as a respite from daily life. The economic stability of such destinations depends on the sustainability of their tourist trade. As the popularity of such destinations grows, international corporations and developers typically flock to these growing places, trying to capitalize on the financial possibilities. There is money to be made in building hotels, restaurants, and in developing an area’s growing tourism industry. As outside groups seek to attract tourists and the revenue they generate, locals often struggle to maintain their location's unique appeal and ability to support local venues. As this build-up occurs, local people can have their cultures exploited, lands destroyed, and their local businesses put in jeopardy. As the tourism sector grows and expands, we are seeing the expansion of the Special Interest (SIT) market - tourists wishing to match their vacations with their interests (e.g., ecotourism, wellness tourism, event tourism, ancestry tourism, etc.). How will changing forms and trends of tourism impact tourists and hosts alike? How can the advantages of expanding tourism be balanced with the protection of destinations?

Today nearly half the world's population lives in an urban area. By 2050, that number is expected to reach 70% due to this increase in Urbanization. Urban areas and their large populations often hold power over governance, economic development, and international connectivity beyond their immediate regions. With proper planning, urban centres can provide educational and economic opportunities to residents not found elsewhere. However, they can also easily give rise to slums and increase income inequality. With growing footprints, cities are also struggling to provide basic needs, essential services, and safety. Future urban planners must address tough questions: What qualities in society should be valued most? What is fair and equitable? Whose interests will be served first? Planners must balance the speed of decision-making with the need for thoughtful, well-considered programs for development. As urban areas expand, how can we develop areas that are efficient, resilient, and inclusive?

Antarctica, the highest, driest, coldest continent, has no permanent population and is governed by a collection of agreements between fifty-four countries. The Antarctic Treaty System designates the entire continent and surrounding waters for scientific endeavours, bans military activity, and promotes environmental research and preservation. Although Antarctica remains the most remote place on Earth, it is highly regulated and heavily impacted by activities around the globe. Parts of the continent are polluted by sewage, discarded machinery, fuel products, and rubbish. Antarctica is thought to be rich in minerals and resources, though an 'indefinite' ban on mining is in place through 2048. Antarctica also holds over 60% of the Earth's fresh water in an ice sheet that contains 90% of the Earth's total ice volume. As global temperatures rise, these are breaking apart and melting faster, endangering local wildlife and entire ecosystems. Without a consistent population or a sovereign state, Antarctica possesses a unique space within political, economic, and environmental crossroads. How can Antarctica be sustainably utilized yet simultaneously preserved to best benefit our global population?

Our transport needs, desires, and realities are rapidly changing due to global growth and increased connectivity. As modes of transportation continue to evolve, increasing levels of complexity and efficiency are pursued. What role will autonomous vehicles, cars, airplanes, ships, etc., which operate without human intervention, play in this pursuit? Their development continues to increase exponentially with advancing technological capabilities. Since all scenarios are not programmable, autonomous vehicles must learn and react. They do this by surveying their environment with multiple sensors and utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to process vast amounts of data. Autonomous vehicles can deliver on demand, refuel, park, and store themselves. By creating a network of these vehicles, entire systems of transport could become autonomous, controlled by a central AI. How will the efficiency of autonomous vehicles affect the development of transportation, on land and sea, in the air, and possibly space? How will autonomous transport cope with unexpected risk situations and ethical decisions? In what ways will autonomous transport impact jobs, industries, infrastructure, and lifestyles?

Tourism Urbanisation Antarctica Autonomous Transportation Currency

Tourism Urbanisation Antarctica

Electronic devices are often replaced with the latest version at an alarmingly fast pace. These constant upgrades add to E-Waste significantly impacting the environment and reducing natural resources while consumer demand is being met. Tens of millions of tons of such materials are discarded every year worldwide. Electronic products are full of hazardous substances such as toxic materials and heavy metals that can threaten humans, plants, animals. One method of disposal often employed by developed states is to offload e-waste to low-income countries for resale or demolition. This offloading places developing nations at greater risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and materials. Meanwhile, the high rate of device upgrades in developed countries has significant consequences for both people and the environment. What impact does planned disposal have on the amount of e-waste? What incentives can be developed to promote software upgrades for existing devices? As the appetite for ever-increasing technological devices continues, what are the implications for how we dispose of these devices? How can more effective and ethical responses to recycling and disposal policies be encouraged to protect human life and the global environment in the future.

Technologically, virtual reality is widespread and expanding its application through augmented, enhanced, mixed, and other forms of digital realities. The options and opportunities for its application appear boundless through the integration of 3-D images, gaming, computer-assisted instruction, equipment simulators, and entertainment platforms. The imposition of holographic images over real-world views have applications ranging from education, archaeology, and engineering, to sports training, video games, and artistic expression. The utilization of augmented reality technology is already making significant changes to the manufacturing industry. What other industries will it revolutionize? The inclusion of haptic, visual, and auditory overlays can be both constructive and destructive to users. New opportunities are provided to individuals with disabilities. New treatments are made available to the ill. How will enhanced reality impact human interactions? Digital reality is constantly evolving with advantages for all fields. How will we deal with the fiscal, educational, and psycho-social issues that might arise?

Machines were developed to assist with dangerous and difficult jobs. At present, unskilled human labour is being replaced with robotics more quickly than at any time in history.  Advancements of such machines move technology closer and closer to lights-out manufacturing. In countries with robust national safety nets, these changes are viewed as inevitable, and they have begun to explore new human employment concepts. Robotic workers often provide for human safety as in the case of bomb disposal. Laborers are fearful of how these looming employment changes and uncertain of how their work life will proceed. A robotic workforce's effects go beyond manufacturing as university-trained individuals such as lawyers and accountants are already being impacted by automation. What will the human workforce of the future look like? Will specialized training and education be needed for a combined human and robotic workforce? What will our future work force look like? How will our future economy be impacted by robotics in the workforce?

Consumerism has promoted a 'throw-away' society – one in which people do not keep things for very long, preferring single-use and disposable items. This societal approach leads to overconsumption of short-term items instead of durable goods that can be repaired. Widespread social influencing often encourages people to focus on the consumption, ownership, and display of material possessions to mark an individual's social status, identity, and standing. This impacts the environment, lifestyles, and distribution of wealth. Consumerism stretches the world's limited natural resources. Production is dictated by consumer demand, and businesses try to provide consumers with a growing number of options, including branded goods, to stay afloat. Many products are often fads or are adapted and modified regularly to entice consumers to buy the upgrades despite already having durable ones. Constant upgrades are sought to achieve greater social standing through material possession instead of meaningful acts. How can societies value all their members while allowing for - and encouraging - individual perspectives and desires? What are the appropriate balances between local values and global aspirations for consumers?

E-Waste Digital Realities Robotic Workforce Throw Away Society

E-Waste Digital Realities Robotic Workforce

In many parts of the world, freshwater is in short supply. Water is often pumped for miles, streams diverted and reservoirs and dams are constructed to provide for the growing populations in dry areas. As water levels drop and aquifers decline, people become more concerned about preserving their water resources. More than 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water services, and more than 4 billion lack safely managed sanitation services. Differing governmental and commercial demands must be balanced so that communities have enough safe water for their needs. As available water supplies deplete, adjacent areas begin to battle with water contracts and water rights. How might the right to access clean water be achieved? How will regulations shape the future of access to water? How will water scarcity shape society?

The world is now more urbanized than ever before, and more and more people are flocking to live in large cities. Singapore was once known as the ‘Garden City,’ now it is being promoted as the ‘Garden in the City’ as new buildings incorporate trees and other greenery in their designs. Many quickly growing population centers are more environmentally aware as they expand the living spaces for their citizens. This awareness is not just a case of saving the environment and reducing emissions; it is a matter of necessity for creating healthy cities. Buildings can be designed to conserve both energy and water while improving the indoor and outdoor environment. Advancing technology is changing how architects are incorporating sustainable living practices into buildings. Light-based modulated sunlight, improved insulation, enhanced ventilation, eco-friendly building materials – are a few of the ecologically-preferred innovations changing the face and function of buildings. Some buildings now incorporate wind turbines to provide the necessary energy to power the building. Will these developments solve the problems they have set out to address? Will these change the way cities work and the way people live in them? Will these changes improve safety during natural disasters or introduce new problems?

Insects - human's best friends and worst enemies. We are surrounded by more than a million species of insects. Without them, humankind couldn't survive. Some insects destroy crops and carry diseases. Mosquitoes, which carry diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Ross River, Zika, and West Nile viruses, kill and maim more people each year than any other animal. Others do essential jobs like pollinate blossoms, aerate the soil, decompose dead plant material, or eat other harmful insects, making them essential to the food web. As weather patterns and temperatures change, the distribution and habitat of many insect species are likely to change dramatically. The numbers of bees around the world have been radically reduced due to disease. How does the reduction of some species and relocation of others impact health, agriculture, and horticulture?

Over 1,900 insect species have been identified as suitable for human consumption and animal feed and could assure food security. Incorporating insects into the human food and medical supply indicates the ever-growing importance of insects in the world. Will insects and their products, such as genetically modified mosquitoes or manuka honey help to fight diseases? Will toasted grubs, fried crickets, and other edible insects become important global protein choices?

Mining is a long-standing means of gathering a wide range of resources vital to aspects of everyday life. The growing demands of mined materials continues to see the mining industry expand at an incredible pace. The technologies in use today and projected for the future are more minerals intensive than ever before. While technology has made mining both safer and more environmentally sensitive than any other time in history, environmental and other risks remain. Yet without the collection of these important materials, the cornerstones of society like buildings, machines, and communication would not be possible. With environmental protections varying greatly from country-to-country, how can the world collaborate on the best way to extract and share geological materials? With mining as the foundation of countless communities, how will they be impacted by the changing landscape of mining? In the future, are there new areas that might be mined for resources?

Millions of children around the world participate in competitive youth sports every year. Involvement in organized sports teaches many essential life skills – teamwork, confidence, the value of hard work, and discipline. While some competitive sports promote activity and a healthy lifestyle, others build skills such as mental agility. The hyper-competitiveness of youth sports raises concerns that children are pushed too hard to win and succeed. The sports options for youth are also evolving, as competitive e-sports emerge. Competitive sports can heighten aggression, pressure to win, and put children – who are still growing and developing – at risk for injuries. In many places, increasing costs of club sport-memberships and insurance exclude those who need social interaction and fitness the most. The costs of maintaining and running facilities can also limit the accessibility for youth. How much should we push young people to participate in competitive sports? Do the benefits of structured competition outweigh the costs of over-competitive behavior and possible injury? How does participation in sports impact the well being of youth and their families?

