2022 FAU Wave Competition Awards Ceremony by FAU Division of Research

FAU WAVE COMPETITION AWARDS CEREMONY

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

WELCOME WELCOME

Thank you for joining us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our student innovators alongside the College of Business’ Business Plan Competition. The past two years have proven to be incredibly challenging for all of us, especially for our students. They have overcome obstacles and with unbridled ambition jumped back into innovating and creating. This year, teams have created a wrist device to curb the effects of carpal tunnel, a hydrogel for improved wound care and bacteria resistance, and an automatic dubbing application. Other teams have created a student centric platform for group project feedback and accountability, a skill trading and college networking platform, and a nonprofit focused on early STEM education and outreach. All of these projects were completed while the students managed their demanding work and school schedules. We’re proud to celebrate the 2021-2022 FAU Wave student innovators!

SUCCESS SUCCESS TO DATE

180

$154K

PARTICIPANTS

WON THE FAU BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

WON IN CASH PRIZES

ENTERED FAU TECH RUNWAY

PROVISIONAL PATENTS *IN PROGRESS

Updated as of March 2022

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FAU Wave would like to thank the Division of Research, and FAU Tech Runway under the Innovation and Business Development Hub, for funding FAU Wave and fostering student imagination. A special heartfelt thank you to our donor Dr. Eric H. Shaw, for funding the Dr. Eric H. Shaw FAU Wave Excellence in Innovation Award, so our students can continue to flourish and be recognized for their work. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry was also a huge help in connecting students with specialized faculty mentors and resources to support the growth of their projects. We extend our gratitude to the Florida SBDC at FAU for supporting our student entrepreneurs with access to no cost consultations and experienced mentorship. The FAU Wave team, with a strong focus on community engagement, will receive a cash prize from the Division of Academic Affairs’ Office of Community Engagement. Each Wave student displays unbridled ambition and inspiration, which allows them to continue having an impact on their community. Thank you to the families, mentors, the Division of Research staff, and our donor Dr. Eric H. Shaw, who make this program possible. We couldn’t do this without your support, generosity and dedication to our students. Let’s imagine and let’s innovate!

SCHEDULE SCHEDULE

8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Coffee, networking, Wave poster session

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Business Plan Competition pitches

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Lunch at Owls Perch

1:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Winners Announced

1:30 - 1:45 p.m.

Closing Remarks and Photos

SPOTLIGHT FAU WAVE ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT

It was as if the stars in the sky had aligned that day. I was 16 when I first entered Florida Atlantic University. I was a student at FAU High School trying to find my way around and adjust to the university. Every day for the first couple of weeks, many tables were lining the breezeway with loud music, pamphlets, and people wanting you to sign papers. I ignored it for many many days, until one day something told me to look up…and there it was: a sign titled “FAU Wave entrepreneurship competition.” I should have walked away at that very moment; I was a science major working towards medical school and had no business interests at the time. However, I consulted with the representative, Regina Thompson, right before the deadline and I decided to submit an idea. This is how SPods was born and how FAU’s resources created a snowball effect for my new venture.

FAU Wave supported me when SPods was just an idea. I received my

first $500 and allocated it towards experimenting. I was connected with specific department faculty to ask questions, and started learning about a business model. Towards the end of the program, I presented my idea and progress to the judges, and won first place! Little did I know that all the work put into understanding my idea’s business model and feasibility, prepared me for the next phase: FAU Tech Runway.

FAU Tech Runway Soon after participating in the FAU Wave program, I was admitted into FAU Tech Runway as a student startup. This incubator accelerated my new business’ progress times ten. I received experienced mentors who assisted with the business’ decisionmaking and created outside connections that supported the legal and product development side of the business. One of the most influential aspects of Tech Runway was NSF I-Corps at FAU, a program devoted to validating your business model. I interviewed many specialists all over the world, including Yemen, Burundi, and Cambodia from organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF. Not only did the interviews allow me to learn more about my market, but it resulted in the evolution of the product SPods to meet the actual pain points of the water, sanitation and hygiene industry. Without this program, my business would have wasted countless years, money and resources attempting to fix the wrong problem. After pivoting the business model and amending the product, I went on to participate in the FAU College of Business’ Business Plan Competition, and won first place in the entire state of Florida in a civic competition titled MuniMod, winning the $15,000 grand prize. Without the assistance of FAU’s resources, I would have never been able to be where I am today receiving numerous funds, working on the last stages of development, having legal protection through patents, and partnering with manufacturers for commercialization and licensing soon. I thank God every day for allowing me to choose FAU as this was more than just a once-in-alifetime opportunity. Sincerely,

