Braun Student Inventor Award
The Ann and Dave Braun Student Inventor Award was established to recognize a South Dakota Mines student who has made a significant discovery or invention as a student at Mines. The selected recipient of this award will be recognized at the Research Symposium, will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a free patent application from Goodhue, Coleman & Owens, P.C. and McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC.
Eligibility Requirements
Must be an individual or student group from South Dakota Mines.
Submissions/Judging Criteria
Each student must email or deliver a signed invention disclosure to the office of Economic Development. You will be judged on the completeness and clarity of the invention disclosure (40%) and the utility, novelty and non-obviousness of the invention (60%).
Timeline
| Date | |
|
Deliver or email a signed original invention disclosure to: Joseph Wright joseph.wright@sdsmt.edu
|
February
29, 2024 |
| Judges will review Invention Disclosures
|
Week
of March 4, 2024 |
| Winner will be notified
|
Week
of March 18, 2024 |
| Winner(s) will be announced at the Research Symposium and receive $5,000 cash prize
and a free patent application from Goodhue, Coleman & Owens, P.C. or McKee, Voorhees
& Sease, PLC. |
April 9, 2024 |
Braun Inventor Award Winners
2023 Braun Student Inventor Award Recipients
Kathy Mathieu, R3 PLA Recycler
Mathieu along with a mechanical engineering
senior design team of students won the undergraduate award for an invention
that improves the recycling of plastic used in 3D printers. The system includes
a grinder to shred plastic for melting in an extruder and a spooling system
that allows extruded plastic thread to cool before being wound on a spool for
later printing. Other students on the team include Andy Perez, Kelvin Su, Blake
Hyla, Taylor Kirkvold and Macauley Haag
Sam Ryckman, Differential Belt Speed Reducer
Ryckman's invention is a very
high reduction gearbox that can fit in an extremely small footprint. By
mounting an electric motor inside a gearbox, he solved several problems
associated with more conventional gearboxes. His differential belt speed
reducer invention can support a wide range of applications from robotics to
multiple forms of automation.
2022 Braun Student Inventor Award Recipients
Whytneigh Duffie, Disappearing 4D Advanced Materials
Duffie's invention is a new
type of high-resolution 3D printer resin that dissolves in water. The
product can be used in the injection molding process for manufacturing in a
wide range of industries. The applications could include precision casting of
parts that are difficult to machine, end-of-life disposal of a part or device
to prevent reverse engineering of sensitive technology, and a wide range of
medical uses from new types of casts for broken bones to wound coverings to
drug delivery.
Kaleb Roth, Forever Fire
Roth's invention is new and innovative campfire starting device he invented called
Forever Fire. It uses human-powered generator to power electronic parts, which can
produce an
electric arc in all weather conditions.
2021 Braun Student Inventor Award Recipients
Kim Yip Chiok, BioTape
His invention is a medical bandage for wound care made from cellulose biofilm. The
biofilm has a 98% water holding capacity to retain medicine and offers a 50% increase
in the wound healing rate with fewer dressings.
Kristie Gildemeister, Itty Bitty Acre, LLC
Her invention provides an innovative solution to address reliability of electrocatalysts
used in fuel cells through novel
use of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating methodologies using
nanoparticles to produce a far superior electrocatalyst compared to those
commercially available today.