Traditionally, clothing and accessories have all been developed to fill basic needs. They provide warmth, protection from the elements or injury, and even serve to attract attention. Recently, the industry for wearable technology has transformed the way we think about clothing and accessories. Wearables have rapidly expanded to include heating elements, internet connections, watches, body monitors, and more. As more people grow accustomed to wearables in their daily lives, the possibilities for what the technologies can do are virtually limitless. They already monitor vital signs, send information to medical professionals, and even give individuals the ability to soar like a bird in personal flight suits. Smart sports uniforms can now reduce and identify injuries by regulating body temperature, supporting muscles and tendons, and gauging the force of impact. Attire with virtual reality functions is currently being developed to push this sector even further. How will wearable technology enhance or jeopardize real-life experiences and connections with others? Where in the world could wearable technologies allow humans to survive? What advantages or disadvantages are inherent in the inclusion of technology in our clothing and on our bodies?

Humans have always impacted the environment. Over time, the effects have increased as industrialization, urbanization, deforestation, processing of natural resources, the burning of fossil fuels and more technologies have developed. Examples of human’s impact on the environment are everywhere.

Feeding the world’s growing population has adverse environmental effects such as overgrazing, deforestation, and agriculture-induced soil erosion. Water pollution from pesticides and fertilizers impacts the quality of water available for specific populations. Clearing of land and overfishing result in loss of biodiversity and disturbances to ecosystems. Industrialization and urbanization cause the release of toxic solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials and are the catalyst for serious environmental hazards. Water pollution as a result of poor disposal of sewage wastes, solid wastes, and other industrial wastes, may spread diseases and create an unfit environment for human activities. Industrialization has also increased consumption of natural resources for the production of goods, leading to a significant loss of nonrenewable resources and excessive waste. Activities like mining and dam construction cause habitat destruction. Trends like “fast fashion” contribute to why the fashion industry is the second-leading cause of pollution in the environment. What are our challenges moving forward to create a balance between basic human needs and our need to preserve or create an environment that is fit for continued quality human existence and growth?

What if your doctor could diagnose you before you experience symptoms? Using information from an individuals’ genetic and molecular profile, researchers have begun to create patient-specific treatments with a level of precision never before seen. Personalized Medicine enables healthcare providers to use a patient’s cells to combat precisely identified diseases at an unprecedented pace.

Researchers at universities, biotech companies, laboratories, and pharmaceutical companies are continually making discoveries. Doctors and other healthcare professionals continue to explore how these discoveries can help patients and increase our knowledge about diseases. The pharmaceutical industry is developing medications that tailored to an individual patient’s genetic makeup. The costs of genetic tests are decreasing as their availability increases. Even with better affordability, how accessible will individualized advanced treatments be? Will insurance companies cover them? The increasing specificity of personal health information raises many concerns about the protection of personal data. How will Personalized Medicine account for the impact of external/environmental factors on an individual’s health?

Most people dream of visiting new and exciting places to experience culture, cuisine, and local entertainment through travel. Transportation technology makes it easier and faster than ever before to get from one country to another although travel can be very expensive and time-consuming for many people. Heightened safety concerns often mean changing security requirements and government screening processes for crossing borders.

Some experts believe that technology may begin to replace in-person travel. VR-AR-MR (Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality / Mixed Reality), are immediate, involving, engaging and immersive types of entertainment that can accessed anywhere in the world. This could cause travel to boom if people, having used these technologies, want to experience the world “for real.” People may be increasingly comfortable in both worlds: the physical real world, and the digital world that is constructed instantly and repeatedly to fit what each person wants and chooses, using immediately responsive networks.

How will the time, technology, and expense associated with travel impact the future of international travel and tourism?

Approximately one-third of our lives is spent sleeping. For nearly a century, scientists have been able to record brain activity and see the dynamic changes during sleep. Lack of sleep can affect brain function, especially memory, language, and emotional balance. Physical effects include fatigue, stress and health problems including heart disease and obesity. Today, technology on our wrists can measure sleep habits and movements.

Globally, businesses developing sleep aids are witnessing significant growth due to the rising incidence of sleep disorders. This has been exacerbated by the growing senior population. It is manifest in increasing demand for sleeping pills due to stressful modern lifestyles and increasing numbers of initiatives by various health organizations to increase awareness about sleep disorders. Sleep medications often have undesirable side effects and patents of major sleep drugs expire. Wakefulness aids, stimulants and prescription drugs such as coffee, energy drinks, benzodiazepines and even illegal drugs are gaining in popularity as a perceived solution to the need to perform effectively despite sleep deprivation.

How might our over-scheduled lives and increased digital presence disrupt natural circadian and sleep patterns? Can the benefits of sleep be replicated? What new technologies might be available to help people monitor and adjust brain wave activity during sleep? Will scientists discover more about the genes that enable functionality with less sleep?

Gamification isn’t just about leisure time digital or other games. Gamification applies the theories of game development that make games so alluring and creates sustained attention. Players and teams win points and rewards by completing designated tasks. Minecraft, for example, has been used by teachers for everything from computer science to social sciences to creative writing. Fitbit and tracking apps on the iWatch are increasingly popular and encourage competition – with yourself or with a group.
Gamification helps users focus on tasks that might normally be boring, and the process might be applied to fields such as customer loyalty, education, health, recreation, job training, self-improvement, household chores, fundraising, and activism. Gamification is being used by corporations to make marketing interactive, but it’s also being used to benefit individual health and well-being.

Is there a relationship between gamification and tech addiction? How might gamification impact education and learning, inside and outside formal schools, or even in the workplace? What are some of the ethical implications, particularly around user privacy? What role will companies have in the creation of tech products to “hook” their users or the use of gamification as an educational tool? Can gamification enhance human interactions?

Nearly half of the world’s population (more than 3.5 billion people) live in poverty. Of those 3.5 billion people, 1.4 live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $US 1.25 per day.

Across the globe, many people struggle to have and sustain basic needs such as food, clean water, basic medical supplies, and adequate shelter. Some people are forced to leave their homes to travel to other places or countries to find menial work to send money home to support their families. Due to poverty, many people are unable to access education. Some adults deliberately suffer from malnutrition so that their children can have the food that is available. Children in severe poverty are often orphaned or they have been sent away because their parents cannot afford to care for them. Healthy food can be very difficult to come by for the poor due to lack of financial and monetary resources, meaning that they depend on cheap, unhealthy foods to sustain their lives.

What can be done globally to assist those suffering from extreme poverty? How can we reverse this trend in order to decrease the adverse impact of poverty on future generations?

A spacecraft in orbit? A biosphere on extraterrestrial ground? Private and governmental organizations are already planning missions to set up research stations or even colonies on the Moon and Mars. Many see opportunities to learn more about our solar system, leading to a better understanding of Earth and ourselves; others question whether such missions are even feasible. One private agency is already seeking volunteers for a Mars mission. Space ventures provide an impetus for advancing knowledge and technologies with applications in space, as well as on Earth. Entrepreneurial and scientific opportunities abound to explore, to mine, and to engineer under distinct conditions. Pioneers will need to plan for a sustainable long-term stay, which will require vast investments of people, money, and other resources

Drones are among the most hyped products for aviation enthusiasts in recent years. Although originally developed for military use, drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be cool gadgets used for recreation. They can also be powerful tools for commerce, scientific research, agriculture, entertainment, photography, transportation, disaster relief, search and rescue, surveillance, and policing. UAVs can carry payloads and can be controlled remotely by a human operator or by an onboard computer. Basic drone models can be operated with little skill or training. Regulations on the use of UAVs are already in place in nations around the world, but technological advancements and expanded applications may outpace their regulation. While UAV use is growing exponentially, concerns are also escalating. Privacy intrusion, airspace violation, criminal use, surreptitious military operations, accidental crashes, terrorist threats, and other issues have raised alarms.

What does the future hold for UAV technological advancements and accessory enhancements? Will access to UAVs be equitable? How will the pending prevalence of drones in our daily lives affect society overall, especially in areas of personal rights and safety?

Hunger remains a concern in the developing world, and the resources required for food production are limited. About one-third of food produced globally is lost or wasted, leaving millions of people hungry and valuable resources squandered.

Food loss refers to a decrease in food for human consumption during production, post-harvest, and processing stages. Causes include poor harvesting techniques, weak infrastructure (markets, transportation, storage, cooling, packaging), contamination (bacteria, fungus, insects), and corruption. In addition to reduced availability, food loss contributes to higher costs, hurting farmers as well as those who cannot afford to buy their food.

Food losses that occur at retail and consumption stages are called food waste and refer to behaviors such as discarding edible food. Quality standards based on perfect appearance, misused “best-before-dates,” and careless consumer attitudes contribute to waste. Food waste is more common in the industrialized world, while food loss is a greater concern in developing nations.

Can food loss prevention combat hunger and raise incomes in developing nations? Can food waste be decreased without sacrificing quality or safety? What roles might technology or regulations serve? What are the economic, environmental, psychological, and societal implications? Can we improve global food security while meeting the needs of diverse consumers?

With exponential change and fast-paced trends in society comes an increase in stress. Stress can be physical, mental, or emotional. Living conditions, as well as societal and personal expectations, can lead to higher levels of stress-related hormones. In some parts of the world, people find it difficult to cope with longer work hours and less leisure time as they attempt to meet society’s perceived expectations. Social media is a constant presence, delivering both subtle and overt pressures.

Most people experience stress, but individuals respond differently. Stress can be a useful motivator in the face of challenges or danger, but negative impacts can result from excessive stress. Medical and psychological problems can emerge or be exacerbated. Scientific data show that physical activity and relaxation techniques are samples of ways to reduce these negative impacts.

What are the personal and societal impacts of stress? Do different countries and cultures deal with stress the same way? How can we promote healthier lifestyles that help people to cope with stress?

Each year, approximately 52 million people suffer from infectious diseases around the world.  Seventeen million deaths per year result from these diseases. With affordable global travel and more people living in cities, infectious diseases may spread rapidly across the globe.  How can the spread of infectious disease be controlled?  How can the health of people around the world be safeguarded?

Toxic materials are everywhere: heavy metals in electronics, flame retardants in furniture and clothing, pesticides in our food, and harmful chemicals in plastics.  Poisonous chemicals are linked to cancer and birth defects.  Although certain chemicals are known to be hazardous, current regulation systems allow them to continue to be brought into homes via many products.  How can we become better aware of the dangers associated with toxic wastes?  What will happen if we increase our reliance on these materials? 

Philanthrocapitalism is a form of philanthropy in which entrepreneurial ideas, practices, and wealth are used to tackle global challenges. As the divide between rich and poor increases around the world, the number of billionaires is growing. Some of the planet’s wealthiest people have become philanthrocapitalists, pledging to invest time, energy, skills, ideas, and large amounts of money towards worthy causes. This may have a positive impact on the people, groups, and causes that are chosen for support, but there are questions about this form of philanthropy.

Will the efforts of philanthrocapitalists actually lead to deep, sustainable results? How will their causes be chosen? Do individual philanthrocapitalists have the expertise to address the world’s most significant problems? Will this model of philanthropy present conflicts of interest as it influences the priorities, donations, or behaviors of average people? Does philanthrocapitalism transfer the power and responsibility of social change away from governments and charitable organizations to an elite few? How might philanthrocapitalism benefit or harm the generations of the future?

