2017 Winners
Congratulations to UMass Lowell's 2017 $50K Idea Challenge Winners! Challenge categories and winners are as follows:
- Campus Wide DifferenceMaker
- Significant Social Impact
- Contribution to a Healthier Lifestyle
- Innovative Technology Solution
- First to Market
- Honorable Mention
- Fan Favorite
Campus-Wide DifferenceMaker
Operation250 - $6,000:
An online platform focused on educating both young adolescents and parents on how to prevent online radical extremist recruitment.
- Tyler Cote, Senior, Political Science and Criminal Justice
- Jaime Keenan, Junior, Criminal Justice
- Jonas Pierribia, Senior, Criminal Justice
- Nicollete SanClemente, Sophomore, International Business
- Danielle Thibodeau, Senior, Criminal Justice and Psychology
Significant Social Impact
Guardian - $4,500:
A sensor platform that attaches to commercially available drones for use in search and rescue operations.
- Julie Pham, Senior, Business
- Yomar Salazar, Senior, Business
- Austin Stevens, Junior, Electrical Engineering
- Kyle Stuart, Senior, Electrical Engineering
Contribution to a Healthier Lifestyle
QBell - $4,500:
A mobile app nursing call bell system that allows patients to request nurse assistance, and allows nurses to manage a list of patients' requests.
- Jeremy Arzuga, Graduate, Computer Science
- Vivien Chow, Graduate, Computer Science
- Theresa Fullerton, Senior, Nursing
- Gao Gao, Graduate, Computer Science
- Andriana Kanellos, Senior, Nursing
- Sary Nhet, Senior, Business
- Renee Vigneault, Senior, Nursing
- Stephany Wilson, Senior, Nursing
Innovative Technology Solution
A non-invasive and cost-effective prosthetic hand using a combination of 3D printing and advanced machine learning software.
- Roma Aurora, Junior, Marketing
- Gregory Dorian, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
- Christopher Johnson, Junior, Accounting
- Travis Kessler, Junior, Computer Engineering
- Maxell Roy, Junior, Electrical Engineering
First to Market
Breezy - $4,500:
A real-time air quality monitoring device which can be tracked with a phone or online.
- Anne Faber, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
Honorable Mention
Bioprinting with Multimedia Curriculum - $2,000:
A cost-effective 3D bioprinter with multimedia curriculum and optional homework modules for STEM education in high school.
- Adam Hogue, Alumni, MBA
- Siddhant Iyer, Freshman, Chemical Engineering
- Venkatesh Manikantan, Junior, Electrical Engineering
- Bala-Ji Sathyamoothy, Graduate, Robotic and Computer Engineering
- Vaishnavi Srinivasan, Junior, Biotechnology
- Stephanie Stroll, Junior, Biotechnology
- Louise Wu, Nursing, Sophomore
Clot Catch - $2,000:
A new designed clot filter to eliminate the risks of current filters such as shifting, vessel puncture, and strut fracture.
- Alexander Anthony, Senior, Plastics Engineering
- Terry Fox-Koor, Junior, Plastics Engineering
- Elena Mottola, Junior, Nursing
Cyborg - $2,000:
A hybrid musical instrument, designed to transform any object into a touch-sensitive musical instrument.
- Jishnu Menon Asokakumar, Graduate, Computer Engineering
- Ram Das, Graduate, MSITE
- Adam Ferguson, Graduate, Sound Recording Technology
- ChandraSekhar Kolli, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
- Dhiren Rathod, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
Digibank - $2,000:
A digital financial transaction system that allows consumers to deposit change obtained from cash transactions into a designated account via a card or mobile app.
- Siven Hang, Junior, Business
- Cullin Lam, Alumni, Computer Science and Biology
- Bun Soth, Alumni, Computer Science
- Kody Thach, Sophomore, Computer Science
- Daniel Uk, Senior, Political Science
Spread the Love - $2,000:
A website for lesson plans that would be given to schools with 50% or more students with free or reduced lunch.
- Julie Bornstein, Junior, Accounting
- Autumn Sacramone, Senior, History
Fan Favorite
UML Green Roofs - $1,000:
A program to implement safe and ecologically friendly outdoor study spaces to UML's campus by designing and building green roofs for buildings such as libraries and dorms.
- Rachel Papazian, Freshman, Biology
- Mike River, Freshman Biology
- Meagan Timmins, Freshman, History
- Kierra Walsh, Freshman, Biology