Innovation
Blip energy CEO Sophia Wennstedt, a second-year student in the University’s MBA and design innovation dual-degree program, and her team of Northwestern entrepreneurs created blipOne, a device that allows users to store electricity when it is cheap and discharge power when it is expensive. Launched through the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s NUvention: Energy course, blip energy is working with an engineering services firm to build a mass-manufacturable prototype of blipOne before launching a preorder initiative.
A few years ago, graduate student Kinsey Hart wanted to celebrate a promotion with a new piece of jewelry. She had a simple design in mind but could not find her dream piece.
Live music performances might not be possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but for Kellogg School of Management adjunct lecturer Gregg Latterman and senior Olivia Hernandez, the show must go on. They’re finding innovative ways to adapt to a virtual entertainment industry.
Ana Cornell wanted to learn about her genetic background but shied away from trying a commercially available DNA test kit because of privacy concerns. She couldn’t find a test that could be taken and analyzed at home.
Designed for the COVID-19 era by an international team that includes Northwestern senior Ryan Teo, a new public transportation design concept aims to once again give passengers the confidence to ride the bus. The Futurebus reduces contact between passengers and uses antimicrobial fabric and self-sanitizing handles.
Early in the coronavirus pandemic it became clear that a shortage of testing supplies was one of the bottlenecks that limited more expansive testing. Matthew Grayson, professor of electrical and computer engineering, assembled a team to design a patent-pending prototype for a nasal swab.
An organization run by Northwestern students is working hard to keep Evanston’s small business owners afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is just one of several ways that Northwestern students are addressing needs in response to the pandemic.
Morgan Lewis ’18 MS wanted to create a storage solution to keep her guitar safe during “rest mode” — between songs or at breaks during gigs. For her Engineering Design Innovation final project, she created Auxilia, an attachable stand that stays out of the way while the guitarist is playing and deploys automatically when she sets the guitar down.
To help provide students with easy access to medication and other personal care items, a team of entrepreneurs created MedKit Solutions. Pre-med seniors Matthew Urban and Chris Holland, both neuroscience majors, developed the concept with Feinberg School of Medicine first-year student Ashorne Mahenthiran ’19.
Sahar Jamal, founder of Maziwa, is creating a battery-powered breast pump so new mothers in East Africa can return to work. Maziwa’s design includes a cooler and pump so that women can collect and store breast milk even if they have no access to electricity or refrigeration, and the pump’s sleek, compact design also allows women to pump more discreetly.