Biosecurity is a worldwide, cross-border problem. With the number of noxious pests, plant diseases, genetically modified crops, and displaced species increasing around the world, monitoring and controlling the movements across national borders is becoming increasingly difficult. Environmental changes may exacerbate the problem by altering the range of habitats and upsetting the natural balance. Equally difficult and a major concern is the implementation of measures to reduce the effect of these current issues on native flora and fauna as well as serious damage to exports. Even though a number of countries have stringent safeguards in place already, smuggling or lack of knowledge makes policing biosecurity difficult. Some countries have little or no policy for restricting the movement of plants and animals across borders. Customs officers can make some positive impact, but they are limited by the constraints of their job and the porous nature of many borders. Besides, what seems like necessary safeguards to some are seen as unnecessary constraints on trade and economic growth to others. How might development in new technologies assist in regulating and monitoring biosecurity issues? How can countries cooperate with each other in dealing with cross border contamination?

Education is considered to be the pathway to an informed, future-focused population. In many countries, education is publicly funded by the central government or by state governments, with options for privately funded schools. In some countries, school funding/regulation is largely local and tied to property taxes. Other countries struggle to fund education at all. In addition to differences in funding, other economic and social factors contribute to educational disparities: family earnings, health status, gender, political participation, and social class.

Who should provide educational funding? Should intervention occur in communities or countries where social factors influence the quality of educational opportunities? Already, some international programs such as International Baccalaureate or international exams like Cambridge and PISA claim to give a fair indication of educational achievement around the world, but do results help or harm educational equality? As connectivity spreads around the world, how will universal access to interactive and personalized networks of education evolve? Will access to these virtual networks equalize opportunities in the future?

The genes of organisms can be altered using biotechnology techniques. New genes can be inserted into plants and animals to create new varieties and breeds or to lessen certain genetic activity such as susceptibility to disease. Since 1970 GM has helped produce greater numbers of crops with higher nutritional value and has been prominent in animal agriculture. Critics claim there are serious ethical, ecological, and economic issues with GM techniques. For example, GM crops can cross-pollinate with non-GM crops creating unpredictable characteristics in plants. Bioherbicides and bioinsecticides can be added to crop seeds, but are not always effective. Resistant weeds now infest 75 million acres of land across the world. Domesticated animals are being genetically modified to produce proteins that have applications for human medicine – proteins to control blood clotting or kill cancer cells, for example.

What will be the long-term impact of genetic modification of plants and animals? If plants and animals are genetically modified to resist current pathogens, will new, more resistant pathogens develop? Already, GM has led to international controversy and trade disputes, protests, and restrictive regulations on commercial products containing genetically modified organisms.

The developments in the use of technology in the medical field have been dramatic in recent years, covering both issues of medical treatment and the delivery of medical services. For instance, the use of advanced electronics in the production of prostheses and other organ replacements has given some sign of the possible extent of technology application into the future. With greater technology advancements, very expensive and specialised disposable items are being used during surgical and medical treatments.  It is suggested that in the near future an inability of access to these technologies for public or poorer private patients will lead to a resurgence of more basic reusable equipment being favoured.

With more advanced devices, there may also be problems with medical workforces, as company representatives  may be the only people specifically trained to use the technology, rather than medical staff. Medical robots may be replaced by sentient beings or robots comes into play, as well as patients a inspected by virtual doctors  Patients may also be able to ‘print’ their own drugs at home, bypassing the pharmacy system. All these developments have and will have implications for government regulation, the cost of healthcare (and who pays for it), as well as the impact on social relationships and community-based service employment that, in this decade, is the main form of employment.

Identity theft is a form of stealing someone’s identity. Most often, identity thieves steal personal financial information, buy things for their own gain, and pay for none of it. Frequently, identity thieves gain access to personal information through business and government databases that are not secure. Dates of birth, full names, bank account details and identification numbers are part of the information sought by identity thieves. Stolen identities can be used to fund other crimes such as illegal immigration, terrorism, or drug crimes. It can be extremely difficult to find and prosecute identity thieves as they are often from different countries than the individuals whose identities they are stealing and they obtain personal details online.

Victims of identity crime can be held responsible for crimes committed using their identity and may have to fight for years to clear their names. In addition to the damage done to individuals, identity crime costs governments large amounts of money every year. Great collaboration between global governments and organizations will likely be needed to combat identity theft in the years to come. Individuals and businesses will also need to protect themselves. <br>How should individuals and organizations work together to protect identities from theft? How will identity thieves adapt their practices as more time and effort is invested in protecting identities? What information will be the most valuable to thieves in the coming years and decades?

Farmers, pet and animal owners, and scientific researchers have many different ways of treating animals in their care. Fewer than 30% of countries have animal welfare laws, and existing laws are not always enforced. Researchers assert that it is important to be able to use animals in research to test drugs and new medical procedures that can help both people and animals. Sometimes endangered animals are kept in captivity at a high cost in order to protect their limited populations. Animal shelters are often filled with feral animals or those that have been abandoned by their owners. Wild animals in many parts of the world come into conflict with human activity.

In the future, how might research impact human understanding and treatment of animals? Are zoos useful educational tools or unethical exhibitions? Are certain animals entitled to more rights than others based on cultural or intelligence differences? How can humans be better stewards in the treatment of animals? Who decides the appropriate treatment of animals and their role in society?

Language is the soul of a culture. The survival of a culture may depend on the language used for rituals and to describe cultural ideas, beliefs, and understandings. What is the impact on culture when its language disappears? By some estimates, of the six thousand languages left on Earth, 90% are expected to disappear or be endangered before the end of this century. In New Zealand, government and community initiatives are trying to revive the language of indigenous people, but even so it is in a precarious state. Many indigenous peoples around the globe don’t have support to prevent their language from disappearing. Will anyone be able to read the rich literature embodied in the disappearing languages in the years to come? What oral traditions will be lost? What responsibilities, if any, do governments, institutions, and communities have towards preserving endangered languages?

Earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters are big news when they occur. Front-page news and internet feeds bring us the details of staggering statistics and images of loss of life and property. Recovery work such as rebuilding homes, infrastructure, and businesses go on even when the news moves on to the next big story. The human factor such as recovery from emotional, mental, and physical stress is a painful and difficult journey for survivors of natural disasters, often taking many years after the disaster strikes. A disaster recovery plan (DRP) often proves inadequate especially since it is often developed only after a disaster. Government agencies, insurance companies, charitable organisations, celebrities, and individual volunteers respond with immediate help, but long-term support can be difficult to sustain. How can relief efforts be best utilised, coordinated, and sustained to assist survivors? How can the people, communities, and countries that are affected by a disaster begin to recover from their losses and cope with their changed lives? How will the impact on psychological and physical health be managed?

The world today is increasingly interdependent with the advent of interconnectedness. The Internet brings individuals living in diverse places together for innovative opportunities in global collaboration. Physical space may no longer define a workplace. Many local and international corporations are able to employ people without them having to step out of their homes or countries. Developed countries outsource jobs to other countries where labour may be cheaper and labour laws less regulated. How might a more global workplace affect local and national economies? Some firms downsize their workforce in favour of automated systems that require less human input. These changes create a pool of workers who, besides being out of work, are often unprepared for other jobs. How might employers develop innovative ways to work globally? Is the growing trend of working globally online benefiting current workplace trends? How might this affect the world economy? What economic or educational changes might better prepare governments, businesses, and workers for a global workplace?

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Skype, Second Life, wikis, blogging, tweeting - all of these words have entered our lives in the last few years. The impact of Web 2.0 and the rise of associated social media have changed our lives in many ways that we are only just beginning to understand.

Regimes have fallen because of the use of social media; careers can be jeopardized due to past and present social events posted on social media; people all over the world are able to collaborate in real time to work and to play. Some people think social media has a detrimental effect on people’s social lives; others believe it is a new and exciting way of socializing and developing relationships.

How might social media continue to impact our lives? Who will monitor the truth and accuracy of social media? Will social media lead to increased social isolation or enhanced global collaboration? Is there a need for controls, monitoring, or restrictions on social media? Do the positives outweigh the detrimental effects? Does any government have the right to legislate the use of social media by its citizens?

An increased interest in food and health has occurred around the world. Many questions have been asked on this topic: Where are food products produced? How? Why? Who produces food products? How far have these products traveled? How long have they been stored? How is food tracked from “farm to table”? A huge number of food products are now chemically-enhanced and processed. Foods may be labeled as “natural flavors,” but these do not necessarily come from the original product. Strawberry flavoring, for example, may have started out as a bacterial protein. Are preservatives safe? How might the addition of flavor enhancers, vitamins and minerals, phosphate additives, and sugar and fat substitutes affect our overall health? What are beneficial reasons for using processed foods? What processed foods should we avoid? Genetic engineering is still under study and remains controversial. Nanotechnology represents the latest high technology attempt to infiltrate our food supply. Do these new technologies pose serious new risks for human health?

Propaganda is communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. Selective messages are used to produce an emotional rather than rational response from the audience. Common media for transmitting propaganda messages include news reports, government reports, historical revision, junk science, books, leaflets, movies, radio, television, and posters. Propaganda shares techniques with advertising and public relations.

With growing trends in communication, how will propaganda be spread in the future through digital media? How can wealth of individuals, groups, or countries advance a particular agenda? In a number of regional and global conflicts, including both World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Balkan Conflict, and more recently the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, propaganda has more typically referred to political or nationalist uses of these techniques. Examples of these techniques include the following: instilling panic, appealing to prejudice, creating a bandwagon, demonizing the enemy, stating half-truths, and providing a scapegoat. Propaganda usually exists on both sides of a conflict, but is often perceived as negative in nature. What are some positive examples of present-day propaganda? What are some negative examples of present-day propaganda?

Through the use of performance enhancing drugs, personal trainers, speed-enhancing swimsuits, technologies for body and brain, people can enhance their potential in physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities. As time goes on, humans will be offered even more ways to enhance their potential in unprecedented ways: cybernetic body parts, memory-enhancing or erasing drugs, technologically advanced sports equipment, and/or humans/computer interfaces, etc. Will the definition of “human” change? Many ethical issues surround these advances: Should sports people be able to enhance their performances in any way they like? Should parents be able to choose IQ or mood boosters such as drugs or brain implants for their children? What impacts might exist with the disparities between the “haves” and the “have-nots”? How far might the human brain and body be pushed? To what extent can we “perfect” the human body? What “enhancers” do we have presently? What are the dangers, as well as benefits, of powerful new technologies that might radically change the lives of human beings

" Future Problem Solving teaches critical thinking skills, stimulates creativity, encourages development of a vision for the future, and prepares students for leadership roles. "

2022 National Finals (Globe Photography)

Aldous Huxley

Future Problem Solving Australia acknowledges the traditional owners of this land. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Problem 

“opening doors to the future”.

2024 I C International Conference & State Bo wl Spotlight coming soon. Here's what happened in 2023

Ranks of royalty   click on 2024 state bowl to see nc fps state champions 2024 state bowl qualifying problem    .

Click her to read winning 2023 SCENARIOS

Click her to see nc fps's  2023 cmps projects.

