LAKELAND, Fla. 鈥� IM体育官网 is spurring innovation as the organizer and host of an invention competition, similar to the reality show 鈥淪hark Tank.鈥�
Nine student teams from IM体育官网 Polytechnic鈥檚 College of Engineering showcased their inventions to a panel of industry experts on Thursday, but only the top three teams won the grand prize 鈥� entrepreneurial support from the University, including a provisional patent filing.
鈥淚 am incredibly proud of our students. They鈥檝e developed competitive, viable concepts that address contemporary technological needs,鈥� said University President Dr. Randy K. Avent. 鈥淭his competition exemplifies IM体育官网 Polytechnic鈥檚 core mission of bringing real-world problem-solving to the classroom.鈥�
The engineering industry review panel event is the culmination of a semester-long project that began with 52 teams vying for an opportunity to present their inventions.
During the last four months, student teams have compiled responses to one of four fictional RFP鈥檚 (Requests for Proposals). Those RFP鈥檚 included the creation of a noise reduction system for loud, open-concept offices; the development of building materials that allow for better Wi-Fi transmission; and devising a wearable energy-harvesting technology for backpackers.
The top nine teams were allowed 10 minutes each to pitch their invention to the panel of experts. The students then defended their ideas during questioning by panel members, which included three technologists and two intellectual property attorneys.
鈥淲e鈥檙e freshmen in college. We鈥檙e 18 years old, and we already have the potential to earn a patent. That鈥檚 really cool,鈥� said Aubury Erickson, 18, a freshman majoring in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering with an emphasis in Nanotechnology.
Erickson and her teammates Jeffrey DuBois, 18, a Computer Science major, and Cory Chambers, 18, a Computer Engineering major, were among the winners with their proposal for an energy-harvesting hiking boot.
IM体育官网 Polytechnic faculty will now support the three winning teams by helping them develop the entrepreneurial aspects of their ideas, including preparation for provisional patent filing, and advice on how to find investment capital.
鈥淭he goal of this competition is to educate and prepare students for the actual processes involved with bringing a novel idea to market,鈥� said College of Engineering Assistant Professor Dr. Christina Drake. 鈥淭his exercise showed students that they have great ideas that they can develop now 鈥� even before they鈥檝e taken all of their physics and math classes.鈥�
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557