Officials with the Conrad Foundation today announced the names of 20 high school and middle school teams from the U.S., ChinaIndiaIsrael and Sri Lanka to compete in the final round of the 2013-2014 Spirit of Innovation Challenge. Selected from 133 innovative semifinalist teams from around the world, these young entrepreneurs will attend the 2014 Innovation Summit and compete for $45,000 in prizes.

Presented by Lockheed Martin, the annual business and technical plan competition challenges teams of students ages 13-18 to combine innovation and entrepreneurship, along with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), to create commercially-viable products to benefit humanity and support global sustainability.

“We believe young people have an amazing capacity to imagine, design and create products and services to benefit humanity,” said Nancy Conrad, founder and chairman of the Conrad Foundation. “The Spirit of Innovation Challenge provides the tools and the resources students and educators need to learn how to collaborate, investigate and make their ideas a reality, while simultaneously bringing valuable context to lessens in the classroom.”

Finalist teams will present their product concepts April 7-8 before a panel of industry experts, leading entrepreneurs, government officials and world-renowned scientists at NASA Johnson Space Center inHouston. Products will be evaluated for technical content and marketplace viability. Presentations will be available for public viewing via live stream at www.conradawards.org.

The finalist teams in each category include:

Aerospace & Aviation

  • Flying Unicorns – PeriflowNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsDurham, NC
  • Fuel Gage for Hydrogen Fuel CellShapira High School and Holy Child Auxilium School; Ha’ari, Israeland New Delhi, India
  • HAV IDEAS – Smart Bin; Detroit Country Day School and Plymouth High School; Detroit and Canton Township, MI
  • nCssM – AquaCapsuleNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsDurham, NC
  • The Aerodynamic Duo – HEPA UV FilterNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsDurham, NC

Cybertechnology & Security

  • Bionic Technologies – DigiSense; Gnanam Academy and Stanford University Online High School;Plano and Murphy, Texas
  • Blind Sensor Navigation; Northville High School; Northville Township, MI
  • PuzzleBotNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsDurham, NC
  • Quantum Spoker – Spoker 900; St. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka
  • TXT U L8R – AutoSenseThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology; Alexandria, VA

Energy & Environment

  • GreenBarriers – HydroBucketCupertino High SchoolCupertino, CA
  • NCSSM CM – Water WickerNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsDurham, NC
  • Tube-tastic Trio – Tube-tastic; Watchung Hills Regional High School; Warren, NJ
  • WaSOR – SAPbag; East Chapel Hill High School; Chapel Hill, NC
  • XC – Walking Watts; Hatboro-Horsham High School, A.C. Reynolds High School and Elizabeth High School; Horseham, PA, Asheville, NC and Elizabeth, NJ

Health & Nutrition

  • FreshSpireNorth Carolina School of Science and MathematicsDurham, NC
  • IPAT- VIBe; Shanghai American School; Shanghai, China
  • NutripersonalWilliam G. Enloe High SchoolRaleigh, NC
  • Sensitive Solutions – OmniSENSEThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology;Alexandria, VA
  • Tremor X; The Columbus Academy; Columbus, Ohio

 

The winning team in each category will be recognized as Pete Conrad Scholars in honor of Apollo 12 astronaut, Charles “Pete” Conrad, and his three-decade pursuit of innovation and entrepreneurship. These teams also receive a Next Step Grant of $10,000 to continue product development, as well as a chance to receive a $5,000 grant from the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation for patent applications.

The 2013-2014 Spirit of Innovation Challenge is made possible by Lockheed Martin, as well as PepsiCoBattelleAir Liquide, Mondel?z International and other supporting sponsors.

For more information about the Spirit of Innovation Challenge or how to contribute to the Conrad Foundation, visit www.conradawards.org.

About The Conrad Foundation 
The Conrad Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to 21st century, immersive learning, where students use their imagination and innovation to enrich their classroom studies by adding context to content. The Foundation is the only organization of its kind whose programs combine education, innovation, and entrepreneurship to inspire solutions for achieving global sustainability. For more information, visit www.conradfoundation.org.

Media Contact: 
Carrie Taylor 
Conrad Foundation 
Carrie.taylor(a)conradwards.org 
832-864-7223