2023 International Conference: Currency

NC FPS students take the stage at 2023 International Conference...

1st place GIPS Individual Junior Division Arora

Coach Harrison

6th place GIPS Team Junior Division  Baer, E Huffstetler, L Huffstetler, Lam

5th place GIPS Individual Middle Division  Venkatesh

Coach Venkatesh

Finalist GIPS Team Middle Division

Nanduri, Patil, Sattenapalli, Unnikrishnan

Coaches Nanduri & Shyamala

Finalist FIPS Individual Senior Division Mehta

Coach Mehta

Finalist GIPS Team Senior Division  Coleman, Cone, Hart, Lam

Finalist  GIPS Team Senior Division E  Nethala, E Nethala, Sureshkannan, Varikuti

Coaches Vanipalli & Venkatesh

4th Place Presentation of Action Plan Senior Division  Coleman, Cone, Hart, Lam

MAGIC = Multi-Affiliate Global Issues Competition

1st place MAGIC Ju nior  Division Jangala

Coach Jangala

2nd place MAGIC* Junior  Division Sharma

1st place MAGIC* Middle  Division Sakhalkar

Coach Sureshkannan & Vanapalli

4th place MAGIC Middle Division Samatam

1st place MAGIC* Senior Division Vanapalli

Coach Nanduri & Shyamala

​ Finalist CmPS Team Junior  Division Positive Pollinators

5th place Junior Division Scenario Zhang

Coaches Sureshkannan & Vana palli

 23-24 TOPICS RESEARCH PP1  Tourism PP2  Urbanization QP   Antarctica SB   Autonomous  Transportation IC Air Quality

TO FIND THE BEST SOLUTIONS, YOU MUST ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.

Plan ahead  2024 NC FPS State Bowl YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 1 7   Black  Mountain , North Carolina TOPIC: Autonomous Transportation

Registration for new 24-25 teams & individuals in all components available in september. click here to learn more..

BRAND NEW Future Problem Solving Resource Library. We’re just getting started and are still uploading content. Keep an eye out for additional articles and free tools in the coming months.

• Global Issues
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• Real World Issues
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Where can I find livestreams and videos of the International Conference?

We live stream the Opening Ceremony and Awards Ceremony via our YouTube channel and post the videos for all who want to view the replays.

Past Events

2023 Awards Ceremony

2023 Opening Ceremony

Related Articles

• Who are the winners of the IC 2024 competition?
• [IC 2024] Photography and Yearbook Information
• What is the Excellence in Project Management award?
• [IC 2024] What safety protocols are in place to protect students?
• Where can I find the Whova conference app?
• [IC 2024] Where is the IC information that used to be on the old FPSPI website?

April Michele

Breakthrough models AlphaProof and AlphaGeometry 2 solve advanced reasoning problems in mathematics

Artificial general intelligence (AGI) with advanced mathematical reasoning has the potential to unlock new frontiers in science and technology.

We’ve made great progress building AI systems that help mathematicians discover new insights , novel algorithms and answers to open problems . But current AI systems still struggle with solving general math problems because of limitations in reasoning skills and training data.

Today, we present AlphaProof, a new reinforcement-learning based system for formal math reasoning, and AlphaGeometry 2, an improved version of our geometry-solving system . Together, these systems solved four out of six problems from this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), achieving the same level as a silver medalist in the competition for the first time.

Breakthrough AI performance solving complex math problems

The IMO is the oldest, largest and most prestigious competition for young mathematicians, held annually since 1959.

Each year, elite pre-college mathematicians train, sometimes for thousands of hours, to solve six exceptionally difficult problems in algebra, combinatorics, geometry and number theory. Many of the winners of the Fields Medal , one of the highest honors for mathematicians, have represented their country at the IMO.

More recently, the annual IMO competition has also become widely recognised as a grand challenge in machine learning and an aspirational benchmark for measuring an AI system’s advanced mathematical reasoning capabilities.

This year, we applied our combined AI system to the competition problems, provided by the IMO organizers. Our solutions were scored according to the IMO’s point-awarding rules by prominent mathematicians Prof Sir Timothy Gowers , an IMO gold medalist and Fields Medal winner, and Dr Joseph Myers , a two-time IMO gold medalist and Chair of the IMO 2024 Problem Selection Committee.

“ The fact that the program can come up with a non-obvious construction like this is very impressive, and well beyond what I thought was state of the art.

Prof Sir Timothy Gowers, IMO gold medalist and Fields Medal winner

First, the problems were manually translated into formal mathematical language for our systems to understand. In the official competition, students submit answers in two sessions of 4.5 hours each. Our systems solved one problem within minutes and took up to three days to solve the others.

AlphaProof solved two algebra problems and one number theory problem by determining the answer and proving it was correct. This included the hardest problem in the competition, solved by only five contestants at this year’s IMO. AlphaGeometry 2 proved the geometry problem, while the two combinatorics problems remained unsolved.

Each of the six problems can earn seven points, with a total maximum of 42. Our system achieved a final score of 28 points, earning a perfect score on each problem solved — equivalent to the top end of the silver-medal category . This year, the gold-medal threshold starts at 29 points, and was achieved by 58 of 609 contestants at the official competition.

Graph showing performance of our AI system relative to human competitors at IMO 2024. We earned 28 out of 42 total points, achieving the same level as a silver medalist in the competition.

AlphaProof: a formal approach to reasoning

AlphaProof is a system that trains itself to prove mathematical statements in the formal language Lean . It couples a pre-trained language model with the AlphaZero reinforcement learning algorithm, which previously taught itself how to master the games of chess, shogi and Go.

Formal languages offer the critical advantage that proofs involving mathematical reasoning can be formally verified for correctness. Their use in machine learning has, however, previously been constrained by the very limited amount of human-written data available.

In contrast, natural language based approaches can hallucinate plausible but incorrect intermediate reasoning steps and solutions, despite having access to orders of magnitudes more data. We established a bridge between these two complementary spheres by fine-tuning a Gemini model to automatically translate natural language problem statements into formal statements, creating a large library of formal problems of varying difficulty.

When presented with a problem, AlphaProof generates solution candidates and then proves or disproves them by searching over possible proof steps in Lean. Each proof that was found and verified is used to reinforce AlphaProof’s language model, enhancing its ability to solve subsequent, more challenging problems.

We trained AlphaProof for the IMO by proving or disproving millions of problems, covering a wide range of difficulties and mathematical topic areas over a period of weeks leading up to the competition. The training loop was also applied during the contest, reinforcing proofs of self-generated variations of the contest problems until a full solution could be found.

Process infographic of AlphaProof’s reinforcement learning training loop: Around one million informal math problems are translated into a formal math language by a formalizer network. Then a solver network searches for proofs or disproofs of the problems, progressively training itself via the AlphaZero algorithm to solve more challenging problems.

A more competitive AlphaGeometry 2

AlphaGeometry 2 is a significantly improved version of AlphaGeometry . It’s a neuro-symbolic hybrid system in which the language model was based on Gemini and trained from scratch on an order of magnitude more synthetic data than its predecessor. This helped the model tackle much more challenging geometry problems, including problems about movements of objects and equations of angles, ratio or distances.

AlphaGeometry 2 employs a symbolic engine that is two orders of magnitude faster than its predecessor. When presented with a new problem, a novel knowledge-sharing mechanism is used to enable advanced combinations of different search trees to tackle more complex problems.

Before this year’s competition, AlphaGeometry 2 could solve 83% of all historical IMO geometry problems from the past 25 years, compared to the 53% rate achieved by its predecessor. For IMO 2024, AlphaGeometry 2 solved Problem 4 within 19 seconds after receiving its formalization.

Illustration of Problem 4, which asks to prove the sum of ∠KIL and ∠XPY equals 180°. AlphaGeometry 2 proposed to construct E, a point on the line BI so that ∠AEB = 90°. Point E helps give purpose to the midpoint L of AB, creating many pairs of similar triangles such as ABE ~ YBI and ALE ~ IPC needed to prove the conclusion.

New frontiers in mathematical reasoning

As part of our IMO work, we also experimented with a natural language reasoning system, built upon Gemini and our latest research to enable advanced problem-solving skills. This system doesn’t require the problems to be translated into a formal language and could be combined with other AI systems. We also tested this approach on this year’s IMO problems and the results showed great promise.

Our teams are continuing to explore multiple AI approaches for advancing mathematical reasoning and plan to release more technical details on AlphaProof soon.

We’re excited for a future in which mathematicians work with AI tools to explore hypotheses, try bold new approaches to solving long-standing problems and quickly complete time-consuming elements of proofs — and where AI systems like Gemini become more capable at math and broader reasoning.

Teaching Students How to Think Not What To Think

Designed for teachers to help encourage critical and creative thinking while also teaching a problem solving process that can be used in virtually any career. From day one, students will learn how to think about the future, define challenges, and create solutions to become decision makers who solve today’s problems and those of the future.

Empowering Young People to Create a Better Tomorrow

Future Problem Solving teaches a unique six step problem solving process which can be applied in the real world, in all types of careers, in local and global communities, as well as in future societies. This process teaches critical and creative thinking, problem solving, and decision making.

Future Problem Solving Programs Encourage Critical and Creative Thinking Skills

Global Issues Problem Solving

Available for teams and individuals, GIPS teaches students how to think creatively about future problems and how to identify solutions to solve them.

Learn More →

Community Problem Solvi ng

Available for teams and individuals, CmPS encourages students to become agents of change by defining problems and solutions in their local and global communities.

Scenario Writing

Available for individuals, SW teaches students creative writing skills while also helping to enlarge, enrich, and capture their view of future problems and solutions through actions and events.

Scenario Performance

Available for individuals, ScP is for students who enjoy telling stories. Students will learn futuristic thinking while creating a story projected twenty years into the future.

Action-Based Problem Solving

AbPS is designed for the classroom curriculum and can be used at the primary level (K-3) and up to grade 9. AbPS teaches a simplified version of the problem solving process.

FPS Academy

Future Problem Solving has developed Virtual Lessons for the annual topics. What better way to learn about the topics and problem solving process than through asynchronous online lessons.

The Impact of Future Problem Solving is Global and Lifelong

Students Have Participated

United States

Success Rate

Future Problem Solvers Become:

• Skilled problem solvers with a variety of perspectives.
• Creative and critical thinkers who look for innovative ideas.
• Effective communicators who can build consensus.
• Collaborative workers who are able to compromise.
• Motivated learners who are goal directed.
• Global citizens who take initiative to solve problems.

Applying Future Problem Solving in the Real World

“Inspired by the problem solving approach I learned in FPS, I used these tools to discover an innovative solution to a problem I had witnessed in my community. I discovered that farms in my local community were increasingly damaged by crop diseases, something I learned about from the Biosecurity topic. Working through the FPS process, I developed a self-driving robot capable of fighting crop disease before it happened. I ended up placing 1st at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, something that would not have been possible without my discovery of FPS.”

Pranav Senthilvel Kentucky Future Problem Solving

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What is FPS?

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Welcome to MassFPS.