Paris Prince

TEAM PROJECTS

(alphabetized by project title)

ADubb: Automatic Dubbing App Student: Yherzon Chura Ruiz

Project: Do you love foreign videos but hate reading subtitles? ADubb was created to ease the frustration behind reading movies instead of enjoying the videography. ADubb is a web application that automates the process of dubbing media content on the internet to the user’s language of preference. ADubb lets users gain access to media content created in any language, breaking the language barriers that exist even in today’s globalized world. Internet media consumers can use ADubb from a browser, such as Chrome or Safari, by adding an extension to their browser and selecting the video or audio they want to hear in their language. Current dubbing applications are specifically for tech-savvy content creators or enterprises, and they lack the capability of dubbing content on demand. ADubb is bringing this technology to the general public and the daily social media consumer.

Bio-Inspired Self-Burying AUV Students: Alexis Base, Cauhl Cleary, Anthony Gore, Sil Schoolman, Mackenzie Smith, Juan Rios

Mentors: Richard Blazer, Erik Graff and William Hahn, Ph.D.

Project: Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) are utilized to perform various marine applications, from monitoring to surveying ecosystems. However, the demand for AUVs to adapt to increasingly complex problems has prompted the exploration into biomimetic AUVs. Marine organisms, such as the stargazer (a type of fish) and horseshoe crab have evolved mechanisms of self-burying adapted for their environment. An AUV capable of burying, modeled after these species, could perform similar functions. In between missions, AUVs typically need to be retrieved out of the water, posing challenges, so it is beneficial for the vehicle to stay on the seabed until triggered for the next mission to start. To overcome this challenge, this project works to design, fabricate, and test a bio-inspired underwater vehicle with self-burying capabilities. An AUV capable of self-burying and sustaining a vertical load, via impeller design, could prove beneficial in applications such as extended deployment, withstanding ocean current, recovery operations, and appearing undetectable.

CARDD Gel: Chitosan Absorption and Release Drug Delivery Gel Student: Satviki Singh

Mentors: Vivian Merk, Ph.D. and Daniela Scheurle, Ph.D.

Project: More than 50 percent of the chronic infections developed in hospital settings are linked to bacterial biofilms and place individuals with open wounds at high risk for medical complications. The recent increase in antibiotic resistance leaves many standard antibiotics useless in preventing such infections. A new chemical compound, cyclic lipopeptide-4 (CLP-4), has been synthesized to combat biofilm formations. However, its water insolubility makes it incompatible with traditional modes of drug delivery, which are geared towards water soluble compounds, leaving CLP-4 unutilized in the biomedical field. CARDD Gel is a cheap, biodegradable hydrogel that serves as a topical delivery system compatible with both water soluble and insoluble drugs/compounds. It uses an absorption and release mechanism that enables users to load it with a drug/compound and release it onto target wound sites. CARDD Gel will allow CLP4 to be utilized in the medical setting, preventing and fighting biofilm induced chronic infections.

CarpalWear: A Non-Invasive Wearable Biofeedback Device that Effectively Treats Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Student: Rachel Kavalakatt

Mentor: George Sklivanitis, Ph.D.

