UB MBAs top 10 in Thunderbird Sustainable Innovation Challenge

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- MBA students from the University at Buffalo School of Management are finalists in an innovation competition to be held in conjunction with Thunderbird School of Global Management's Sustainable Innovation Summit on Nov. 8-10 at Thunderbird in Glendale, Ariz.

UB MBA students Alexandra Andrianova, Timothy Silverstein, Jennifer Pugh and David Hughes were culled from a pool of 118 teams representing 51 universities in 13 countries who competed in the first round of the competition. In addition to the UB School of Management team, finalists include teams from Thunderbird, Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Duke, University of California Davis, Purdue University, University of Rochester and University of Maryland.

The UB MBA team will travel to Thunderbird to present its case during the school's Sustainable Innovation Summit Nov. 8-10. The winning student team will receive a cash prize of $20,000 and the title "Global Champions of Sustainable Innovation."

Business experts, thought leaders and MBA students from around the world will gather at Thunderbird for the summit, which will showcase real-world innovative business solutions that reflect a commitment to economically, environmentally and socially sound business practices.

The summit features a variety of events, including panels, keynote speakers and the final round of the MBA case competition, all dedicated to best practices driven by innovation and corporate social responsibility.

The summit's highlight is the final round of the Challenge, a team competition challenging MBAs and other master's level students to develop innovative and sustainable business concept plans to address real-life challenges faced by global corporations. For more information on the summit, visit .

The Wall Street Journal ranks the UB School of Management No. 9 in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek ranks the school as one of the country's top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes cites it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.