We've added new problem solving features, better team collaboration, and improved coach and evaluation pages, along with the unmatched digital creativity tools you've come to expect from MFPSP.

FPS Login Create Student Account -->

Registration Now Open. To register click on the link on the "Registration Page " --> Registration Closed Registration will begin Monday --> --> --> Interested? See what we're brewing in FPSLabs: Reactor Beta Demo: demo/demo K12 Classroom Demo: classroom/classroom -->

Research, access, and complete FPS topics within a cloud-based, collaborative work environment.

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Download FPS resources, manage teams, and follow the progress of your students.

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A new password can be created and immediately sent to your registered email account. this password can later be changed using your personal student page. in order to validate your identity, please enter the following information:.

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Students: To login, you must first create a student account using your assigned Team Code and Team Password.

Instructions:, to begin, you must register for a new account or login directly using your existing linkedin, facebook,google, or twitter account., create new student account, to create your student account, please complete all fields below, entering your assigned team code and team password. please contact your team coach if you do not have a team code and team password..

The Future Problem Solving Program

Future Problem Solving (FPS ) is a terrific way to create more creative students and improve a youngster's oral and written communication, research, and teamwork skills. FPS challenges students to apply information they have learned to some of the most complex issues facing society. Students are asked to think, to make decisions and, in some cases, to carry out their solutions. FPS is a yearlong program, open to students in grades 4-12, in which teams of four students learn a six-step problem solving process which they can then use to solve social and scientific problems set in the future. At regular intervals, the teams submit their work online to evaluators, who review it and return it with suggestions for improvement. Teams participating in the competitive aspect of the program will complete the third problem at a Qualifying Bowl in February. The top teams in the state are invited to the State Bowl in March, where they compete for the opportunity to represent Massachusetts at the International FPS Conference. Most schools participate in the team competition. Teachers can also incorporate the FPS process into curriculum units in the classroom, or participate in the Community Problem Solving, Scenario Writing or Scenario Performance components of the program. We invite you to learn more about the program by watching the video below or by contacting one of our Co-Affilaite Directors:

Bob Cattel, Co-Affiliate Director Email: [email protected] Phone (617) 834-4743 Renée Hanscom, Co-Affiliate Director Email: [email protected] Phone: (781) 799-4826

For more infromation about Future Problem Solving Program International in Melbourne Florida, contact April Michele at (321) 768-0074 or check out their website www.fpspi.org

To purchase Resources/Tools and yearly Program Materials related to the Future Problem Solving Program International go to www.fpspimart.org .

2023-24 MassFPS Calendar

Schedule of events.

2023-2024 FPS Topics

Practice problem #1:  tourism.

Tourism not only benefits host locales but those on holiday. Travel enriches their lives, expands their understanding of people and cultures, while also serving as a respite from daily life. The economic stability of such destinations depends on the sustainability of their tourist trade. As the popularity of such destinations grows, international corporations and developers typically flock to these growing places, trying to capitalize on the financial possibilities. There is money to be made in building hotels, restaurants, and in developing an area’s growing tourism industry. As outside groups seek to attract tourists and the revenue they generate, locals often struggle to maintain their location's unique appeal and ability to support local venues. As this build-up occurs, local people can have their cultures exploited, lands destroyed, and their local businesses put in jeopardy. As the tourism sector grows and expands, we are seeing the expansion of the Special Interest (SIT) market - tourists wishing to match their vacations with their interests (e.g., ecotourism, wellness tourism, event tourism, ancestry tourism, etc.) How will changing forms and trends of tourism impact tourists and hosts alike? How can the advantages of expanding tourism be balanced with the protection of destinations?

Practice Problem #2:  Urbanization

Today nearly half the world's population lives in an urban area. By 2050, that number is expected to reach 70% due to this increase in Urbanization. Urban areas and their large populations often hold power over governance, economic development, and international connectivity beyond their immediate regions. With proper planning, urban centers can provide educational and economic opportunities to residents not found elsewhere. However, they can also easily give rise to slums and increase income inequality. With growing footprints, cities are also struggling to provide basic needs, essential services, and safety. Future urban planners must address tough questions: What qualities in society should be valued most? What is fair and equitable? Whose interests will be served first? Planners must balance the speed of decision-making with the need for thoughtful, well-considered programs for development. As urban areas expand, how can we develop areas that are efficient, resilient, and inclusive? Future urban planners must address tough questions: What qualities in society should be valued most? What is fair and equitable? Whose interests will be served first? Planners must balance the speed of decision-making with the need for thoughtful, well-considered programs for development. As urban areas expand, how can we develop areas that are efficient, resilient, and inclusive?

Qualifying Problem:  Antarctica

Affiliate bowl (state bowl):  autonomous transportation.

Our transport needs, desires, and realities are rapidly changing due to global growth and increased connectivity. As modes of transportation continue to evolve, increasing levels of complexity and efficiency are pursued. What role will autonomous vehicles, cars, airplanes, ships, etc., which operate without human intervention, play in this pursuit? Their development continues to increase exponentially with advancing technological capabilities. Since all scenarios are not programmable, autonomous vehicles must learn and react. They do this by surveying their environment with multiple sensors and utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to process vast amounts of data. Autonomous vehicles can deliver on demand, refuel, park, and store themselves. By creating a network of these vehicles, entire systems of transport could become autonomous, controlled by a central AI. How will the efficiency of autonomous vehicles affect the development of transportation, on land and sea, in the air, and possibly space? How will autonomous transport cope with unexpected risk situations and ethical decisions? In what ways will autonomous transport impact jobs, industries, infrastructure, and lifestyles?

International Conference: Topic to be announced March 1, 2024

Fps programs, promoting creative and critical thinking, global issues problem solving - individual / team competition.

Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS) is the Individual / Team competition component of the program and is open to students in grades 4-12. An Individual student or Teams of up to four students learn the six-step future problem solving process which they then apply, along with their research on specific topics, to solve social and scientific problems. With the six-step FPS process, students are presented with a "Future Scene", which is a story set at least 20 years into the future. For the first step, students brainstorm challenges that the Future Scene presents. This step helps students refine their critical and creative thinking skills. The second step has the students focus one or more challenges generated in step one down to a clearly written problem statement referred called an Underlying Problem. In step three students brainstorm solution ideas intended on solving the Underlying Problem. In steps four and five, the students generate criteria used to evaluate their step three solutions. In step six the students take the top rated solution from step five and develop a detailed action plan. Students using the six-step process develop brainstorming and focusing skills while working cooperatively and collaboratively in groups. GIPS Individuals and Teams work on two practice problems during the Fall and early Winter each year. Then in February, those students will complete a Qualifying Problem in two hours without their coach's assistance. GIPS Individuals and Teams who receive the highest evaluation for their Qualifying Problem will be invited to compete at the State Bowl in March.

The three grade level divisions are:

    • Junior Division: Grades 4-6     • Middle Division: Grades 7-9     • Senior Division: Grades 10-12

Final registration deadline: December 31, 2023

Community Problem Solving

Community Problem Solving (CmPS) individuals and teams identify a local or global problem, and work with community leaders and residents to research the problem and implement solutions. As an example, Leominster students have worked with town officials to explore the feasibility of a sludge composting plant, which would save the cost of trucking sludge to Fitchburg. Funds saved could pay for methane gas recovery from the closed landfill and other civic projects.

Deadline for submitting Project Proposal: December 31, 2023 Deadline for submitting Project Report: March 9, 2024

Scenario Writing

Scenario Writing (SW) gives students the opportunity to combine their problem solving and creative writing talents. Individual students are invited to write scenarios: short stories (maximum length 1500 words) set at least 20 years in the future and dealing with the any of the following topics (Tourism, Urbanization, Antarctica and Autonomous Transportation). For additional information, contact Joanne Bianco at [email protected] or (978) 534-0163.

Scenario Performance - For thinkers who are also Storytellers !

Scenario Performance (ScP) was designed and developed to sustain oral traditions of storytelling, Scenario Performance is ideally suited to students who prefer oral communication to showcase their creativity. In Scenario Performance, students choose the FPS annual topic that interests them to make a prediction of the future (20‐30 years from now) and perform as though the future were the present. Futuristic concepts and trends are incorporated into the story, but a specific date is not required. Scenario Performance encourages students to enlarge ideas, enrich personal style, and predict accurate images of the future. The Performance is not written out in full; it is “told,” and should be more “natural” and “spontaneous” in nature. Whether presented for the camera or in front of a live audience, Performances should be creative and entertaining. The stories do not have to be written, rather they are performed!

Fee: $30 per student entry Postmark deadline for scenario performance video: January 20, 2024 The following video is the Middle Division 1st Place Scenario Performer from last year's International Conference.

Coach Registration

Registering your teams with fps, registration now open, registration is now closed, registration will begin monday september 18, 2023.

Click Here to Register for FPS team competition and other MassFPS programs

Coach and Team Materials

Accessing fps materials, all fps materials are available within registered coach and student accounts..

Register now for FPS team competition and other MassFPS programs

Capture new insight into essential 21st Century Skills.

Fpsls provides accessible and research-based tools to identify and build individual and team skills and increase classroom and workplace efficiency..

A structured approach

Occupation-specific tasks and challenges are completed within a cloud-based assessment environment.

Authentic tasks, valid results

Simulations vary in difficulty, substance, and presentation, reducing the bias and inaccuracies of self-reporting.

Analytics on process and product

Next-generation analytics capture the results (product) and overall approach (process) utilized to solve challenges.

Essential, formative assessment

Analytics detail individual and team strengths and weaknesses, providing recommendations for optimizing identified skills.

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Who Are the Far-Right Groups Behind the U.K. Riots?

After a deadly stabbing at a children’s event in northwestern England, an array of online influencers, anti-Muslim extremists and fascist groups have stoked unrest, experts say.

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By Esther Bintliff and Eve Sampson

Esther Bintliff reported from London, and Eve Sampson from New York.

Violent unrest has erupted in several towns and cities in Britain in recent days, and further disorder broke out on Saturday as far-right agitators gathered in demonstrations around the country.

The violence has been driven by online disinformation and extremist right-wing groups intent on creating disorder after a deadly knife attack on a children’s event in northwestern England, experts said.

A range of far-right factions and individuals, including neo-Nazis, violent soccer fans and anti-Muslim campaigners, have promoted and taken part in the unrest, which has also been stoked by online influencers .

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to deploy additional police officers to crack down on the disorder. “This is not a protest that has got out of hand,” he said on Thursday. “It is a group of individuals who are absolutely bent on violence.”

Here is what we know about the unrest and some of those involved.

Where have riots taken place?

The first riot took place on Tuesday evening in Southport, a town in northwestern England, after a deadly stabbing attack the previous day at a children’s dance and yoga class. Three girls died of their injuries, and eight other children and two adults were wounded.

The suspect, Axel Rudakubana , was born in Britain, but in the hours after the attack, disinformation about his identity — including the false claim that he was an undocumented migrant — spread rapidly online . Far-right activists used messaging apps including Telegram and X to urge people to take to the streets.

