The entrepreneurial creativity of NDSU students was on display during the Innovation Challenge Awards Luncheon April 2 at the Fargodome. The annual competition is sponsored by the NDSU Research and Technology Park.
Pharmaceutical sciences graduate student Pranothi Mulinti received second place in the Graduate Research category for her innovation called Silk-cath.
Students have competed since January, honed their pitches and made their formal final presentations on March 28.
Mulinti’s Silk-cath project involves coating of a venous catheter tube with a unique fusion protein that can capture heparin present inside the body to provide both anti-coagulant and antimicrobial surface. Mulinti is advised by Amanda Brooks, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences.
Top teams received $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place. The best in the three categories of Innovation Challenge include:
Entrepreneurship
• First place: Push Receipts, the creation of management information systems majors Matthew Solem and Kristian Rue, both seniors. The team created a system that eliminates paper receipts to prevent waste and gives people control of their data.
• Second place: ElboRoom by Grayson Kein, a senior business administration major. The project helps remote workers find workspaces in a space fit for them.
• Third place: Hot Bike, developed by College of Business students Colin Schulte, a senior majoring in business administration; Jordan Thielman, a junior management major; and Kyland Ziegler, a senior marketing major. The project helps cyclists travel more comfortably in cold climates. Hot Bike also received $1,000 for winning the Dr. David Wells People’s Choice Award.
Graduate Research
• First place: Illuminate by Velmanickam Logeeshan, a graduate student studying electrical and computer engineering. The project involves an engineering technique to aid cancer patients.
• Second place: Silk-Cath, a project by Pranothi Mulinti, a graduate student in pharmaceutical sciences. The research involved a coating of a venous catheter tube that provides an anti-coagulant and anti-microbial surface.
• Third place: Hydro-Healers, by mechanical engineering graduate students Ghazal Vahidi, Amir Darabi and Chad Rehovsky, and post-doctoral research fellow Jamileh Shojaeiarani. The team developed 3D-printed hydrogel bandages that can be customized for patients.
Social Impact
• First place: The Wind Turbine Guys, a team comprised of four mechanical engineering students – junior Ryder Belgarde, junior Myles Duval, senior Peyton Beehler and junior Sam Beatty. The students developed a compact, omnidirectional wind turbine that can be mounted on city buildings to help reduce carbon footprints.
• Second place: EcoTex, by Maria Billadeau, senior majoring in apparel, retail merchandise and design. She developed an eco-friendly outdoor recreational textile that reduces the use of microplastics.
• Third place: Reel, by Ryan Morff, a senior marketing major; Charlie Carlson, a senior majoring in business administration; Hayden Teruya, a senior marketing major; and Jeffrey Ostlund, a senior majoring in management. The project helps young social media users connect with friends and family.
The NDSU Research and Technology Park is dedicated to enhancing investments in the university by the citizens of North Dakota. Through partnerships with international, national and regional centers of excellence, as well as high technology-based businesses and the NDSU research community, the park helps to develop technology-based businesses to broaden the economic base of the state.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.