Colorado State University students, faculty and staff recently presented their innovative work, competing for more than $20,000 in cash awards.
Participants included representatives from all eight colleges and departments from across the university as well as four submissions from the Institute for Cannabis Research at CSU-Pueblo. Each presenter prerecorded a 30-second introduction and a 3-minute talk for the virtual audience and included a digital poster on the custom platform. Presenters with a technology that could be demonstrated had the option to upload a 5-minute demonstration video of their innovation.
This year’s event included two lunchtime seminars – “Ask Me Anything” and “Leading Innovation in Sustainability.” Each seminar was recorded and is available for on-demand viewing. The “Ask Me Anything” seminar included experts in intellectual property, innovation and regional entrepreneurship ecosystem. The “Leading Innovation in Sustainability” panel highlighted CSU experts in alternative transportation, livestock/food, water and energy.
Demo Day panelists
“Ask Me Anything”
Susan James, vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of mechanical engineering
Molly Kocialski, regional director, United States Patent and Trademark Office
Nicole Ressue, intellectual property attorney
Emily Roberts, vice president, Colorado Bioscience Association
“Leading Innovation in Sustainability”
Erika Benti, Parking and Transportation Services
Kim Stackhouse-Lawson, director, Sustainable Livestock Systems Collaborative
Sybil Sharvelle, associate professor, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering
Bryan Willson, executive director, Energy Institute; professor of mechanical engineering; Bryan Willson Presidential Chair for Energy Innovation
University community members are encouraged to join the Demo Day community and check out the innovative work at demoday.csuinnovates.org. The platform will be available for a full year after the event – open to continued networking and viewing of the innovative content.
CSU Demo Day would not have been possible this year without the time and generous support of its sponsors, CSU leadership, industry judges and the countless faculty, students and staff that make the event successful.
College-Specific Awards
Prizes include $1,500 for each project.
Innovation in Agricultural Sciences
Expressing CRISPR/Cas9 for multi-strain resistance to beet curly top virus
Kyle Pfeiffer, Department of Bioagricultural Soil and Pest Management
Advisor: Vamsi Nalam
Innovation in Engineering
3D printing of self-heating composite molds
Hanna Narans, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Mostafa Yourdkhani
Innovation in Health & Human Sciences
Clothing made in Colorado for Colorado: Designing a regenerative Colorado apparel system
Katie Miller, Department of Design and Merchandising
Advisor: Sonali Diddi
Innovation in Liberal Arts
ARA: AR assistant for fabrications labs
Brendan Kelly, Department of Journalism & Media Communication
Advisor: Mike Humphrey
Innovation in Natural Resources
OWL: A modern update to a classic pest management strategy
Allison Kohler, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL)
Advisor: Randall Boone
Innovation in Natural Sciences
Home COVID-19 Testing: Rapid, affordable, simple
Jeremy Link, Department of Chemistry
Advisor: Chuck Henry
Innovation in Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Healthy Embryo, Healthy Pregnancy
Hanah Georges, Department of Clinical Sciences
Advisor: Tod Hansen
The Institute for Entrepreneurship Game Changer Award
EnerGO – alleviate energy poverty in Africa
Andreas Koumato, Impact MBA
Advisor: Grace Hall
Specialty Awards
Innovation in Augmented or Virtual Reality ($1,500)
Virtual reality imaging review for cancer patients
Jordan Nelson, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Advisor: Tod Clapp
Innovation in Software ($1,500)
Hekafy – system that enables users to shop for groceries based on their health profiles
Mo Hussein, Department of Systems Engineering
Advisor: Charles Butler
Excellence in Interdisciplinary Human-Centered Design Thinking ($1,500)
Virtual reality for veterinarians (VetVR)
Christian Ferguson, Department of Clinical Sciences
Advisor: Pedro Boscan
Innovation in Programmatic or Educational Outreach ($1,500)
Condition Assessment Framework for facility management based on Fuzzy Sets theory
Deniz Besiktepe, joint program in the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Management
Advisors: Rebecca Atadero and Mehmet Ozbek
Excellence in Energy (three awards)
First Place ($600): High-efficient ultra-low emissions heavy-duty natural gas engine
Juan Rodriguez, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Daniel Olsen
Second Place ($400): Data center cooling…with an IMPACT
Zachary Gilvey, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Todd Bandhauer
Third Place ($200): Developing a smart fabric for energy-efficient curing of multifunctional composites
Iman Naseri, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Advisor: Mostafa Yourdkhani
People’s Choice (two awards)
First Place ($500): Data powered project management for construction industry
Manideep Tummalapudi, Department of Construction Management
Advisors: Christofer Harper and John Killingsworth
Second Place ($250): Supply chain solution for refugee camps
Emily Bergman, Impact MBA
Advisor: John MacDonal
