In early December, you could find most students studying for their final exams, or at least thinking about it, but in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, students were showing the campus and engineering communities just how savvy they are.
Innovation Day is sponsored by the Industrial & Entrepreneurial Engineering Program and includes students from both the Entrepreneurial Engineering II course and the freshman Engineering Design course. Each student, or group of students, is able to present their engineering concepts and prototypes for new products and businesses right in the atrium of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The event also included the ideas of local elementary and middle school students.
Event attendees are asked to become active participants. After checking in, guests are given “money” that they can use to “invest” in the projects they like best. Once guests have heard all of the student pitches, they can decide where they want to put their investment money.
Sebastian Paniagua, Cristobal Diaz, and Grant Lukjan, (WMU students featured in the image above), are shown pitching their product, the Portex. The group was able to work together to find an idea, develop the plans, and create an actual working prototype. Throughout Innovation Day, they were able to expose their idea (and engineering talent) to engineering professionals, professors, the media, and many others.
Noticing that as people grow older, or suffer injuries, regular everyday tasks such as using the restroom can become incredibly difficult without the help of another person. To solve this issue, the team came up with ‘Portex: The Expandable Restroom Solution,’ which can support the weight of a person and uses a unique locking mechanism to stay in place. The device can be flipped horizontally and locked into place between two restroom stalls, so that the user can leverage their weight on the bar to sit or rise without the help of another person. This team was just one of many pitching their ideas and prototypes on Innovation Day.
To learn more about the Industrial Entrepreneurial Engineering Program (“The only ABET accredited Industrial & Entrepreneurial Engineering Program on the planet”), please click here.