By Donel Young
On November 1, innovators from across Rutgers and industry gathered for the first-ever Rutgers Innovation and Entrepreneurship Expo, featuring keynotes, career panels, exhibits, networking, and a pitch competition. With expert independent judges from law, business, design, and industry, undergrad students competed with three-minute pitches, slides, and Q&A for cash prizes, mentorships, and bragging rights.
The Honors College represented well taking home the top three spots. Congratulations to:
- First place SULIS, a device that harnesses solar ultraviolet light to sterilize water stored in containers in tropical disease-prone rural communities, using indigenous and sustainable materials. Team members: Arye Mendelow ('18/SOE), Anurag Modak ('20/SAS), Yuki Osumi ('20/SAS), and Sarah Pomeranz ('20/RBS, DRC).
- Second place Periplant, a locally-based maker of environmentally friendly sanitary pads for women in developing and developed countries seeking biodegradable and sustainably sourced feminine care products. Team members: Camryn Kozacheck ('20/SAS), Tiger Li ('20/SAS), and Neeha Pathan ('20/SAS).
- Third place Lincoln, an app that helps bridge the citizen-government communication gap by allowing citizens to prioritize public issues through online voting for government officials to review. Team members: Nicholas Costa ('20/RBS), Aaron Kau ('20/SAS), and Revanth Korrapolu ('20/SAS).