CRS Scientists Help Inspire the Next Generation of Innovators

CRS Scientists Help Inspire the Next Generation of Innovators

Students in the US have been struggling to compete in math & science on an international level, falling to 24^th internationally in a recent test. The GreenBizz Project has been working to help alleviate this situation, by setting up an entrepreneurial training program for high school seniors, which asks them to break out of their traditional learning models. This program draws from many of the studies the students are engaged in, but also gives them the experience of how a real high-tech business creates new technologies & ideas.  Two CRS volunteers helped participants understand the science behind their innovative, environmentally & socially conscious products.

Students in the United States have increasingly been struggling to compete in math and science on an international level, falling to 24^th internationally in a recent test. The GreenBizz Project has been working to help alleviate this situation, by setting up an entrepreneurial training program for high school seniors, which asks them to break out of their traditional learning models and really let their creativity free. This program draws from many of the studies the students are engaged in such as English and economics, but also gives them the experience of how a real high-tech business creates new technologies and ideas. The students create virtual companies and develop innovative, environmentally and socially conscious products throughout the semester.

This year, our website consultant, Mark Westwind, asked us for scientists to help explain to the students how to approach the scientific needs of their products and businesses. Two CRS volunteers, Arunan Skandarajah and John Waldeisen stepped up and were really able to help the students take their ideas to the next level. Both Arunan and John are National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows as well as in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, in their 2^nd and 5^th years respectively. They gave advice on many products, each meeting with four to five companies of the total fourteen involved. One product they helped with was a steering wheel cover that can detect an excess presence of drugs or alcohol in a driver’s skin and not allow the car to start, or set off the flashers and horn if they are already moving. John and Arunan were able to explain to the students how the wheel cover would be able to detect skin molecules and turn that into an electrical signal. They also helped students working on a biodegradable battery by showing them how enzymes embed in nano-mesh between two chambers of glucose-based materials.

The Digital Safari Innovation Fair took place on January 19^th and showcased all of the products that had culminated from this project. The students pitched their ideas to a panel of real business consultants and investors, who let them know how marketable their products are. This project is helping to inspire students, who may not have previously believed they already have such powerful possibilities and ideas. In previous years, some students have even won national competitions, beating out real companies! For more information about the fair and the students’ projects (including the list of winners) check out: http://www.innovationfair.org/.