The Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology at Brigham Young University will host its first annual Student Innovator of the Year Competition Tuesday and Thursday, Oct. 19 and 21, in the Crabtree Building. All events are open to the public.
The competition will kick off Tuesday at 2 p.m. in 214 CTB with an address from successful entrepreneur Rick Alden, CEO of the headphone company Skullcandy.
Alden's address will be followed by the Innovation Fair in the Crabtree lobby from 3 to 5 p.m. The project prototypes will be on display while students will be available to answer questions. Judges will narrow the teams to the top 10 projects.
The final judging will be Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. in 214 CTB. Each of the top teams will present their innovations and answer questions posed by judges. Audience members will enjoy refreshments and will be able to enter a drawing for door prizes.
Approximately 32 teams of student inventors will compete for $8,500 in prize money, with first place taking $3,000. Entries will be judged on engineering innovation, product usefulness or originality, feasibility and the clarity and professionalism of the team's presentation.
An additional $2,500 from the Peery Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship will be awarded to an innovation that facilitates self-reliance for individuals and families in poverty.
Winners are encouraged to enter their idea into the 2011 Business Plan or Social Venture Competitions, hosted by the BYU Marriott School of Management.
The Student Innovator of the Year Competition has been driven by the efforts of Engineering and Technology Startup, a student-run organization empowering innovation, and is sponsored jointly by the Ira A. Fulton College and the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.
For information about signing up or attending the competition, contact Krista Tripodi at krista_tripodi@byu.edu or (801) 422-3948.
Writer: Philip Volmar