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• Open access
• Published: 29 July 2024

Co-creating and hosting PxP: a conference about patient engagement in research for and by patient partners

• Dawn P. Richards 1 , 2 , 3 ,
• Hetty Mulhall 1 ,
• Joletta Belton 4 ,
• Savia de Souza 5 ,
• Trudy Flynn 6 ,
• Alex Haagaard 7 ,
• Linda Hunter 8 ,
• Amy Price 9 , 10 , 11 ,
• Sara Riggare 12 , 13 ,
• Janice Tufte 14 , 15 ,
• Rosie Twomey 1 &
• Karim M. Khan 1  

Research Involvement and Engagement volume  10 , Article number:  77 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Research projects, initiatives and conferences that include patients as partners rather than as participants are becoming more common. Including patients as partners (what we will call ‘patient partners’) is an approach called patient engagement or involvement in research, and we will call it patient engagement throughout this paper. Patient engagement moves traditional health research conferences and events to include a broader audience for their knowledge exchange and community building efforts, beyond academics and healthcare professionals. However, there are few examples of conferences where patients are given the opportunity to fully lead. Our conference went beyond patient engagement – it was patient-led. Patient partners conceived, planned, and decided on all aspects of a virtual conference.

We present the work and processes we undertook throughout 2023 to create and produce a free conference called “PxP: For patients, by patients” or PxP for short, with a tagline of “Partnering to make research stronger.” PxP was patient-led and about patient engagement in research rather than a specific disease or condition. PxP was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis. The PxP website, known as the PxP Hub, now houses the conference recordings along with resources about patient engagement in research. These resources were recommended by the PxP Steering Committee members, speakers, and others who attended the 2023 conference. Here we lead you through how the idea for PxP was generated; how the international patient partner Steering Committee was convened and supported; how PxP was brought to life over nine months; the PxP 3-day event and feedback collected to improve future efforts; trade-offs, challenges and learnings; and resources required to support this type of event. We close with what the future holds for PxP in 2024 and beyond.

It’s time to elevate patients into leadership roles for conferences and events, and we encourage you to adopt the PxP ethos by using or adapting our approach and resources to support your opportunity.

Plain English summary

Patients are often included in health research as study participants. Involving patients as partners in research projects or conferences is becoming more common. This approach is called patient engagement or involvement. Traditional health research conferences are by and for academic researchers or healthcare professionals. These events rarely include patients as the main attendees or in the planning. While some research conferences are starting to use patient engagement, few are designed and led by patients. We share our work on a conference led and designed by patients. In 2023, our team co-created a free conference called “PxP.” PxP is short for “For patients, by patients.” The conference tagline was “Partnering to make research stronger.” PxP was focused on patient engagement in research rather than any one health problem. PxP was supported by the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis. This is one of 13 Canadian Institutes of Health Research. A free online PxP Hub now hosts all of the conference recordings and many resources. We share how the idea for PxP came about, how the international patient partner Steering Committee came together and was supported to plan and bring PxP to life, the PxP conference and feedback, challenges and what we learned, and resources needed. It’s time for patients to have a leadership role for conferences and events. Through sharing this example, we encourage others to adopt the PxP ethos.

Peer Review reports

While there are increasingly more research projects, initiatives and conferences that include patients as partners and not just participants, examples where patients fully lead are rare in these settings [ 1 , 2 ]. To date, most of the focus in these spaces has been on co-creation or co-production aspects. The approach of including patients as partners (which we call ‘patient partners’) is referred to as patient engagement (in North America) [ 1 ], patient involvement (in Europe) [ 3 ], or consumer involvement (in Australia) [ 4 ]. Here we use the term patient engagement as a ‘catch all’ for these phrases.

Health research conferences and events provide an opportunity for knowledge exchange and community building, though have traditionally been restricted to a narrow audience of academics and health professionals. While some conferences are patient-led through conception, design, delivery and dissemination, these tend to be patient organization-run conferences that offer support and education to their specific communities (e.g., arthritis, pain, cancer, etc.) [ 5 , 6 ]. To our knowledge, there is little in the academic literature about patient-led health research conferences [ 7 , 8 ] and we were unable to locate any literature about patient-led conferences on the topic of patient engagement in research.

Here we describe the processes to plan and organize a free conference all about patient engagement in research called “PxP: For Patients, by Patients” and share the outputs of the conference [ 9 ]. The conference’s tagline was “Partnering to Make Research Stronger.” The free PxP conference was virtually hosted in September 2023, and was fully designed and driven by an international Steering Committee of individuals who identify as patient partners [ 1 ]. PxP was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) [ 10 ]. IMHA’s mandate includes supporting research related to: active living, mobility and the wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin as well as the mouth, teeth and craniofacial region. IMHA has a history of engaging patients as partners for over 20 years [ 11 ]. Recently, IMHA and its Patient Engagement Research Ambassadors (PERA) fully co-created and launched free, online learning modules as a How-To Guide for Patient Engagement in Research which is ‘disease agnostic,’ meaning that it is not specific to any one disease area [ 12 , 13 ]. PxP is another example of work that IMHA is supporting in the patient engagement in research space that is also disease agnostic.

This paper aims to describe what we did and learned following a planning and executing timeline so that people who are interested in elements of PxP may benefit when planning their own patient-led conferences or events. We detail the processes, provide templates and resources, and share our learnings by highlighting the expertise, time and other resources that were necessary to make PxP a success. In the spirit of PxP, this paper was co-written with many of its patient partner Steering Committee members (JB, SdS, TF, AH, LH, AP, SR, JT).

Below we outline the PxP conference process, including its inputs and outputs, in a manner that is linear to PxP’s overall planning and executing timeline.

Generating the idea for the PxP

The idea for the PxP conference came from conversations in 2022 with IMHA’s PERA members [ 12 ]. PERA is composed of individuals who live with conditions that fall under IMHA’s research mandate. PERA meets every 1–2 months virtually to provide bidirectional insights and lived experiences to help IMHA achieve its goals and priorities while also carrying out its own mandate. PERA’s mandate is to inform IMHA and CIHR of patient priorities in research; inform their respective communities about IMHA, CIHR, and their work with PERA; advocate to benchmark best practice in patient-oriented research (POR) across IMHA’s activities (including priority setting); curate quality POR assets (for example, videos, websites etc.) for IMHA and the broader CIHR community, and create new POR assets to fill gaps; and, evaluate progress of PERA [ 11 ]. PERA members who wished to contribute to the conference were invited to be part of the conference’s 2023 Steering Committee (SC; noting there were 6 PERA members at the time).

An initial discussion with interested PERA members (TF, LH, plus one other) was hosted in November 2022 to gain further insights. This initial conference discussion was supported by IMHA’s Scientific Director, a staff member, and a patient engagement consultant (DPR, who also identifies as a patient partner). Terms of reference for the SC were drafted (see Additional File 1 ) and a timeline of SC meetings with high-level agenda topics was created for internal IMHA purposes. The decision about the conference name was reserved for the patient-led SC. The only pre-determined parameters around the conference were that it would be: free, virtual, led by patient partners, about patient engagement in research, disease agnostic, and for patients (as a primary audience), though anyone would be welcome to attend (and those in academic roles heard about it through IMHA’s regular newsletter and other targeted newsletters). Patients being the primary audience was a decision purposefully made so that patients could explore topics about patient engagement that were most important to them in a safe space. After this meeting, in late 2022 and in early 2023, additional patient partners from across the globe were invited to be part of the SC (based on the diversity of their locations, experiences, etc.), with an aim to have a total of 10 members. SC members who were invited beyond PERA members were known to IMHA through various research and personal networks and social media interactions. One SC member left for personal reasons in spring 2023.

Bringing the PxP conference to life

An overview of the inputs and outputs of PxP 2023 (see Fig.  1 ) are described in more detail in the following sections.

PxP Inputs and Outputs. An overview is provided of the human, financial and operational resources as well as the expertise, insights and skills that went in to PxP 2023. The various outputs include the 3-day conference, a community, and learning and resources

Championing the patient-led ethos

The international SC first met virtually in February 2023 and then monthly (except August and September) until October 2023 [ 14 ]. Two hours were reserved for each virtual meeting. The initial conference concept and parameters were brought to the SC during the February meeting so they could develop their collective vision. The development of the conference was guided by the five PatientsIncluded™ criteria [ 15 ], and went beyond patient co-creation to patient leadership. As outlined below, all elements of the conference were decided by the SC and facilitated through IMHA resources (time, financial, and skills).

The SC meetings were facilitated by the IMHA patient engagement consultant (DPR) and were attended by additional members of the IMHA team as needed to capture relevant action points to fulfill the logistical needs of the conference. DPR developed draft agendas for each meeting (which were open to changes made by SC members), took meeting notes (finalized upon review at each subsequent meeting) and facilitated meetings to ensure meetings supported psychological safety, respect, transparency and collaboration [ 16 ]. If SC members could not attend meetings, they were invited to provide their ideas separately via email or to meet one on one with DPR who incorporated their ideas in to planning. Meetings were kept to a minimum to be respectful of SC members’ time and other commitments. SC members were provided regular updates via email about operational progress between meetings. Email updates also included communication assets (such as social media graphics) so that the SC could share news about PxP with their own networks and on social media; with the opportunity to request additional assets, information or communication support at any point.

All SC members were offered honoraria aligned with the IMHA Patient Engagement Compensation Guidelines, which were developed after this work started [ 17 ]. Honoraria covered all aspects of SC members’ work and contributions for conference planning, and additional honoraria were offered for their time to participate in and attend the conference even if they chose not to be part of the program. Offering honoraria to SC members aligns with principles of equity, diversity and inclusion, and with best practices related to patient engagement in research [ 18 ].

Determining the path of PxP

Launching a new conference and an associated community required a significant amount of work and a focus on both the big picture and the more detailed elements (more on resources required is provided near the end of the paper). The patient-led and operations elements throughout the course of the PxP are detailed in Table  1 . Over the course of conference planning, the SC decided on the following for the conference:

its name (For Patients, By Patients) which was shortened to PxP;

its goal of partnering to make research stronger;

its mission to bring resources, mentorship and community to other patient partners in any kind of health research, no matter their experiences as a patient partner;

its logo design and colours;

the dates, format and length;

its agenda, including each day’s themes, sub-themes and speakers;

the platform (Zoom Webinars);

the preferred communications channels (X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and newsletter); and,

the post-conference survey questions for attendees, hosts, moderators, and speakers.

Additionally, the SC advised on the PxP website (also called the PxP Hub) [ 19 ] by providing thoughts on: user journey, functionality, content and accessibility features. Each member also provided up to 3 resources about patient engagement in research that are posted on the site. The PxP website was created by an agency and is updated by an IMHA staff member.

