Pacific Index

Enter into the Inspired Ideas Competition

   The second floor of the Tran Library houses a variety of things: an archive of books, of course, window-lit desks, and quiet study rooms full of muffled voices. But often overlooked by unaware passers-by is the Berglund Center, a campus-wide innovation and creation hub equipped with dozens of technological tools to solve the problems of tomorrow.

   An enthusiastic and passionate Dr. Andy Soria is to be thanked for the improvements to the Berglund Center after he took over in early 2014. “The whole idea of the center was and is to support ideas that solve a problem somewhere, in ways they’ve been done before,” says Soria with a smile, explaining his hope for the center. 

   That’s where the Berglund Center Inspired Ideas Competition can be of great help, offering anyone the possibility to create change. This unique competition is welcome to any degree-seeking students, from freshman to PhD graduate students. “Not limiting the scope nor the place where ideas came from led me to design and promote the Inspired Ideas Competition as a forum, essentially to share problems that are worth solving and solutions that haven’t been tried when solving those problems,” shares Soria. This is just one of the distinct elements of this “Shark Tank” style competition, entailing that competitors are tasked with presenting their ideas to a panel of judges in hopes they will be chosen as one of the three possible winners. But the other distinctive component is how Soria chooses to support and reward each contestant throughout the competition. 

   To start, during or before registration, competitors can meet with Dr. Soria to discuss their idea, regardless of whether it’s fully developed or not, “Tell me your half-baked idea. I’m a great cook. I’ll finish it!” From there, Soria likes to act as a coach, helping to guide competitors through the process. When the day finally arrives, contestants present their ideas to a panel of judges with a quick five-minute talk, video, or alternate platform depending on the circumstances. The judges are each professionals in their respective industries, ranging from lead engineers to scientists and business specialists. “I rely on them to essentially make a call, right? So for me, it’s a leap of faith. I have no idea what I’m gonna do next year and I rely on these folks to help me out,” explains Soria, describing the selection process. By the end of the event, the judges have chosen their three winners, and the real process can begin. After winning, the competitors become official Bergland fellows and are granted $10,000 worth of support including hiring and putting together a group of people to bring the project to life. From student workers to developers, dozens of people work to make each idea possible. Soria boasts that well over 40 of the projects have been completed. 

   “The main thing I want students to leave with is an understanding that there are no bad ideas. Our worst enemy’s ourselves. We talk ourselves out of saying things or believing that our ideas are not good enough. If it is affecting you, it is affecting others,” Soria expresses confidently. He believes that every idea matters and that the Inspired Ideas Competition can open the door to real motivation to learn and use the resources the Berglund Center provides. 

   In parting words, Soria’s piece of advice for aspiring contestants was this, “The only advice I can give is to try to make the pitch about the problem from the heart, from a point of feelings. That is how we connect to people. It is not a ‘wow’ competition. All of the winners, every single winner that we’ve ever had won not because their idea was better than the others, but because they presented and they connected in a way that made the problem personal to the judges.” 

The 2025 Inspired Ideas Competition will take place on April 19 in McGill Auditorium at 10 am. More information about this contest and entry forms can be found online on the Pacific University website.