UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Undergraduate students looking to launch their own products have the opportunity to win as much as $15,000 in seed money at the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Boeing Innovation Competition.
Teams must submit a proposal by noon Dec. 3 and will present their ideas to a panel of judges during a Dec. 6 pitch contest.
Although the contest is open to teams of Penn State undergraduate students in any major, each team must include at least one full-time student majoring in mechanical or nuclear engineering.
The winning teams will use their prize money during the current academic year for materials, supplies, prototyping, and machining costs to develop and refine their ideas.
Teams will be mentored in a three-credit ENGR 497A course in the spring, culminating in a final presentation to alumni and potential donors.
Last year's projects included a vertical greenhouse that allows small-footprint organic agricultural production; a reconfigurable modular robotics kit to introduce students to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields; and a hand device that assists with physical communication and helps with interacting with technologies such as computers and televisions.
More on the competition, including rules and proposal guidelines, can be found at www.mne.psu.edu/innovation/rules.html.