Project: Carpal tunnel syndrome, a peripheral neuropathy affecting over 62 percent of pregnant women every year, is caused by compression of the median nerve and characterized by pain, numbness, and weakness in the wrist and hands. This syndrome inhibits range of motion and prevents patients from carrying out daily repetitive tasks. Current solutions include wrist splinting, which is restrictive and bulky, steroid injections or carpal tunnel release surgery, which are invasive and carry the risk of complications. CarpalWear is a non-bulky, cosmetically appealing wristband and ring set that prompts wearers to maintain a neutral wrist position while allowing a comfortable range of motion. This design collects inertial data and provides instantaneous biofeedback signals when patients’ bend their wrists into harmful positions. This product will improve patient quality of life by allowing freedom of movement and comfort along with accurate detection of harmful wrist movement and real-time monitoring and management of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Engage Florida Students: Shalakha Bonthu, Jose Delgado, Hibah Hussain, Joseph Lawless, Bilal Mutluguler, Matthew Pacheco and Vineet Reddy

Project: Reddy and Pacheco co-founded Engage Florida to address two areas: improving undergraduate scientific communication skills and exciting local students about research. The primary aspect of our organization is our seminars that we run in underserved Title 1 schools. The Engage Florida team works with several FAU undergraduates who conduct their own research and are willing to discuss their work with others. These students work in teams to present their research in an accessible way to local schools.   Reflecting on the impact of our own experiences, being exposed early to research, the Engage Florida team realized the importance of exciting students early in their career about research. Traditional scientific outreach organizations fail to excite young students since they focus on teaching them scientific concepts instead of instilling in them the love of scientific discovery. All aspects of our organization are centered on grassroots efforts run to engage our local South Florida community.

GoldStar Students: Brian Van Bavel, Ashley Dukhu and Haden Sangree

Mentor: Kevin Cox, Ph.D.

Project: GoldStar is a unique placement service for Florida Atlantic University College of Business undergraduates. We do one thing and one thing only; we help the best students get the best jobs. There’s an informal system that currently exists where a professor may recommend some of their talented students to employers for jobs, and those employers may hire them. However, this system is just that, informal. Professors get busy, their inbox fills up, and they can forget. We intend to formalize this system of identifying highly talented students through professor recommendations. Why? A more efficient system will lead to more students getting jobs and more employers getting talented students. Our role is to screen students and employers on their needs and preferences and provide a service of highly targeted placements. With GoldStar placement services, students get only the best jobs and employers get only the best students.

Pet HealthCare Innovations™: Dog Potty & Bladder Expression Station™ Student: John Thomerson

Project: Sixteen percent of dogs that see a veterinarian each year suffer from a medical condition/injury resulting in their inability to support their own weight, and their need for their owners to hold them up to relieve themselves. These activities are messy, time-consuming, frustrating, and may result in injury for the dog and owner. Thomerson created an innovation that provides structural support for the dog, takes the weight load off the owner, is quick and easy to use and clean, allows a natural position for the dog to go potty, and allows one-person to easily express the dog’s bladder. This results in healthier, cleaner, faster, and easier potty sessions!

Plant Boosters Students: Shyan Braswell; Karim Dawkins; Mckhalia Mckenzie and Ojdre Sutherland

Mentor: Nwadiuto Esiobu, Ph.D.

Project: Florida’s Citrus production has dropped significantly from 77.4 million tons to 6.9 million tons in 2019. Citrus farmers are struggling to grow healthy citrus, and as a result they are turning from growing citrus to other crops such as bamboo and blueberries.    The Plant boosters product will be effective in treating citrus plants after being placed in the rhizosphere — the soil zone around the plant roots. Currently, the lab is growing citrus and three other herb/veggie plants in soils inoculated with bacteria and mycorrhiza fungi while recording their abiotic and biotic data. Mycorrhiza, a non-disease-producing association in which the fungus invades the root to absorb nutrients, is known to be useful to assist plants with nutrient absorption. The most recent approach to treat citrus greening, one of the most serious citrus diseases in the world, is with antibiotics. However, using antibiotics will eventually harm both the plants and humans within a short period of time. Plant boosters containing beneficial microbes will help plants be more resilient to pathogens and ultimately, increase yield production for farmers.

