2018 Lemelson-MIT Program Student Winners Announced

By Victoria Robertson on April 12, 2018

According to a recent press release, on April 10 of this year, the Lemelson-MIT Program announced the winners of the 2018 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize.

This prize is supported by The Lemelson Foundation, which is a catalyst for inventors in health care, transportation and mobility, food/water and agriculture as well as consumer devices.

According to Stephanie Couch, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program, “This year’s Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winners are the embodiment of the inventive spirit. They have not only invented solutions to real-world problems, they are also paving the way for their peers through their mentorship. We’re excited to share their accomplishments and to continue seeing them grow as Lemelson-MIT winners.”

via Pixabay.com

This program involved a nationwide search for the most inventive college students, awarding a grand total of $80,000 in prizes to the 14 lucky winners. These students, both graduate and undergraduate inventors, competed in a large pool of applicants nationwide. They were selected based on numerous factors, including inventiveness, potential for commercialization or adoption and youth mentorship experience.

Winners of the 2018 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize were as follows:

The “Use it!” Lemelson-MIT Prize winners were rewarded for technology-based inventions that involve consumer devices.

AssistENT, a team comprised of Melissa Austin, Eric Cao, Talia Kirschbaum, Theodore Lee and Harrison Nguyen from Johns Hopkins University, received $10,000 as the undergraduate team winners.

Their invention, a discreet nasal dilator, N-Stent, improves breathing for those suffering from nasal obstructions.

In addition, Kayla Nguyen from Cornell University received $15,000 as the graduate winner for her invention, EMPAD. This detector enhances imaging for microscopic applications.

The “Eat it!” Lemelson-MIT Prize winners were rewarded for technology-based inventions that involved food/water and agriculture.
The winner in this category is Maher Damak, a graduate student from Massachusetts Institute of Technology awarded $15,000. His invention is a polymer additive that is mixed with pesticides and agricultural sprays to help them adhere better to plants.

As for the “Cure it!” Lemelson-MIT winners, the competition was based on inventions that involved health care.

Treyetech, a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate team consisting of Kali Barnes, Stephanie Cai, Akash Chaurasia, Conan Chen and Eric Chiang, took home $10,000.  They developed a device to aid surgeons in corneal transplant surgeries.
Tyler Clites, a $15,000 graduate winner from MIT, developed a new amputation approach, coined the Agonist-antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI), which essentially uses a technique for amputation and a complementary prosthetic control system.

The “Drive it!” Lemelson-MIT winners developed inventions based on transportation and mobility.

The graduate winner in this category, Guy Satat from MIT, brought home $15,000. His invention, All Photons Imaging, is a system that can image through dense fog, intended for transportation from cars to airplanes.

In the words of Dorothy Lemelson, board chair of The Lemelson Foundation, “These students represent a new generation of inventors with big ideas on how to improve healthcare, agriculture, mobility and scientific discovery. They are an inspiration to their communities and we’re proud to honor their accomplishments.”

If you’re interested in applying for the 2019 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, you can find more information on the application process here.

More information on the Lemelson-MIT Program can be found at Lemelson.MIT.edu and more information on The Lemelson Foundation can be found at http://lemelson.org.

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