Summer EIP pitch contest winners chosen
Following the pitch competition on July 29, participants in the summer EIP program (left to right) Quanhui Ye, Joshua Ye, Seemesh Bhaskar, Han Keun Lee, and Lauana Pereira de Oliveira, were presented with certificates by IGB Director Gene Robinson.
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At the IGB, innovation doesn’t take a break for summer! A group of postdoctoral and graduate student researchers recently completed the 10-week IGB Early Innovator Program (EIP). On July 29, five aspiring entrepreneurs made their final product pitches to a judging panel, and three were awarded tiered funds ranging from $2,000-$5,000 to continue to advance their novel innovations.
Han Keun Lee received first prize for EDiVita, a point-of-care diagnostic platform delivering rapid molecular detection to enable cancer diagnoses in under an hour. Lee is a graduate student working in Brian Cunningham’s lab in the Center for Genomic Diagnostics.
Lauana Pereira de Oliveira was awarded second prize for PhotoYield, which uses trait specialization to boost photosynthesis in energy cane and other biomass-capable crops. Oliveira is a postdoctoral researcher working on the RIPE program in Lisa Ainsworth’s lab.
Quanhui Ye received third prize for DeResist Bio, a strategy that uses biocatalysts to remove antibiotic resistant genes from wastewater. Ye is a postdoctoral researcher working with Yong-Su Jin on the CABBI project.
This year’s EIP judges included Tom Denison, co-founder and CEO of SmartHealth Catalyzer; Christin Godale, executive director of LifeSciKY; and Owen Ryan, Director of Cell Engineering Research at ADM. The judges applauded all the participants for their innovative concepts and solid presentations. In addition to fielding questions after their presentation, each participant also had time for individual feedback from the judging panel.
Other participants in the pitch competition included Seemesh Bhaskar, a postdoctoral researcher in Brian Cunningham’s CGD lab developing SteerLight, a photonic crystal-based diagnostic tool, and Joshua Ye, a graduate student in Christopher Rao’s lab developing natural yeasts that can deliver active skincare ingredients.
EIP is designed to teach participants the skills necessary to become innovative leaders in their fields, and to support IGB scientists in considering creative ways to bring science to society. Trainees learn from subject matter experts about the process of innovation, protecting and developing discoveries beyond the laboratory, and bringing new technologies and services to the marketplace.