Student innovation and entrepreneurship was on display at last weekend’s Aggies Invent: Bring Your Own Idea.
Aggies Invent, an intensive design experience offered at the Texas A&M Engineering Innovation Center at Texas A&M University, provides an environment made to inspire and support entrepreneurship and innovate thoughts among Aggies. Students have 48 hours to create prototype solutions for issues presented at each Aggies Invent competition. Each event has a completely different theme, keeping the students ready for a challenge.
Aggies Invent: Bring Your Own Idea kicked off with students pitching their innovative idea or problem to solve to the group, then students voted on which project they’d participate in. Selected projects ranged from vehicular safety to disability assistance to mobile applications.
This Aggies Invent had 62 students participate from 20 different majors and ranged from freshmen to doctoral candidates across campus.
bRead took first place with their grocery shopping assistance application. bRead features an interactive shopping list, scanner to compare options and a rewards system for coupons. Team members included Jasmin Cho, computer science and engineering; Ross Raybon, electrical engineering; Yamen Al Masalmeh, Nathan Spangenberg and Maria Teleki, general engineering; and Diego Contreras, business.
Visor Vision took second place with their innovation created to help block the sun while driving when the standard visor doesn’t block it. Team members included Blake Karwoski, mechanical engineering; Chien-Hua Wang, industrial engineering; Mackenzie Cardamone, business;Ignacio Galvan III, Engineering at McAllen; and Benjamin Shrader, Team Blinn.
Gutsy Decision took third place with their device to better mimic the environment of the small intestine for a bacteria study. The purpose is to aid in bacteria and superbug research. Team members included Alex Strasser, chemical engineering; and Ashley Holt, Charlene Morrison, Jacob Ward, Meredith Davies and Samuel Fowler, biomedical engineering.
The top three teams received $1,000, $750 and $500, respectively. The Engineering Innovation Center and Aggies Invent also offer support for students to continue working on their project.
Aggies Invent is a program within Engineering Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering. Engineering Entrepreneurship offers a wide range of programs and events that will help promote students’ understanding of business principles from an engineering perspective.