Two MechSE students finalists for 2014 Illinois Innovation Prize

Last week, the Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) in the College of Engineering announced the finalists for the 2014 Illinois Innovation Prize, which awards $20,000 to one student who stands out as a passionate innovator and entrepreneur, is working with world-changing technology, and is a role model for others. The winner was announced April 25 at the TEC’s annual Entrepreneurship Forum on the Illinois campus.

Of the six finalists for the award, two are PhD candidates in mechanical science and engineering. Although neither took home the distinguished prize, their achievements and contributions to technological innovation and creating advances for the good of society epitomize the MechSE mission.

James Pikul currently collaborates between the fields of mechanical engineering and materials science. He makes microbatteries that are 100 times more powerful than conventional batteries and 2,000 times more powerful than other microbatteries. For his work, he recently won the Materials Research Society Gold Award. In his spare time Pikul developed a company, JáD Naturals, that produces 100% natural skin care to treat conditions such as rosacea and psoriasis.

Adam Tilton’s work is in the areas of control theory and computer science. During his PhD research, he developed a new approach for pattern recognition and classification in machine learning. He co-founded a data analytics software company, Rithmio, whose first product is a gesture recognition software system for wearable devices. Rithmio’s software has two features that set it apart from the current state-of-the-art. It can be trained by the user for new, user-defined gestures, and once trained, it can accurately distinguish the gesture being performed and provide precise analysis of how that gesture compares to a baseline.

This year’s winner, Canan Dagdeviren, a PhD student in materials science and engineering, developed a new class of biocompatible piezoelectric mechanical energy harvesters that are soft and flexible, allowing them to conform to and laminate on soft tissues such as the heart, lungs, and diaphragm.