Co-developing the program

The themes for each day of the conference and for the sessions themselves were selected based on several SC conversations at the monthly meetings. The conference agenda including each day’s theme and sessions is provided in Table  2 , with the full conference agenda that includes dates, times, hosts, moderators, and speakers/panelists in Additional File 2 . Day 1 was considered to be introductory to help equip attendees with the language and baseline knowledge necessary to get involved in patient and public engagement in research, as well as to get the most out of the program [ 20 ]. Day 2 was designed to highlight self-research (where speakers shared doing their own research on themselves as part of their own healthcare journeys), patient-led research, and researcher perspectives on the how and why of their patient engaged research [ 20 ]. On Day 3, the SC wanted to tackle difficult conversations around real-world challenges for patient partners and those who have historically been excluded from health research in the safe space of this patient-led conference, and finished with a session providing practical tips around knowledge dissemination and amplifying the impact of health research [ 20 ]. The themes and session topics were of importance to the SC as patient partners rather than those researchers thought would be important to them.

All SC members had multiple opportunities to suggest specific people or organizations as speakers. They also had the opportunity to be as involved or uninvolved as they wished with the program itself, including as hosts (opened and closed each day and handed each session over to the session moderator), moderators (facilitated sessions by introducing the topic, speakers, and asking audience questions), and speakers, or, if time-zones permitted, as attendees who contributed to the live chats and encouraged discussion amongst attendees. SC members also contributed to how each conference session would be structured, being purposeful about having different approaches to each session (some included presentations, most were moderated discussions). DPR collected, compiled and reviewed all suggestions, and then proposed a draft agenda with a number of options for speakers, which took in to account equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles [ 16 ]. This agenda was subject to additional discussion, changes, and then approval by the SC before speakers were invited.

Conference supports

SC members who participated as hosts, moderators, and speakers/panelists were supported by the IMHA staff and DPR, as were all other moderators and speakers/panelists. All hosts, moderators and speakers/panelists were offered monetary compensation for their time in preparing for and being involved in the conference, with the exception of those who had an academic appointment and whose involvement in such a conference was considered part of their role in academia. For each session of the conference, a meeting was set up and facilitated by DPR so the moderator and speakers/panelists of that session could meet and get to know one another in the month leading up to PxP. At these virtual meetings, logistics about the conference were reviewed and notes were taken that were provided back to attendees. In most cases, the participants worked together to co-create the session content (often with suggestions from SC members).

A ‘run of show’ was created in Google Docs and was shared with all SC members for comment. The ‘run of show’ included each day’s schedule, logistics comments for daily hosts to share with all PxP attendees at the start and close of each day, transitions to breaks, and notes for each session about how it would run, who the moderator and speakers were, etc. The daily hosts were encouraged to make the logistics comments and all commentary their own by copying and pasting content out of the Google Doc. The ‘run of show’ for each session was shared with each session’s moderator, speakers or panelists. Two drop-in sessions on different times and days (to accommodate a variety of time-zones) were offered to all session speakers or panelists and hosts the week before the conference as an opportunity to gain familiarity with the platform, ask logistical questions, and test out slide sharing functionality. Communications to moderators and speakers and panelists were intentionally minimized, but carefully crafted to ensure language was clear and support was available if needed. Formal and informal feedback indicated that hosts, moderators and speakers felt well-prepared for and supported at the conference.

Being purposeful about accessibility

The SC was clear about the importance of accessibility, that is removing barriers to attend and fully participate, being mindful that the conference audience would include people with a wide range of disabilities and access needs, including energy-limiting chronic illness and neurodivergence. Registrants were invited to contact the IMHA team to make it aware of any access or accommodation needs that were not being provided so that it could do its best to support them. The conference was free and the program was purposefully designed with 30-min breaks between sessions. The timings of the program were intended to suit people joining from different time-zones around the world, with Day 3 run during different hours to better include attendees and speakers in Oceania and parts of Asia. To help reduce the burden of converting between time-zones, a table was provided on the PxP website [ 21 ].

As an ongoing consideration to accessibility and inclusivity, all sessions were recorded (with consent) and are available to view directly on the PxP YouTube Channel [ 22 ] or via the PxP Hub [ 9 ]. Asynchronous viewing was considered important for those who could not join live (for example, due to time-zone, medical needs, or other responsibilities) or who would like to re-watch the sessions. The entire transcript was manually edited with Adobe Premiere Pro to help improve accuracy of closed captions. The Adobe software was available through an institutional subscription and there may be alternative options for those who do have access to this product. Anonymized chat summaries from the live sessions are also available for each day on the PxP Hub resource page.

Accessibility for all participants was a priority with the logo and website design, and highlighted in the logo brief and website scope of work. The logo and website have sufficient colour contrast to meet Web-Content Accessibility Guidelines and the colour palette was chosen to not be visually overwhelming for people with visual processing challenges [ 23 ]. The decision to exclude icons was purposeful; different images may not translate well between patient communities and across different cultures. An easy-to-read font was chosen. The premium version of UserWay was added to the site which includes a range of tools for users such as the ability to adjust font, line height or contrast; to pause animations; and to utilise a screen reader, reading mask or reading guide [ 24 ]. There can be limitations and problems that may arise from using automated accessibility overlays which should be investigated and understood before using one. A web page to explain these features and signpost to contact details for additional support is featured prominently on the main menu of the website [ 25 ]. The website is bilingual, offered in both of Canada’s official languages, English and French. Speaker biographies were provided in three different options, in recognition of different preferences or needs for content format: html, PDF with selectable text, and digital flipbook optimized for mobile devices [ 26 ].

The SC chose Zoom Webinars as the conference platform to help promote inclusivity given the familiarity that many people have with it. To keep things simple with the first PxP, a conscious decision was made to use Webinar without any breakout rooms or networking sessions. Attendee and speaker/panelist versions of a PxP 2023 Zoom Webinars guide were created with images to help people get set up at the conference [ 27 ]. See Additional File 3 for the attendee Zoom Webinar guide. A member of the IMHA logistics team was available throughout the conference as technical support for attendees, and a second Zoom room was set up for speaker/panelist questions. At the start of each day of the conference, the daily host provided information to attendees about supports provided and how to access them (e.g., closed captions for sessions, etc.). A Zoom Webinars background was automatically provided for speakers/panelists when they logged in to the webinar, and the colour was chosen to reduce brightness for those with visual processing needs. The logistics team ensured the Zoom platform had the live translated captions as an add-on in over 30 languages. While the addition of live interpreters in other languages including sign-language is preferred, this was not viable due to the number of countries and languages represented in the audience, the conference budget, and other resource considerations.

PxP live and feedback

PxP 2023 took place virtually on September 12, 13 and 14/15, 2023 UTC over a total of 4 h (including breaks) on each day (see Additional File 2 for the full agenda). There were a number of powerful quotes as takeaways from the sessions, some of which are provided in Table  3 . PxP 2023 had 617 registrants from 34 countries, with 310 live attendees self-identifying that they were from 18 countries (note SC members and IMHA staff are included in this number). Attendees were from around the globe including from North America (Canada, United States), South America (Brazil, Colombia), Europe (Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom), Asia (India, Israel), Africa (Nigeria), and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand). The majority of attendees were from Canada (57%), United States (18%), United Kingdom (11%) and Australia (7%), respectively. Attendees were provided the option at the start of each day to identify the perspective they brought in a Zoom poll (they were allowed to select more than one option), and in these polls (data are summarized across all 3 days), attendees identified themselves as a patient partner/person with lived experience (59%), a researcher (35%), a caregiver or relative (20%), a clinician (9%), or a trainee or student (6%).

One member of the IMHA team hosted Zoom Webinars and DPR was also on the ‘back-end’ of Zoom Webinars to support each session’s participants if/as required. SC members took on a variety of roles including as hosts, moderators, presenters, or active participants watching and participating in the Zoom chats. In addition to housekeeping, a Land Acknowledgement [ 28 ], and a bit of information about the day, daily hosts encouraged engagement from the start by asking the audience to respond to the Zoom poll mentioned above.

A graphic artist sketched each speaker/panelist in each day’s first session along with one of their quotes from the session. Once these sketches were signed off by the sketched speakers/panelists, they were shared on social media. There are plans to build on this idea for the 2024 conference by engaging an artist who identifies as a patient to do this for all sessions of the conference.

Attendee interactions and social media

Before the conference, all individuals who registered were provided with a link to a guide to make the most of Zoom Webinars and encouraged to share anything they wished in the chat and on social media with the hashtag #PxP23. At the start of each day, hosts provided introductory comments that included a short overview on using Zoom’s chat, question and answer (Q&A), and emoji functions, the latter to provide live feedback to hosts, speakers and moderators. These appeared to be successful tactics for audience participation as there was a great deal of commenting and sharing of resources in the chat, of emojis during presentations and conversations, and efforts made to include questions from the audience into each session (at the end for a dedicated question and answer session or throughout if the session was a moderated discussion). Since permission was not sought of attendees to copy and share the chats verbatim, two IMHA staff created anonymous summaries of each session’s chat comments and resources that were shared in the chat, which are available on PxP Hub in its resources section. [ 29 ].

Leading up to PxP, a newsletter and social media handles were created on Twitter/X (@PxPHub), Instagram (PxPHub), Threads (PxPHub), and LinkedIn (PxPHub). On the days of the event, PxP live updates and threads were shared primarily on X, in addition to Instagram Stories and LinkedIn. A social media graphic was prepared in advance to be used for event quotes and all images were shared with Alt text. In September 2023 (the month of the conference), the PxP X account gained 94.5 k organic (i.e., not paid for) impressions with a 2.4% engagement rate; on PxP LinkedIn, organic impressions were 3,859 with a 12.2% average engagement rate (which is the engagement rate for each post divided by the total number of posts). The newsletter has over 700 subscribers with an average open rate of 57% and an average click rate of 10%.

Between its launch on July 19, 2023, and December 31, 2023, the PxP website had 5.9 k unique visitors, 16.3 k page views, and an average visit duration of over 2 min. The top four countries for website views were Canada (46%), United States (20.9%), United Kingdom (12.3%) and Australia (9.5%), which mirrors the geographic makeup of PxP attendees. Most people were accessing the site directly (for example, through email share), followed by through X, Google, LinkedIn and Facebook. Other than the homepage, the most frequently accessed pages related to the event tickets and program and the PxP resource page, which is a collation of PxP and external resources.

All PxP 2023 session recordings were made available to view on the PxP YouTube Channel [ 22 ] following manual editing of the closed captions. Day 1 recordings were shared in September 2023, Day 2 recordings in October 2023, and Day 3 recordings in November 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the recordings have already garnered 546 views from over 200 unique viewers, with a combined watch time of 90.5 hours; the videos also have 2 k impressions (which is the times the video thumbnails were shown on YouTube) and an impressions click-through rate of 4.8%, this includes people who have been shown the content in their suggested videos, or Browse features (for example).

Conference feedback

A Project Ethics Community Consensus Initiative (ARECCI) framework was used to assess for and mitigate ethical risks for a survey of PxP participants (hosts, speakers, moderators, and attendees), including the four-step ARECCI Ethics Screening Tool and the ARECCI Ethics Guidelines [ 30 , 31 ]. The survey was deemed as minimal risk to participants and did not require review from a Research Ethics Board. All PxP participants (hosts, speakers/panelists, moderators and attendees) were provided a link to an online, voluntary, self-reported anonymous survey to complete. The survey included a consent statement at the beginning about the potential use of their results and open-ended responses for learning purposes or for publication purposes. Respondents could opt-out of their survey responses being used for publication purposes if they wished. The survey was issued using a modified Dillman’s method to achieve a better response rate [ 32 ].

