In December, the winners of the Fall 2007 Change the World Challenge at RPI were announced. Of the submissions received from students at the Institute, five were selected as winning ideas. Each winning team or individual is awarded a cash prize of $1,000.
Nicholas Kirsch ’10, Alicia Lin ’11, Christina Gambino ’11, and Tiffany Hu ’11 won for their development of the SunSac. Lin said that the device “utilizes solar water pasteurization techniques to decontaminate water of up to 99.999 percent of pathogens and costs less than two dollars.”
Lin explained that the team was inspired to develop the SunSac by statistics such as, “5,000 children under the age of five die from a water or sanitation related disease” and continued to pursue the idea through research during the winter break.
The second team consisted of Alexander Morein ’10, Garrett Scheffler ’11, Jacquelyn Colarusso ’11, and Richard Willems ’11. The group was awarded for their work in improving the pot-in-pot refrigeration device. Morein stated that the improvements included superior “thermal efficiency, ergonomics, and general usability.”
The team was inspired by the observation of an exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City, according to Morein. The exhibit related to the design of technologies for people, such as those in third-world countries, not usually focused on by those carrying out design. When asked about plans to pursue this work further, Morein said that the team is discussing “meeting up over the summer to fabricate and test [their] improved designs.”
A team of students Sarah DiNovo ’08, Paul Hurlock-Dick ’08, Cristhian Kim ’08, Louis Martinelli ’08, Carly Strife ’08, and Aaron Henshaw ’07 won with their idea of using bioluminescent algae as a source of light. The idea was developed as a project in an inventors’ studio course.
DiNovo and Martinelli also submitted another winning entry in the contest: a Smart Badge for law enforcement officers. The Smart Badge’s features include facial recognition, and can serve as the officer’s radio.
DiNovo said that the team plans to present the Smart Badge at the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance this spring and submit the device in the Tech Valley Business Plan Competition and for a grant from the Class of ’51 Entrepreneurship Fund.
The final winning idea in the contest was submitted by DiNovo. She designed a jacket, Guardian Wear, designed to protect its wearer from various physical threats. Features of the jacket include a built-in audio alarm and global positioning technology.
DiNovo and Martinelli are working to form a company with the Smart Badge and Guardian Wear. DiNovo stated that they will “start with the Guardian Wear and hope to raise capital … to fund R&D for the Smart Badge.” Winning a grant through the NCIIA or from the Tech Valley Business Plan Competition would also aid in the development of the product.
The Change the World Challenge asks students to demonstrate the need for a solution to a problem faced my many people throughout the world, and present a solution while demonstrating its feasibility.
Vice Provost of Entrepreneurship and contest head Robert Chernow explained that the solutions to these problems sought by the competition “are not wants, these are needs.” The Change the World Challenge encourages the development of ideas to satisfy these needs “with technology that we are developing at places like Rensselaer.”
Chernow continued that the competition seeks ideas that “make a huge difference, impacting millions and millions of lives.”
The Change the World Challenge will be held again this spring, with submissions due March 19. The contest is open to all students, both graduate and undergraduate, of all majors.
