Engineering students win support for entrepreneurial ventures
Seven teams led by students in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering are winners in Arizona State University’s 2011 Innovation Challenge.
The competition is designed to help students hone skills in teamwork, leadership, project development, business planning and public speaking.
Students get the opportunity to win funding for entrepreneurial endeavors that focus on innovative ways to help communities on local or global scales – through new product development, business ventures or community service partnerships.
Winning teams can be presented grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.
More than 150 teams applied to compete in this year’s Innovation Challenge, and 30 were selected as finalists to present their plans to a panel of judges. Sixteen of the teams have been awarded grants.
Winning teams led by Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering students are:
bioSPY ($4,880 grant) bioSPY is developing a proof-of-concept in a sound business model based on a healthcare need for peptide-enhanced medical devices that confer the specificity required in the administration of personalized medicine.
Engineering student members include team leader Casey Hallberg and Anil Prasad. The team mentor is professor Neal Woodbury, the chief scientific officer for the Biodesign Institute at ASU.
Augmented Innovation ($2,500 grant) Augmented Innovations creates a novel computer interface for doctors to be able to access and interact with patient data technologies in sterile environments.
Engineering student members are team leader Arash Tadayon and Colin Ho. The team mentor is Sreekar Krishna, an assistant research technologist with the schools of engineering.
SP2 Energy ($2,000 grant) SP2 Energy has developed a unique solar power generator and is collaborating with another Innovation Challenge award winner, Project LOCAL, to provide power for Project LOCAL's container clinic.
Engineering student members are team leader Aaron Peshlakai, Dimitris Papachristoforou and Eu Teum Song. The team mentor is Anita Grierson, director of the Motivated Engineering Transfer Students center.
Project LOCAL ($2,000 grant) Project LOCAL is developing a facility out of a retired shipping container that provides a safe and clean place to give birth; the team is also collaborating with U.S.-based doctors to develop a training program for practicing African midwives to prevent deaths by hemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labor and hypertensive diseases.
Engineering student members are team leader Susanna Young, Louis Tse, Brent Dodson, Clay Tyler and Jasmine Nejad. The team mentor is Jan Snyder, program manager for the Engineering Student Outreach and Retention Program.
Doc-in-a-Box ($1,500 grant) Doc-in-a-Box is the solution to meet the need for mobile medical clinics in disaster areas, while at the same time recycling unused shipping containers.
Engineering student members are team leader Gabrielle Palermo, Joshua Winterstein, John Walters and Gwendolyn Torrens. The team mentor is Andy Roberson, president and founder, of TeleHELP.
Mulitplexed Diabetes Management ($1,500 grant) Multiplexed Diabetes Management (MDM) is a transformative technology with long-term impact in diabetes care.
Engineering student members are team leader Aman Verma, Christopher McBride, Anabel Murillo, Teagan Adamson and Zachary Decke. The team mentor is Jeffrey La Belle, assistant research professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering.
Project Upepo ($1,500 grant) Project Upepo seeks to focus sustainable technology to produce meaningful change by combining education, employment and electrification via wind technology.
Engineering student members are team leader Emily Kempe, Michael Hillebrand, Alex Padilla and Andrew Eckenrode. The team mentor is Dan O'Neill, of ASU’s Venture Catalyst group.