Two Rensselaer teams among top 15 selected nationwide to exhibit March 20

Troy, N.Y. – Two teams of Rensselaer students are among the top 15 collegiate teams selected from around the country to participate in a national exhibition of inventions.

The "March Madness for the Mind" exhibit is part of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) annual conference celebrating invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The March 20 exhibit will be held at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Ca.

"The exciting work of these Rensselaer teams exemplifies the interdisciplinary innovation that is instilled throughout our curriculum," said William Baeslack III, dean of the School of Engineering at Rensselaer. "We applaud their entrepreneurship."

Rensselaer team Bullex Digital Safety Equipment, lead by student Paul Darois, will showcase the Intelligent Training Simulation (ITS), a fire extinguisher training system that uses an electronically controlled flame and an extinguisher that enables the user to experience the feel and orientation of using an actual extinguisher without discharging any extinguishant. The ITS can interpret, record, and score a user's performance and allows for a variety of training scenarios through a wireless handheld control device operated by the trainer, according to the team.

"Liability, operating, and clean-up costs often deter companies and fire departments from offering fire extinguisher training," said Paul Darois, a senior mechanical engineering student. "By coupling an electronic control and assessment system with traditional methods, we can enable fire departments to reach out and expand training programs within communities."

The team received funding from NCIIA in the spring of 2003 to assist in the development and commercialization of their invention and has a start-up company of the same name—Bullex Digital Safety Equipment—which is housed in Rensselaer's incubator center. There is a patent pending on the ITS.

Rensselaer team TekAlert, lead by student Ryan O'Donnell, will showcase the Team Accountability Buddy System (TABS), a wireless tethering system to aid firefighters in burning buildings from getting separated from their team. TABS is designed to constantly monitor each
firefighter and only sound an alarm when personal safety is at risk. At the exhibition, TekAlert will display several working prototypes of TABS incorporating wireless communications technology, infrared and visible light systems, and audible alarms. TABS is patent pending.

Both teams are exhibiting inventions that stemmed from their work in Inventor's Studio, a Rensselaer engineering course designed to promote innovation and give students hands on experience with the process of developing a commercially viable product.

"The best inventors look at the things we all take for granted and say, this could be better," says Burt Swersey, lecturer in mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer and adviser to both teams invited to the exhibition. "Our teams were able to identify real-life problems and solve them through self-motivation, creative thinking, and innovation. That is what we strive for with all of our students."

About NCIIA
The NCIIA is an initiative of the Lemelson Foundation, a private philanthropy established by Jerome Lemelson and his family, supporting faculty and students who believe that invention and innovation are critical to American higher education. The NCIIA provides grant support to colleges around the country for the creation of student invention teams (called E-Teams for excellence and entrepreneurship), courses, projects, networking opportunities, and resources for faculty and student innovators. The NCIIA funds E-Teams whose work is likely to result in the licensing of new products or technologies, or the start up of entrepreneurial ventures.

Contact: Mary Cimo
Phone: (518) 687-7174
E-mail: cimom@rpi.edu