“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!
Can a game get you walking your pet, even if it’s a virtual pet? U MBA student and co-founder of StepPets, Tim Cooley, is developing a game where players compete with pets they earn by walking more and more each day. The players earn, raise and train their virtual pets in a fun and exciting […]
It’s Friday night, and you need a break from classes and homework. Where will you find your friends? Now, there’s an app for that! NiteOut is a new, socially driven application. “This is a quick way to check the scene at local bars or at an event,” said Jeffrey Morelli, NiteOut cofounder. “Never again will […]
While only a paper prototype, a game being developed by U graduate students is already reducing bullying and increasing attendance in classes in a local elementary school. “One mother told us it used to be a struggle to get her kid to school on time, but after the game, he pushes her to get him […]
Students are getting a first-hand look at what it takes to predict the weather in the Ute Weather program — and their work touches thousands of people every day. Their forecasts are broadcast by news agencies across the region, their tweets are seen by thousands, and they provide some of the most accurate forecasts for […]
Isaac Kellis is bringing his imagination to life as a technical art student at the U. “There is nothing more satisfying than seeing my art come to life in a way other people can both connect with and experience interactively,” he said. Pictured above: Models of a character project, an android named Anna.
Prime Swords by Formidable Toys are just as appealing to kids as adults with a nerd streak or an itch for mortal combat. “When people see our swords, it captures their imagination,” said Mark Jarman, an Entertainment Arts and Engineering student who helped launch the company. Jarman drew the first prototypes in 2012, when his […]
University of Utah alum Erik Larsen started a cupcake company in the U’s Foundry program and had no idea what would happen next. The idea exploded, taking him to the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” and leading to the chance of a lifetime. When University of Utah student Erik Larsen sent in his promo video for […]
Looking for the perfect gift for someone with everything? How about the “coziest pants in the world?” A pair of U students has launched a line of uniquely designed pants — dubbed Sakpants — through a university-sponsored entrepreneurship program and a crowdsource funding campaign to raise money. Students Brayden Iwasaki, a graphic design graduate, and […]
Think about how frustrating paper printers can be — there are jams, spills and alignment problems galore. Now add another dimension of complexity, and you begin to understand why 3-D printing isn’t as simple as it may seem. Two undergraduate students are learning this lesson firsthand while launching their company, Elevated Designs. They provide 3-D-printing […]
On the lookout for his next startup idea and sitting impatiently in his car at a traffic light, Mark Pittman put two and two together — “there has got to be a better way to do this,” he thought. A graduate student studying business and law at the U, Pittman initially wanted to coordinate traffic […]
