2015 Finalists
Congratulations to UMass Lowell's 2015 DifferenceMaker Idea Challenge Winners! Challenge categories and winners are as follows:
- Campus-Wide DifferenceMaker
- Significant Social Impact
- Contribution to a Healthier Lifestyle
- Innovative Technology Solution
- First to Market
- Honorable Mention
- Fan Favorite
Campus-Wide DifferenceMaker
Hydraulic Walker - $5,000
A walker that utilizes hydraulics, allowing for the legs to be quickly adjusted, so that it can be used on stairs.
- Ryan Andrews, Graduate, Physical Therapy
- Peter Klausmeyer, Graduate, Physical Therapy
Significant Social Impact
1st Place - $4,000
Love of the Game
Love of the Game
A community outreach program aiming to integrate universities and people with physical and cognitive disabilities through sports.
- Jessica Dion, Junior, Exercise Physiology
- Dylan Doucette, Junior, Exercise Physiology
- Lucas Parsons, Junior, Exercise Physiology
- Jennie Pisarik, Junior, Exercise Physiology
- Rachel Silk, Junior, Business, Marketing
- Daniel Schmith, Freshman, Business, Entrepreneurship
2nd Place - $2,500
Buddies without Borders
Buddies without Borders
A project aimed to bridge the gap between domestic students and international students starting with an in-person pair up then followed by a comprehensive website that allows members to define their profiles and micro-blog by text, photo, and video sharing.
- Tugba Arsava, Graduate, Community Social Psychology
- Burhan Colak, Graduate, Civil Engineering
- Katherine Cox, Freshman, Psychology
- Madeline Ormazza, Sophomore, Business
- Shashank Raghuveer, Graduate, Computer Science
- Fang Zhang, Graduate, Chemistry
Contribution to a Healthier Lifestyle
1st Place - $4,000
Playable Therapy
Playable Therapy
A platform of exercises and games, that, with Microsoft Kinect, will allow for motion tracking of a physical therapy (PT) patient during their exercise routine at home.
- Suhaib Alfageeh, Junior, Computer Science
- Lucas Brown, Junior, English and Math
- Chelsea Hayes, Junior, Business
- Damir Ismagilove, Junior, Math
- Anthony Pitaro, Senior, Exercise Physiology
- Mark Mcgrotty, Junior, Computer Science
2nd Place - $2,500
Solar Electric Vehicles
Solar Electric Vehicles
A series of low speed and high efficiency commuter vehicles that utilize hub motor technology to allow people to travel using purely the energy of the sun.
- Chukwuma Azubuine, Graduate, Entrepreneurship
- Richard Asirifi, Junior, Electrical Engineering
- Anas Dahany, Senior, Electrical Engineering
- David Jenkins, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
- Oliver Kayego, Sophomore, Electrical Engineering
- Chris Leger, Senior, Electrical Engineering
- Jared Mrvos, Sophomore, Computer Engineering
- Charles Reid, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
- Kenneth Sanders, Freshman, Computer Science
- Mukhammaddin Zinaddinov, Freshman, Electrical Engineering
Innovative Technology Solution
1st Place - $4,000
Masela Dentures
Masela Dentures
A fully 3D printable denture system as an alternative solution to expensive dentures manufactured using traditional casting and milling methods.
- Cormac Hondros-McCarthy, Senior, Plastics Engineering
- Casey McRae, Senior, Plastics Engineering
2nd Place - $2,500
KEnDERS Athletic Body Armor
KEnDERS Athletic Body Armor
A novel design for sports equipment using shear-thickening fluids.
- Elizabeth Kender, Junior Plastics Engineering
- Laura Kender, Junior, Plastics Engineering
- Stephen Kender, Freshman, Mechanical Engineering
First to Market
1st Place - $4,000
Mayday
Mayday
A wearable device connected via Bluetooth technology to a mobile phone, that, when activated, sends emergency alert signals to a list of emergency contacts.
- Alessandro Agnello, PhD, Computer Science
- Cibhi SelVen, Graduate, MBA
2nd Place - $2,500
Wordbuilder
Wordbuilder
An interactive toy designed to help children build the foundations of reading at an early age.
- Sergio Coronado, Junior, Computer Engineering
- Ian Copithorne, Junior, Computer Engineering
Honorable Mention - $1,500
Low-Income Community Homework Center
A homework center opened in Lawrence, MA to help high school students graduate and move onto college.
A homework center opened in Lawrence, MA to help high school students graduate and move onto college.
- Arnaldo Rivera, Senior, Psychology
- Hector Rivera, Senior, Psychology
Fan Favorite - $2,500
Indoor Hydroponic System
A hydroponic garden that is equipped with an environmental monitoring system that ensures optimal growing conditions for plants and requires little to no maintenance.
A hydroponic garden that is equipped with an environmental monitoring system that ensures optimal growing conditions for plants and requires little to no maintenance.
- Rapheeporn Aungaphinant, Graduate, MBA
- Katherine Cain, Graduate, MBA
- Tucker Holladay, Graduate, MBA
- Shu-Wei Hsu, Graduate, MBA
- Alima Shamuratova, Graduate, MBA