Posted: June 21, 2008

Innovation showcase finalists named

(Nanowerk News) A device that removes arsenic from groundwater will compete against a nanotechnology-based drug delivery system and eight other novel technology innovations at the 2008 ASME Innovation Showcase (ASME IShow) to be held Oct. 31, in Boston.
ASME is sponsor of ASME IShow, which recognizes inventive skill on the part of engineering students who will become tomorrow’s technical innovators and entrepreneurs. More than a design contest, the Innovation Showcase – in its second year – will focus on the potential for new inventions to impact commercial markets.
The ten contestants in the 2008 Innovation Showcase are Baylor University (a technology that develops particle board and other products from coconuts), Johns Hopkins University (a vestibular system for audiologists and other health providers), Johns Hopkins Institute (a gastroenterological device that eases abdominal surgery), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (a robot that aids in medical biopsies), Pennsylvania State University (a communications system that links doctors and other medical providers to people suffering illness in developing countries), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (mine detection device), University of California at Berkeley (solar water heater and arsenic remediation device), University of California at San Francisco (nanotechnology-based drug delivery system), and Virginia Military Institute (low-frequency seismic detector).
In addition to demonstrating technology capabilities, the contestants will be required to submit business plans including market analysis and other criteria. The judging panel at IShow will include successful innovators, venture capitalists, and intellectual property specialists.
In the time leading up to the competition, the teams will be matched with entrepreneurs and mentors, who will assist the students in refining the products as well as developing a strategic business plan. Awards will be presented at the 2008 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress, which will be held Oct. 31 through Nov. 6 at the Sheraton Boston.
ASME has developed ASME IShow in collaboration with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance and Idea to Product competitions. ASME IShow aims to nurture a new generation of innovators, while supporting inventive undergraduate projects, student programs, and faculty curriculum development.
Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community. Visit http://www.asme.org.
Source: ASME