Strage Innovation Award
In view of the increasing importance of innovation in our lives, an innovation competition for WPI undergraduate students has been established by Henry and Alberta Strage. The objective to develop student knowledge and practical experience in the translation of creative ideas into viable new projects or ventures, especially if interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial opportunity now or in the future. Commercial, social, and/or philanthropic venture proposals will be ranked by a judging panel.
Teams present their ideas in ten minutes or less and entertain responses to judges questions over the next 15 minutes. These are not simple everyday questions like where did you get this idea from. They are much deeper inquiries, because on the way, our judges conduct a pretty good score of due diligence before showing up at the table. Sound a bit like confronting a venture capitalist? Sure does, but these investors also have a great interest in student success.
Browse Award Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Name | Title | Awarded by | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Jackie Edwards | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | Awarded to the SkyFall team for their innovative solution to combat space debris. |
| 2022 | Hao Wang | Strage Innovation Award | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | |||
| 2022 | Daniel Holz, Riley Baranowski, John Clewely | Strage Innovation Award | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | |||
| 2021 | Elizabeth Allin Butler | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | ||
| 2021 | Abigail O’Sullivan, Allison Guthrie, Julia Vanderstreet | Strage Innovation Award | Second Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | ||
| 2021 | Aidan Sevinsky, Brian Preiss, Cooper Milsark, Timothy Welch | Strage Innovation Award | Third Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | ||
| 2019 | Benjamin Ward, Solomon Greenberg | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Copperforge provides simple, well documented, and competition-grade electrical and mechanical components for robotics. |
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| 2019 | Noah C. Budris, Daniel P. Pelaez | Strage Innovation Award | Second Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | “Roadar” is a program working in conjunction with a laser scanner to offer municipalities a more efficient and cost-effective solution to road maintenance issues. |
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| 2018 | Alexandra J. Miller | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Miller’s Get Up ‘N’ Go innovation is a set of retractable armrests for standard walkers that slide beside the user to assist in transitions of sitting and standing. |
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| 2018 | Brandon Sanders | Strage Innovation Award | Second Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Alicorn is a novel cyber-physical framework that lets users control individual devices using a single language, coordinate large groups of devices using a common data format, and easily add support for new devices using extensible firmware. |
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| 2018 | Joseph Lombardi | Strage Innovation Award | Third Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Lombardi is developing smart lobster traps that sense when a catch has entered the trap then alerts the lobsterman. |
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| 2017 | Daniel Shrives, Grayson Baum | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Rowing Telemetry System (RTS)” RTS is a modified oarlock capable of collecting performance metrics allowing coaches to make the changes in rowers’ forms that win races. |
| 2016 | Ingrid Marko | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | "Brace Yourself: Redesigning the Charleston Back Brace" |
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| 2016 | Sarah Chamberlain, Richard Eberheim | Strage Innovation Award | Second Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | "Adaptable System for Construction Using Additive Manufacturing" |
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| 2015 | Elizabeth Paulson, Kyla Rodger, and Adelle Milholland | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Interactive EKG Model" - This product is a teaching tool for medical students and can also be used in a cardiologist office during patient consultations. It includes a model heart that will show different cardiac conditions by demonstrating the electrical activity within the heart, as well as a 12-lead EKG wave to match it. The device interfaces with a computer screen. This device also includes a clear plastic torso that demonstrates where EKG electrodes should be placed, as well as a smaller model heart that will show the different views of the 12 leads. |
| 2015 | Jordan Jones (BME), Rebecca Lee (BME), Mikayla Pasciuto (ME), and Shreyas Renganathan (BME) | Strage Innovation Award | First Place | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | MilkSafe Storage Device - The MilkSafe team is prototyping an affordable lean-in-concept cooling container to store mother’s milk at appropriate temperatures for up to 16 hours. In low-income nations, such as Haiti, where electricity, refrigeration, and ice are not readily or reliably available, the team intends to use this product to facilitate storing mother’s milk while she is away from her infant at work and help reduce the number of infant deaths there due to malnutrition. |