“Student Innovation @ the U” is an annual publication celebrating student innovators and entrepreneurs from across campus. Read to see what students are inventing, and get inspired!
Waking up is agonizing for all of us. Heath French, U computer science major, figured he had what it took to redefine the agony. “I’m creating an alarm clock with a micro SD card on the back so I can put as much music in it as I want and create my own playlists,” French […]
What is metallurgical engineering? Lauryn Hansen laughs; she gets asked that question often. “I went into college knowing I was going to study something that would offer me long-term stability, not necessarily to explore my passions,” Hansen said. A first-generation college student and currently a senior at the U, Lauryn has always been interested in […]
We’ve all been there — checking a text, settling a debate by looking up which actor was in that one movie or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram — and you get that pop-up: “Select a Wi-Fi Network.” Let the eye-roll commence. Of course you want to connect with Wi-Fi! Your data is at stake, but sadly, […]
Aaron Hatch wanted a light bar for his ATV that would light his way without draining his wallet. But after searching everywhere, the operations management student gave up and decided to build his own. From this effort, his company, WD Electronics, was born. He is now selling premium, but reasonably priced, LED light bars and […]
Bret Heale, a biomedical informatics master’s student, led the development of a search interface to personalize a patient’s experience in genetics clinics worldwide. “Clinicians are highly educated, but they don’t always have all the information they need to answer every question,” Heale said. “The ClinGen genomics search interface was designed to assist them in caring […]
Average toys for toddlers are entertaining, but not always educational. That was the issue Ryan Ferrin faced before developing the concept for “Chameleon Car.” It’s a revolutionary toddler’s toy that promotes interaction with the world, not simply stimulus from an electronic device. The idea: Take a basic, translucent car body and turn it into something […]
You’ve been on the slopes for hours, and the sun starts to peek through the clouds. “Oh man, I’ve got to switch out my lens,” you think. Not anymore! Material engineering graduate Max Gallant and his team have developed a transparent film that can change tint on command by applying a small amount of electricity. […]
Colby Russo, a freshman pre-business student, wants you to wear a shirt or jacket made by his company, Evōk Clothing. Yeah, you’ll look fashionable wearing it. But, more importantly, you’ll be wearing something with a message. You’ll be saying, “I support local artists, locally made products and fair pay for a day’s work.” Russo explains: […]
Net neutrality is one of the hottest topics today, and a team of 12 graduate students is helping bring attention to it in an unusual way. They created a video game, 404Sight, as part of the top-ranked Entertainment Arts and Engineering program. Its success has exceeded their expectations. They released the game for free in […]
What if cancer patients could receive chemotherapy in a less painful and more effective manner in the comfort and stability of their homes? Amir Orome, an undergraduate senior in physics at the U, is doing just that. Working for Bard Access Systems, a Salt Lake City-based medical device company, Orome developed and designed the shape […]
