March 27, 2019
Chris Weiss, Dewpoint’s Chief Architect, was one of four judges reviewing 50 research posters to determine the first and second place winners. The posters were judged on the following criteria:
Per Chris Weiss “It was very difficult to select winners given the outstanding quality of so many of the research topics, however, we selected the following prize-winning posters.”
First Prize to the team of Xue Jiang and Peter B. Lillehoj for “A Disposable Skin Patch for Rapid Malaria Infection Detection”. This important invention is used to test for malaria without requiring a blood draw or complex and expensive tests. Children can be tested and treated quickly, which should have a very large impact when this test is deployed at scale. Last year, Malaria killed almost 500,000 people and early detection and treatment is critical to survival.
Mary Esch, Michale Becker, Thomas Schuelke, and Cory Rusinek won Second Prize for “A Pilot Scale Flow-through System Utilizing Boron-Doped Diamond Perforated Plates for the Destruction of PFOA”.
This revolutionary environmental cleanup method addresses the critical issue in Michigan and around the globe of PFOA (PFAs) contamination in waste water and ground water. PFOA causes birth defects and has been linked to cancer and several other health issues. PFOA is a type for compound used in everything from Teflon cooking pans, to rain coats and waterproof garments, to fire suppression foam used widely on military bases. Unfortunately, it is very chemically stable and very difficult to remove from the environment. The MSU research team has developed a brand-new method for breaking down PFOA compounds, rendering waste water to a level of PFOA 6 times below current guidelines.
This prize money goes directly to graduate students doing life changing research at MSU.
Additional information about the award and MSU engineering graduate research symposium can be found here: https://www.egr.msu.edu/graduate/engineering-graduate-research-symposium