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U of M students are finalists in national Collegiate Inventors Competition- Invention will provide solar LED lighting to people in developing countries -
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL ( 11/13/2008 ) -- A University of Minnesota team of two recent graduates and a current student are among the 12 finalist teams in the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation's 2008 Collegiate Inventors Competition for their invention that could bring light to thousands of people around the world without electricity. The team will vie for the competition's grand prize of $25,000 to be announced Nov. 19. The team includes Patrick Delaney, who received a degree in electrical engineering in May 2008; Matthew Beckler, who received a degree in computer engineering in May 2008; and Caleb Braff, a current electrical engineering student. The team is advised by electrical and computer engineering professor Paul Imbertson. The University of Minnesota team developed Solar LED Lighting Innovation--a low powered economical device that provides many hours of light to areas without electricity using the power of the sun and a light-emitting-diode, commonly known as LED. The idea for the invention originated from Delaney's 2004 trip to Nicaragua when he quickly discovered that inaccessibility to reliable and low-cost lighting sources prevented rural villagers from education or economic improvements after dark. Delaney immediately resolved to provide a solution using his electrical engineering know-how. Beckler joined the team to provide expertise in microcontrollers, and Braff brought knowledge about LEDs. With help from their advisor, professor Imbertson, the team was complete. Many others have come up with the idea of using LEDs and solar panels, but the U team have taken an innovative approach in trying to find a solution that could be easily replicable and therefore impact as many people as possible. One strategy they have implemented is to use materials that can be locally sourced in Nicaragua, keeping the price low and more affordable for rural villagers. In addition, even though their device is low-powered, it can still generate light for many hours. The competition solicited entries from more than 2,000 campuses to identify the top collegiate inventors. Other finalist teams represent prestigious universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, the University of California at Berkeley, Harvard Medical School and the University of Michigan. Since 1990, the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundations has awarded more then $1 million to nearly 100 Collegiate Inventors Competition students for their innovative work and scientific achievement with the help of competition sponsors the Abbott Fund, the philanthropic foundation of the global health care company Abbott, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). ---------- |
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