At a ceremony held at the New York Public Library October 23, the Collegiate Inventors Competition announced its 2003 winners. This year's winners have found ways to generate insulin for diabetics, perform environmental testing with microscopic sensors, and make electronic circuits smaller than ever before. Two undergraduate winners, two graduate winners, and one grand prizewinner were selected from fifteen finalist teams. Advisors for each winning team were also recognized for their contributions. The Collegiate Inventors Competition is an international competition designed to encourage college students to be active in science, engineering, mathematics, technology, and creative invention. This prestigious challenge recognizes and rewards the innovations, discoveries, and research by college and university students and their advisors for projects leading to inventions that can be patented. Introduced by the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990, the Collegiate Inventors Competition has annually rewarded individuals or teams for their innovative work and scientific achievement. The competition is now in its fourteenth year. Chinese who received the honor are
Graduate Winner, $25,000
Rongchao Jin, Yunwei Charles Cao, and Gabriella Métraux, Northwestern University, on silvern
nanoprosm synthesis.
Undergraduate Winner, $15,000.
Colette Shen , Harvard University, on insulin secreting cells
Jin, 32, completed his undergraduate and masters degrees in chemistry in China at the University of Science and Technology of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, then traveled to Northwestern in 1999 to pursue his Ph.D. While finishing work on his doctorate, he lives in the Chicago area with his wife Li Liu and two-year old daughter Evanna Jin.
Cao, 35, also from China, received his bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees in chemistry from Jilin University in China. He conducted postdoctoral work at the Hebrew University in Jeruselam on nanoparticle physics, and then in 2000, continued postdoctoral work in nanoparticles at Northwestern University. He said, "I've always liked making small things!" A new addition to the faculty at the University of Florida, Cao lives in Gainesville with his wife, Dr. Yunlu Cao.
Shen, 21, is an undergraduate biomedical engineering student at Harvard University . Shen was interested enough in the topic to seek out research opportunities with the scientists involved, which led to her unique collaboration with an advisor at MIT. Once Shen completes her undergraduate degree at Harvard University, she plans to attend medical school to fulfill her dream of becoming a physician-scientist.
Chinese among the finalists include Stanley Huang, Johns Hopkins University, on Method for Measuring Hand-applied Force and Brian Yeh, University of California, San Franciscoon Protein Switches. Huang, 23, received his B.S. in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins in May and is continuing his education there to pursue a master's degree. Yeh, 24, grew up in Calgary and attended the University of British Columbia for his undergraduate degree in biochemistry and chemistry. Yeh is pursuing a doctorate in chemistry and biology.