All 310 attendees were invited to respond to a survey about the conference. One-hundred and thirty-seven (137) attendees voluntarily submitted survey responses (response rate of 44%). Of these respondents, 136 respondents consented to their responses being used for publication purposes and 1 respondent agreed for their responses only to be used for learning purposes, not for publication purposes. The survey results from the 136 attendees were overwhelmingly positive:

96% (130) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the themes and topics discussed were relevant to them;

96% (130) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed the question and discussion periods were well-organized and helpful in their learning;

74% (100) agreed or strongly agreed that there were opportunities to interact, engage and network with other attendees during the conference;

88% (120) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they learned something new that will be useful in their future approach in patient partnership/engagement;

95% (129) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the conference environment was inclusive and safe;

95% (129) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they would recommend the PxP conference to a friend or colleague;

95% (129) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with Zoom Webinars as the conference platform; and,

94% (128) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the sessions they attended.

In response to 5 comments on main areas for improvement, increased diversity (gender, ethnicity, geography) for SC members and speakers will be a focus for PxP2024.

SC members were also issued a separate online survey based on the validated Patient and Public Engagement Evaluation Tool to respond to anonymously about their experiences of being a SC member between February to September 2023 [ 33 ]. This survey also had a consent statement at the start about potential uses of the survey data and from which respondents could opt-out. All 9 SC members responded anonymously to this survey. The results indicated that their experiences were positive overall with respect to planning and carrying out the conference. Overall, they indicated that the SC was a safe environment where they could express their views, they felt supported by IMHA in a number of ways (e.g., through being offered one on one meetings if they were unable to attend scheduled meetings), they felt that their feedback was taken into account by IMHA, and that they were proud of the conference. Like conference attendees, they felt that the SC’s diversity of experiences, ethnicity, gender, geography, etc., should be expanded in future years.

Trade-offs, challenges and learnings

The SC aimed to minimize the burden of registering for and attending the conference. The SC decided a conference platform was not necessary, and instead opted to use Zoom alone given familiarity with Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the SC considered the options of separate registrations and links for each session vs. each day of the conference, and opted to have each day run as one long Zoom Webinar. It was thought that this registration/link approach would minimize potential for confusion around different time-zones for an international event. With this approach, each attendee registered for each day and was provided with a personalized link for that day. Using Zoom Webinar meant that for the starting session of each day, session hosts and speakers/panelists were in a private Zoom Webinar room before the event went live and could prepare without the audience seeing or hearing them. However, after that first session and during breaks, new session speakers/panelists joined and if audience members kept their Zoom Webinar open, they were privy to these preparations. Using Zoom Webinar also meant that attendees could not direct message each other, rather only had the option to post to everyone in the chat. Visual messaging on the screen and in the chats was used during the breaks to let attendees know when sessions would start again. Even with these trade-offs, evaluation results and comments indicated that Zoom Webinar was an appropriate platform for PxP 2023.

Some audience members found the action in the Zoom Webinar chat during the sessions to be distracting and struggled to keep up with the amount of participation in the chat. Part of this may have had to do with how their chat settings were set up (some participants indicated that the chat kept ‘popping up’). For PxP 2024, some suggestions will be offered to deal with the chat and how it can be minimized, and attendees will be informed that the chats will be summarized (including the resources shared in the chats) and posted on the PxP resource hub after the conference.

Future conferences will see an increased diversity (gender, ethnicity, etc.) of the SC members and the invited speakers. Four survey comments indicated gender diversity is an area for improvement given they observed few who appeared to identify as men presenting in the sessions (note that organizers did not ask hosts, moderators or speakers/panelists to disclose their gender). A study of the demographics of patient partners in Canada indicates that this gender uniformity is fairly reflective of the patient partner demographic in many initiatives [ 34 ].

Even though this event was all about patient engagement in research and aimed to execute well on best practices, we experienced process challenges at IMHA’s home institution with respect to issuing honoraria for international participants. The IMHA team has developed an approach to minimize these process issues by working with its home institution for subsequent events.

Resource requirements

The conference required certain resources from IMHA. In addition to a financial budget, a conference platform, communication tools (e.g., a website, social media accounts, a newsletter, etc.), and human resources were required. Without these resources, it would have been difficult to host the same quality of PxP.

It is estimated that in addition to IMHA human resource costs (see below for information on time of various roles), the cost for the first PxP was approximately $27,500 CDN (all figures here in Canadian dollars). This amount includes honoraria offered to SC members (to attend meetings and for various roles in the conference) and all speakers/panelists ($20,000), building the website ($6,000, excluding an annual maintenance fee of $900), and the Zoom platform (~ $1,500). For PxP2024, the only item that will come off the budget is the cost to build the website.

While time commitment varied and especially ramped up closer to the conference itself, a number of IMHA team members contributed to the conference. The financial cost of these human resources is not provided as a dollar amount as this will vary for organizations. Balancing other IMHA-related work within her one-day a week commitment to IMHA (that is, less than 0.2 full time equivalents), DPR prepared materials for and hosted all SC meetings, met with SC members individually if they could not attend scheduled meetings, invited speakers and panelists, hosted 9 conference planning sessions/introductory meetings for sessions, attended the 2 pre-conference drop-ins for all speakers, hosts, and panelists, led developing the ‘run of show,’ shared information about the conference on social media and in her networks, and supported speakers, hosts and panelists on the back-end of Zoom Webinars each day of the conference. RT worked closely with DPR and attended all SC meetings and provided technical support for speakers, hosts and panelists at the conference. HM worked closely with DPR, attending most SC meetings, co-designed all communications and social media assets for the conference, coordinated all IMHA communications about the conference, coordinated PxP logo and website development, created all conference agendas and guides for using Zoom Webinar, etc., and hosted Zoom Webinar for the conference. HM’s time commitment was between 0.25–0.5 full time equivalents in the 6 months leading up to the conference. Another member of the IMHA team supported compensation processes for all SC members, speakers and panelists, through setting up individuals with a finance system and ensuring payments were received. And one other member of the IMHA team co-created the evaluation materials and uploaded them in to an online survey software (Qualtrics), and helped with analyzing all survey results. KK supported the entire project by attending SC meetings, the conference itself, and allowing IMHA resources to be used to support the PxP.

Next steps for PxP and beyond

Planning for PxP 2024 has already started, and PxP will continue until at least 2025 with IMHA support. Beyond 2025, a new Scientific Director will be appointed to IMHA (Scientific Directors’ terms are for a maximum of 8 years, with the current Scientific Director completing his term in 2025), and their support for PxP is not guaranteed. With a commitment to provide new patient partners the opportunity to plan and participate in the conference, a new SC is being formed for 2024 with efforts to expand its diversity (patient partner experience, gender, ethnicity, geography, etc.), and based on suggestions made by 2023’s SC members. The 2023 SC has become an Alumnus Committee and their interaction with the 2024 SC and involvement in PxP 2024 will be decided by the incoming SC. As was the case with the 2023 event, the 2024 SC will decide on all aspects of the conference, building on the successes and learning from the challenges of PxP 2023.

As individuals who were involved in designing and executing PxP, we encourage others to use the PxP template and build on it to find ways to support and create conferences and events for patients and by patients. Support may take the form of any of a number of resources, such as people, funding, and skills. One of the main challenges for patients planning and carrying out their own conferences is funding, and we urge organizations to consider how they can provide this type of financial support. There may also be more innovative partnership models waiting to be created and learned from.

Conclusions

We present work we undertook throughout 2023 to co-create and produce PxP, a conference for patients and by patients, all about patient engagement in research, and its associated PxP Hub. We share how the conference prioritized the patient partner community and accessibility, and provided an opportunity for knowledge exchange and nuanced discussions on all aspects of patient engagement in research. The conference has convened an active community of over 700 people that we hope will grow. We aim to engage in future events, with a deeper focus on equity, diversity and inclusion. In addition to working with knowledgeable patients who have their own networks, having support (funding, project management and communications skills and expertise, people, etc.) is required to carry out such an event. The time is now to elevate patients into leadership roles for conferences and events. We encourage you to adopt the PxP ethos by using or adapting our approach and resources to support this model.

Availability of data and materials

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Abbreviations

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis

Patient Engagement in Research Ambassadors

Patient-Oriented Research

For Patients, by Patients

Steering Committee

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Eileen Davidson as a Steering Committee member of PxP 2023, Eunice Lui for her work related to the conference evaluation, and Mike Brennan for his speaker sketches.

All SC members who are authors were offered an honorarium for their involvement in developing and writing this paper.

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Dawn P. Richards, Hetty Mulhall, Rosie Twomey & Karim M. Khan

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Contributions

DPR, HM and RT led conception of the work, DPR convened the writing group and discussions (JB, SdS, TF, AH, LH, KK, HM, AP, SR, JT, RT). DPR led writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the design, analysis of the work and in writing and revising the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Authors’ information

We have not filled in the GRIPP2 for this commentary as a number of the authors identify as patient partners. All author contributions are noted above. The following authors can be found and tagged on X: DPR (@TO_dpr), TF (@trudyflynn_), AH (@alexhaagaard), LH (@lhunter1310), HM (@HettyMulhall), AP (@AmyPricePhD), JT (@Hassanah2017).

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dawn P. Richards .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

A Project Ethics Community Consensus Initiative (ARECCI) framework was used to assess for and mitigate ethical risks for a survey of PxP participants (attendees, hosts, session participants) as well as SC members, including the four-step ARECCI Ethics Screening Tool and the ARECCI Ethics Guidelines. The surveys were deemed as minimal risk to participants, and did not require review from a Research Ethics Board. The surveys were answered anonymously (no identifying information was collected) and voluntary, and there was a consent statement before the survey start so they could opt out of if they wished.

Consent for publication

Individuals who chose to complete the survey (see above) were consented for their results to be part of a discussion in a publication. One person did not consent to their survey results being used for this purpose, and their results were removed from those discussed in this paper.

Competing interests

DPR is a full-time employee of Five02 Labs, Inc., and is under contract to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis to support its patient engagement efforts.

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Supplementary Information

Additional file 1. steering committee terms of reference., 40900_2024_603_moesm2_esm.pdf.

Additional file 2. Full version of the conference agenda which includes dates, times, hosts, session names and their respective moderators and speakers.

40900_2024_603_MOESM3_ESM.pdf

Additional file 3. Zoom Webinar Guide that was created for conference attendees to make the most of attending the conference on the Zoom Webinar platform.

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Richards, D.P., Mulhall, H., Belton, J. et al. Co-creating and hosting PxP: a conference about patient engagement in research for and by patient partners. Res Involv Engagem 10 , 77 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-024-00603-0

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Received : 02 February 2024

Accepted : 28 June 2024

Published : 29 July 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-024-00603-0

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