{"id":1381,"date":"2019-05-01T16:41:44","date_gmt":"2019-05-01T16:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/differencemaker\/?p=1381"},"modified":"2020-04-16T17:02:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T17:02:26","slug":"2019-50000-idea-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/differencemaker\/2019\/05\/01\/2019-50000-idea-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 $50,000 Idea Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Wednesday, April 24, from 5 p.m. \u2013 8:30 p.m., we held our\n7th<\/sup> annual $50,000 Idea Challenge in Moloney Hall, University\nCrossing.  As people began to arrive they\nhad a chance to vote for one of our nine semi-finalist teams to win the Fan\nFavorite award.  There was great turnout\nof faculty, professors, students, and others to see our ten finalist teams\npitch-off for a chance to win a piece of the $50,000!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Congratulations to all of our winning teams!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fan Favorite –\n$1,000<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bar Scene-<\/strong> Thomas\nKiley, Senior, Computer Science; Hannah Wright, Alumni, Marketing and\nEntrepreneurship; & Owen Hunter, Senior, Finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Bar Scene app\nwill act as a one-stop shop for nightlife information in Lowell, including\nprices, events, and how crowded each bar is in real time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorable Mentions\n– $2,000<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EV Smart (EV 2 EV)-<\/strong>\nOmkar Bhandakkar, Alumni, Energy Engineering; Hamza Ehsan, Junior, Computer\nScience; & Rajvi Shah, Senior, Computer Science.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to solve the\nproblem of EV owners worrying about range and charging. By creating an app to\nconnect nearby EV owners with people in need of charging we solve exactly that.\nWith the hardware in place for Vehicle-2-vehicle communications as well we can\nhave short range and long range communications either between mobile phones and\nusers or cars between cars.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OTDSEES (Over Terrain\nTactical Scuba Personnel Delivery Device)- <\/strong>Ian Ramsdell, Senior, BA.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a scuba diver here\nin New England it is always a challenge to haul your gear over the extremely\nuneven terrain that is associated with the best dive sites. This also keeps a\nlot of disabled divers from being able to enjoy a sport that they love. For a\ndisabled scuba diver, this terrain makes it even more of a challenge. I have\ndeveloped a device that would either assist the diver by moving the diver’s\ngear to the water or even move a disabled diver to the water or even into the\nwater.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Projected Pin\/ ATM\nFast App- <\/strong>Conrad Nelson, Junior, Chemical Engineering; Jenna Olander,\nSenior, Art (BFA); Tatiana Tompkins, Sophomore, Business; & Mohammad\nMusawear, Freshman, Computer Engineering. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA faster and safer\nmethod to withdraw from an ATM that will save Americans and ATM companies\nmillions of dollars per year.  Our method\nrequires a minor integration to the ATM user interface that will help prevent\npotentially all card skimming and PIN theft that occurs at ATMs.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RE-VIVE (NextStep)- <\/strong>Nicholas\nLydon, Senior, Chemical Engineering (BSE); Allison Michell, Senior, Chemical\nEngineering (BSE); & Derek Jamieson, Freshman, Undeclared.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project aims to\naddress the opioid epidemic by preventing fatal overdose. The project consists\nof a wearable auto-injection system to administer Naloxone to those suffering\nfrom a drug overdose. This will help decrease the number of fatal overdoses\nthat tragically occur, and hopefully combat the overall epidemic.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CAT Mat (Outside\nIn \u2013 An outdoor simulation mat)- <\/strong>Michelle Mailloux, Graduate, Physical\nTherapy; & Katherine Muise, Graduate, Physical Therapy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur product is a mat\nthat will allow physical therapists to treat their patients\u2019 deficits\nthroughout the body, from the musculoskeletal system to sensory systems. It\nwill simulate walking outdoors to help patients prepare for community\nambulation. Our mat will have a sturdy structure underneath that allows it to\nbe slip-free and be buildable. The pieces will be sized so that they can fit in\nparallel bars, making them usable to even the most dependent of patients. It\nwill be a great alternative to walking outside when an outdoor environment is\nnot suitable for a patient.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contribution to a\nHealthier Lifestyle – $4,500<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ECG for Me (Electro\nCardio Athletic Patch)- <\/strong>Rachel Harrington, Graduate, Biotechnology; Taylor\nMellen, Graduate, Biotechnology; & William Bizilj, Graduate,\nBiotechnology.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDesign wireless\nelectro cardio patches that work with the Apple Series 4 watch to display an\nECG capable of detecting underlying heart conditions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack. M. Wilson\nFirst Product to Market Award – $4,500<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamfuze (Music Web\nPlatform)- <\/strong>Stephen Wahome, Alumni, MBA; Christopher Sinclair, Junior, BBA;\nMichael Adrien, Senior, Sound Recording Technology (BM).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are aiming to\ncreate a music website\/market place connects local artist with the services\nthey need to build and accelerate their music careers. These services will\nrange from finding local studios, engineers, videographers, beats, and much\nmore. The key is eliminating the search cost for these artists by providing a\none stop shop platform.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sutherland Innovative\nTechnology Solution – $4,500<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

USe Cart-<\/strong> Max\nUshakov, Graduate, Electrical Engineering; Daniel Falcone, Senior, Business;\nMoya Alhayek, Junior, Electrical Engineering; & Shanice Kelly, Junior,\nMechanical Engineering.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe future shopping\ncart that makes the shopping faster, easier for customers, pushing the\nself-checking to the new level. The smart shopping cart will create the better\nexperience of doing your grocery, and it will reduce the time that you spend in\na store. Technology inside will help a customer to navigate through the piles\nand have a shopping list on a screen connected to theirs accounts.  Let’s make the future of shopping enjoyable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significant Social\nImpact – $4,500<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VotED- <\/strong>from\nMiddlesex Community College: Michael Dignan, Sophomore, Business\nAdministration; Gillian Inglis, Sophomore, Business Administration; &\nOlivia Reposa, Sophomore, Business Administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cA voting education app.  It\ninforms voters about what is on their ballot in the upcoming election and will\nnotify them when there is an upcoming election. \nThey can also decide if they want to learn about town meeting and other\npolitical events in their town.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rist Campus-wide\nDifferenceMaker – $6,000<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benji Ball- <\/strong>Benjamin\nMcEvoy, Sophomore, Business; Gavin Donohue, Sophomore, Engineering; Tristan\nNaboicheck, Freshman, English; & Edward Morante, Sophomore, Education.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a Baseball\ntraining tool that will be composed of a bat and ball with the ball having multiple\nsides, each side showing the different outcome of an at bat. The bat has a\nbigger barrel since this game\/training tool is designed for children and\nspecial needs kids to be able to learn the game of baseball in a fun and\nsimplistic way. I already have the first prototype made from a manufacturer in\nChina.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We would like to extend a special thanks to all of our\njudges for doing an amazing job!<\/p>\n\n\n\n