Innovator Students Sweep Parents Weekend

By Elisa Wiefel on October 30, 2009 8:28 AM

In the not-so-distant future, the world may have a new model for carbon offsetting, inexpensive emergency shelters based on the principles of origami and robotic assistants for people with disabilities. All of this is possible because of the creativity and pragmatism of USC students at the 2009 USC Student Innovator Showcase.

These student ideas, along with the 41 others presented during Trojan Parents Weekend, have the potential to change the way individuals live, work and play.

Spring boarding on the theme “The Creative Campus,” the university-wide event presented by the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation gave parents and students an interactive glimpse into the imaginations of USC students and a look at tomorrow’s world.

“USC, with its talented community and special events like this, is creating a whole new generation of innovator,” said Krisztina Holly, USC vice provost for innovation and executive director of the USC Stevens Institute. “Like Neil Armstrong, Frank Gehry, George Lucas, Mike Markkula and other prominent Trojan pioneers before them, USC students are going to change the world. And we have the privilege of preparing them for a lifetime of innovation.”

Some of the 44 student presentations at the event included a new approach to architectural building using flexible concrete molds, an iPhone citizen engagement app (DIY Democracy), a new technology for delivering rockets into space, a collaborative video-editing site for journalists (Stroome), an online clearing house for copyrighted material (PeerDeal.com) and a new way for scientists to share research findings to more quickly find a cure for diseases.

The 2009 program included a twist: Ten student finalists were selected from the showcase and had to give a two-minute “fast pitch” presentation about their ideas before the judges made their final decisions. Under Tommy Trojan in Hahn Plaza, the finalists provided an audience of more than 75 parents and students an overview of their ideas, discussed potential for societal impact and shared their progress to date.

In all, more than 100 students from 13 schools participated in the 2009 showcase.

The first-place winner was The Singularity, a team of game designers from the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Interactive Media Division who described their game publishing company model as the “Motown Records for indie games.”

The Singularity supports, nurtures and empowers bright young minds in the independent game space through a hybrid development and publishing model that allows designers to keep their intellectual property, but still ensure their games reach the mass audience dominated by large publishers. The team members were Jesse Vigil, Diana Hughes, Mike Rossmassler and other Trojan game designers.

One runner-up was Do It Yourself (DIY) Democracy. As the ultimate civic engagement iPhone application, DIY Democracy has the ability to connect citizens with all three levels of government. For example, they can report a pothole or e-mail a member of Congress.

The other runner-up was Half-Cycle™, whose simplicity in manufacturing can revolutionize the way bicycle frames are manufactured.

Judges looked for the potential for tangible societal impact, novelty, demonstrated risk-taking, enthusiasm and commitment of students, diversity, understanding of the marketplace and sustainability.

The winning teams split $1,500 in prizes. Winners also received custom, limited-edition USC Stevens Institute skateboards manufactured by Unlimited Fix Designs, a start-up founded by USC Viterbi student Daniel Singleton.

TAGS: environment, humanities, innovation, research

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