Congratulations to our 2023 finalists!
View media from the event here: Photos | Videos
Innovation in Action Winners:
First Place — AudioOdyssey
AudioOdyssey is building a platform designed to prevent drowsy driving accidents among truck drivers through engaging and interactive audio entertainment. Our mission is to stop accidents on the road and save lives.
Members:
Zoe Drasner, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Joe Huang, College of Engineering
Adam Zhang, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Second Place — Urban Oasis
Urban Oasis is an initiative with the goal of developing resources and communities for students in Urban Areas to get involved with indoor gardening to benefit their mental health and environmental consciousness.
Members:
Adriana Chen, School of Information
Kaanan Datt, College of Engineering
Hyeri Lee, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Andrew Yang, College of Engineering
Zhiyuan Zhang, School of Information
Third Place — UtilPlastic
We are developing a way to recycle the plastic in the community of Pancho Mateo, located in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The core belief of our project is that community engagement, with the addition of the right technology and training, can lead to effective recycling. In collaboration with the New Horizons Foundation, which provides education and recreational programs to the kids of Pancho Mateo, we aim to establish a sustainable recycling program, where community members can recycle their own plastic into new useful products that they could use or sell.
Members:
Sarah Waldman, College of Engineering
Audience Choice Award — Save the Planet
Save the planet is an application that enables consumers/utility companies to take measures for consuming ,producing and saving renewable sources using IOT and machine learning.
Team Members:
Richa Chachra, Engineering, U-M Dearborn
Kruthika Gopinathan, Engineering, U-M Dearborn
Poverty Solutions Best Innovation in Economic Mobility — UnfoldKit
UnfoldKit is a comprehensive toolkit for developers and architects to build affordable housing with community voice and input. We address the need for effective public engagement in the design of low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) housing. With the application of human-centered design and participatory planning methods, UnfoldKit not only moves communities towards a place where affordable housing is understood and welcomed by its neighbors, it also pushes the design boundaries of innovative and equitable community housing.
Members:
Anna Lam, Ross School of Business, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning
Maddie Tong, School of Social Work
Zell Lurie Institutes “Most Maximized Team Strengths” Award — AudioOdyssey
AudioOdyssey is building a platform designed to prevent drowsy driving accidents among truck drivers through engaging and interactive audio entertainment. Our mission is to stop accidents on the road and save lives.
Members:
Zoe Drasner, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Joe Huang, College of Engineering
Adam Zhang, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
C-SED’s “Best Community Engagement” Award — Musica Para la Gente
Our team wants to implement a musical resources in low-income Latino communities for access to instruments, recording equipment, and mentorship.
Team Members:
Giancarlo Medrano, College of Engineering, School of Music, Theater, & Dance
Paulo Zepeda, Ross School of Business
U-M School of Information “User-Centered Solution” Award — ImmiHealth
The ImmiHealth team is driven to serve immigrants through healthcare in foreign countries, like the United States. ImmiHealth is a non-profit platform that focuses on easing the struggles of immigrants and uninsured populations in healthcare by offering a health-technology platform that connects these populations to health resources at affordable rates, simultaneously offering a community network and health-related education. Though the project started in November 2022, there is a high chance that ImmiHealth will increase the transparency of the US healthcare system for recent immigrants. The ImmiHealth platform (web or mobile app) helps people connect with free health clinics and programs and get informed by health professionals on various health educational topics. Health scholarships that ImmiHealth offer will provide one to three percent coverage of medical expenses associated with a first-time, general medical visit. We have collaborated with free clinics in Michigan, like the Hope Clinic, to allow immigrants to envision their first clinic visits in America, informing them about scheduling appointments, what documents to bring, estimated appointment length, and questions to ask their doctor. ImmiHealth has networked with many healthcare professionals to create an interactive experience on the web app by understanding the population’s needs through 100+ interviews, surveys, discussions, and personal experiences.
Members:
Jacky Jiang, Eastern Michigan University
Lucas Kapala, Michigan State School of Osteopathic Medicine
Medha Kapoor, School of Nursing
Harshang Patel, College of Engineering
Tirth Patel, College of Engineering
Sania Srivastava, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Areeba Wali, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
