grants

Biomimetic Hip Prosthesis

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2000 - $5,500

The major limiting factor in the lifetime of total hip prosthesis is wear and its incumbent problems. The current implant lifetime is ten or fifteen years, which is typically insufficient for most active patients, and revision surgeries are often necessary.

This grant supported the development of patent protection and the pursuit of licensing agreements for a novel approach to increasing the durability of artificial replacement hip joints. The team consisted of one student and a broad group of advisors working to develop basic technology sufficient to obtain patent protection and initiate licensing arrangements.

The innovation is a method of mimicking the lubrication capabilities of natural cartilage with a synthetic matrix containing molecules that mimic the weeping and ionic re-uptake of synovial liquid that protects the bearing surfaces.

Mechanical Systems Design

Dartmouth College - $13700.00

This grant supports the incorporation of innovative and entrepreneurship activities into the senior level Mechanical Systems Design course at the University of Rhode Island. The new course format splits the class into groups of four each plus a member from the Business School at URI. Each group works in the fall semester on one of several different, product-orientated design projects. The students are asked to perform a patent search, critique related products, prepare a marketing study, propose a design of this product, and realize their design using a 3-D solid-modeling software. At the end of the fall semester, groups compete for funding for activities in the following spring term that include building prototypes of their design, formulating business plans for commercialization, and applying for patent protection. The new format gives students better understanding and exposure to the entrepreneurial process of the product design and innovation

Imagination and Product Planning, Innovation and Technology

California State University-Fresno - $17850.00

This grant supports a program in entrepreneurship that is offered as a minor to nonbusiness (technical & other) majors at Miami University. The PI previously received a planning grant for the development of this course. The grant supports two classes which, taken together, constitute the core components of a team-based approach to entrepreneurship. The first course focuses on creativity and productive ideation with content provided on teaming, creativity, and related topics. All exercises have a commercial focus. The second course focuses on technological entrepreneurship and provides opportunities for teams to develop around technologically based commercial opportunities. Both courses feature extensive guest lectures and draw on resources beyond the university by including mentors and guest speakers. E-Teams that form in these courses go on to focus on the development of their ideas in a capstone entrepreneurship course already in place.

Arthroscopic Simulator

North Carolina State University at Raleigh - $13500.00

This E-Team has developed a mechanical device which allows surgeons to practice various arthroscopic techniques on the knee, in order to develop better techniques and muscle memory. The device incorporates feedback mechanisms to allow for performance monitoring. It is portable, affordable, and easy to use

A Flexible Protein Modeling System for Undergraduate

Michigan Technological University - $13900.00

This E-Team will design, build, and field-test a flexible protein modeling system to be used in conjunction with physical, three-dimensional models of proteins. These physical models are produced using rapid prototyping technology at the Center for BioMolecular Modeling at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The addition of a flexible modeling component to these otherwise static models will greatly enhance the interactive nature of these instructional aids.

The models will be field-tested in conjunction with the summer program of the BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium, an organization of undergraduate educators committed to innovative curriculum development. In addition, the market potential of the product will be evaluated and a commercialization strategy will be developed for 3D Molecular Designs, LLC, a newly formed company that focuses on the use of rapid prototyping technology to produce accurate, physical models of proteins and other molecular structures.

The PIs include the developer of the technology, an entrepreneurship faculty member from Carthage College, and an influential curriculum development specialist from Beloit College. Student team members come from each of these three schools and will be on site at MSOE.

Guardian 2000 Global Monitoring System

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus - $12500.00

This grant is helping to further develop and market the first of three models of "Guardian 2000 Monitoring system." The earlier version of this system continues to receive extensive national/international media coverage through TV, radio, Internet and national newspapers. Individuals and companies from around the world have expressed interest in buying or distributing the product. The "Guardian 2000" is a cutting edge invention designed to monitor the location of children, Alzheimer patients and other valued people and material items. Based on responses from media coverage and market research, the market demand for this product is growing rapidly. The E-Team consists of highly qualified faculty advisors (from both technical and business disciplines from two universities), technical and business experts/mentors, engineering and business students to insure success in bringing this device to the market.

This system has been prototyped in a NCIIA supported class; this grant supports a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary team of students from ETSU and LMU to develop production prototypes, business and marketing plans, and patents

AMES 15: Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Design

Hampshire College - $13350.00

This program draws on the personal experience of the PI in teaching freshmen through senior students. He finds that students who are introduced to teamwork and projects as freshmen are much more capable of creating high quality senior design projects than those who have not. This program incorporates teams and design projects into a large (200 or more students), standard introductory CAD course. Emphasis is placed on creativity, project management, teamwork, and learning from the iterative nature of design to overcome obstacles. Students who wish to pursue their ideas after the completion of the course will have the option to form pre-E-Teams. These teams meet periodically in their sophomore and junior years in preparation for a senior level Advanced E-Team project

The Bio-Logic Fuel System

Hampshire College, 1999 - $14,225

This E-Team, now incorporated as Greasecar, developed a kit that enables conventional diesel engines to run on unrefined waste vegetable oils. Biofuels are becoming increasingly important due to concerns regarding fossil fuel supplies, pollution and costs of pollution control, and other environmental concerns.

This project originally developed in the NCIIA-funded course Technological Innovation for a New Agriculture: Redefining the Tractor at Hampshire College. After receiving the grant the team founded Greasecar, which now has fifteen employees and annual sales over $1.2 million. They've sold over 4,000 Greasecar kits to date.

News update

Greasecar on Discovery!

Curriculum for Inter-University E-Teams

Illinois Institute of Technology - $19100.00

This project develops two unique interactive courses between Loyola Marymount University (LMU), the lead institution, and East Tennessee State University (ETSU), the supporting institution. The two courses will be New Product Development and Entrepreneurship. Graduate engineering and MBA students from LMU interact with undergraduate/graduate engineering and business students from ESTU. The university teams communicate using ipTeam Suite software for data exchange, design creation and changes, information sharing, messaging and group sharing.

The product concepts focus on space-saving and portable devices, devices for the handicapped and elderly, products that improve the quality of life, and sports recreation products. The instructors feel that this project opens new opportunities for inter-university and industry-university E-Teams to jointly develop innovative projects. The definition of E-Teams broadens to include "E"= Excellence, Entrepreneurship, and Electronic Interaction

The Cue Card Emergency Medical Aid

Stanford University, 1999 - $20,000

Observations and published studies reveal that retention of emergency first aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) skills is difficult. When these skills are not regularly used, both lay people and highly trained professionals (police, nurses and doctors) lose the ability to give adequate care within three months after training. This E-Team team developed a device that gives audio prompts to a rescuer, coaching a standard lifesaving algorithm. The device is about the size of a credit card and inexpensive to produce.

The team first started work on this idea in an advanced product design course called Needfinding. They found a common lack of confidence amongst survey respondents in being able to retain CPR training. The two students on the team were graduate students in product design, and they were assisted by a faculty advisor in product design and several industry advisors with experience in the medical industry, business development, and product design.