February 12, 2009 Issue
Appalachian Team Wins National Juicy Ideas Entrepreneurial / Environmental Contest
A working bicycle made from plastic bottles has emerged as the winning entry in the inaugural Juicy Ideas contest organized by AdvantageWest Economic Development Group and supported by Google, Inc., and DigitalChalk as a way to encourage entrepreneurship and communicate a message of environmental responsibility.
The bicycle was fabricated by a team of four industrial design students from Appalachian State University, narrowly defeating a wind generator made with plastic bottles by students from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Rounding out the top five entries were a system using medicine bottles to eliminate dead zones in the ocean resulting from fertilizer runoff, created by students from Trident Technical Community College in Charleston, S.C.; wall insulation using plastic bottles, developed by Western Piedmont Community College students in Morganton, N.C.; and storm covers for windows developed by a team from Rogers State University in Claremore, Okla., using plastic shopping bags.
Members of the ASU team are Ryan Klinger of Huntersville, N.C.; Andrew Drake of Gaithersburg, Md.; Spencer Price of Louisville, Ky.; and Justin Henry of San Diego, Calif. The students learned their status as national award winners from Mary Radomile, Google program manager, who notified them via Web conference in the board of trustees room at ASU on Wednesday. Joining in the surprise celebration were ASU Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, representatives of AdvantageWest and DigitalChalk, and a cheering squad of friends, classmates, faculty and others.
In a letter presented to the winners, Radomile said, “We are thrilled to have you visit us at the “Googleplex” in Mountain View, Calif., Feb. 18-20, 2009. During your visit, you’ll experience a full tour of our facilities, meet with innovators from within the company, and even have a chance to present your video to us. We are very proud to be a part of the Juicy Ideas competition.”
The team was among 14 finalists from colleges across the country. Each participating region had a different “throwaway” item from which students had 10 days to create something of value and upload a video of their project to YouTube for judging. The top three teams from each region advanced to the national competition. The ASU team was the regional winner in western North Carolina. View their winning video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3-tKX446VM.
A panel of judges individually evaluated each of the entries and how well they performed in terms of originality, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation and environmental responsibility. They also evaluated the scalability of each of the innovations. For each category, they assigned a point value ranging from 1 to 10. The judges had no previous knowledge of how the teams placed at the regional level, nor were they aware of the other judges’ evaluations.
One of the national judges was Kay Gebhardt, product analyst with Seventh Generation, a company that makes environmentally friendly household and personal care products. “Overall, this was an amazing contest to judge,” said Gebhardt. “I was overwhelmed with excitement over the innovation and creativity expressed by the teams.”
Another judge, Zem Joaquin, editor for www.ecofabulous.com, mentioned the contest in the Huffington Post on December 16, commenting on the students and their entries: “I am excited about this next generation of idealists—the thinkers that have made the real shift to seeing the value in everything that exists, and taking responsibility for the current by-products of human life.”
Other judges on the national panel were Rebecca Warren, contributing writer for the environmental publication Grist; Rhett Weiss of Google, Inc.; and renowned entrepreneur and corporate leader David A. Woodcock, Jr., whose accomplishments include developing and marketing Formula 409.
This was the first year for the Juicy Ideas contest. According to Dale Carroll, president and CEO of AdvantageWest, entrepreneurship continues to play a major role in the global economy and is increasingly important to the long-term health and growth of rural regions across America.
“As the economic development commission for the 23 counties of western North Carolina, AdvantageWest continuously explores new and innovative paths to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship as part of its economic development strategy,” said Carroll. “We believe one of the best ways to accomplish this is by encouraging the use of technology and stimulating creativity in the youth of the region—beginning in kindergarten and continuing through their post-secondary education.”
“This competition illustrates the collaborative relationship between our faculty, staff and students in the areas of sustainability, design and entrepreneurship,” said Chancellor Peacock. “These students, with their creativity and team work, are a reflection of the future of our nation. They are thinking globally and of ways they can impact the world.”
Plans are already underway for the contest to continue and expand next fall. Juicy Ideas was also sponsored by American Green and Jute Networks. For more information, click to www.juicyideascompetition.com.
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