Purusqua Student: Ayam Suleiman

Project: More than two million Americans lack access to potable water due to struggling financial conditions and environmental impacts. This project consists of the production of activated carbon from plant residues for application in water purification steps. The material’s ability to absorb impurities is great as it contains a high number of pores. Purusqua, will use the core of olives, banana pseudo stem and coconut fiber that are discarded frequently in the U.S. with no ecological purpose. The success of this project will allow many people to acquire potable water cheaper, easier and in a healthier manner since it will not contain the high amount of chemicals currently used in existing methods. Purusqua will be used primarily by residents in rural areas through its application in a water treatment system or placed directly in the water.

Utilizing Newly Developed Solvents and the Waste Heat Produced to Regenerate the Solvent that Reduces and Filters Carbon Emissions from Power Plants Students: Vinu Suthakaran

Mentor: Masoud Jahandar Lashaki, Ph.D.

Project: Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions generated through power plants has long been detrimental to the environment. A newly developed solvent known as EEMPA offers a new solution as a water-lean solvent that is more cost effective than other water-lean solvents. Traditional methods use aqueous amines to absorb CO2 from gases, which requires them to be boiled at high temperatures, and then cooled, before being reused. This drives up energy requirements and cost. This project looks towards utilizing the waste heat produced from the process, as a means of developing a solution to the problem at hand focusing on working through power plants to reduce CO2 emissions.

SMRT Multipurpose Robot Students: Jose Baca, Aimée Laclaustra, and Jose Sanchez

Project: SMRT, the autonomous multipurpose robot, focuses on maintaining air quality by tracking chemicals in sanitizing spaces. This robot will be able to navigate in any specific area, identify objects that are contaminated and disinfect objects classified as infected. The robot will be monitored and controlled in the form of a website and mobile application. It will integrate environmental data such as temperature, humidity, and gasses to create reports for future analysis. The multipurpose robot will provide advanced airborne technology detection and sanitization readily available to local communities such as university campuses, office buildings and domestic households to combat future contagious diseases.

Sofftee Table Students: Bryant Johnecheck

Project: The Sofftee Table is a new kind of coffee table that will be made from the foam of recycled mattresses. Americans dispose of 20 million mattresses each year and they are filling up landfills because of the amount of space they take up. In the Sofftee Table, the foam breaks down over time and the toxic chemicals inside leak into the ground. The Sofftee Table was inspired by the need to have a safer coffee table that cannot chip and shatter, or stub your toes, ankles, and scrape your shins. It will be used by families who care about both the environment and have people living in their homes who might be at risk of hurting themselves on typical coffee tables, such as younger children. The Sofftee table can be used as a table or a bean bag-like chair without causing drinks to spill, provides security against bumped heads and toes, and is customizable for your favorite color concept, holiday, or gameday.

USocial Students: Katherine Hammang

Project: Many college students experience challenges with making important connections with like-minded individuals as well as connecting with well-respected professionals for innovative projects. USocial is an application that will create a new platform in which students will be able to actively search and participate in project ideas locally as well as nationally through various universities. This project’s main goal is to increase social interaction with students of similar interests to develop their own projects. A component of USocial is UHire, which will serve as an escrow service university students can use to make transactions from their peers for use of their unique skills and talents. As competitors, LinkedIn and Fiver, mainly focus on businesses for job seeking purposes, rather than the college environment and lack the emphasis of forming long-lasting connections with other like-minded people.

Wheeliechairs Students: Ashleigh Boucher

Project: Why must wheelchairs that are distributed in hospitals be so dull and gray? A child who is given a wheelchair may already feel different from everyone else. Many wheelchairs in hospitals remain the same and very generic. Wheeliechairs can change that feeling of sadness and brighten children’s lives.   Wheeliechairs are customized seat covers, armrests, and back covers made especially for children’s sized wheelchairs. The fabrics are changeable and machine washable. Wheeliechairs can also be expanded for adult consumers with customizable walkers and crutches. Current competition comes primarily from sellers on Etsy, but Wheeliechairs will have its own website and capabilities to customize the designs based on a child’s favorite movie character, storybook, TV show, and more! Ditch the gray and get a Wheeliechair!

NOTES

fauwave@fau.edu fau_wave FAU Wave