Students raced against the clock to invent new technology and innovations to help improve veterinary patient outcomes and pet life as a whole at the latest Aggies Invent. Veterinary care is constantly evolving but isn’t perfect, there are many issues veterinarians face on a daily basis that can be improved. Teams of randomly-grouped students worked together on their needs statement, giving each group a different problem to solve.
In the mix of innovations was a version of a “FitBit” for animals, a device to record the urinary behavior and health of a cat and a 3-D printed organ to aid training veterinary students on difficult procedures. The students are given just 48 hours to brainstorm, create and present their innovation to a group of expert judges.
First place went to Pawty Pals with their cat-tracking device that records the urinary behavior of cats to catch early warning signs of disease. This team included Miranda George, master’s student in biotechnology, Iran Ramirez, senior from civil engineering, Sarah Jacobson, senior from biomedical engineering, and Sam McDonald, a second-year veterinary student.
Second place was awarded to Pet Steps with their improved version of a microchip used in dogs, with features such as GPS, water intake, heart rate tracking and more. Their team was comprised of second-year veterinary student Rachel Jorgensen, McCalley Cunningham, senior from animal science, Kyle Novak, senior from computer engineering in electrical engineering, and Emily Fauver, senior from multidisciplinary engineering technology, Steven Michael Kouam Kenmognie, a sophomore computer engineering in electrical engineering and Justin Campbell, a freshman engineering major.
Third place went to 3Dorganizers. They created an easily-produced, inexpensive 3-D model of animal organs to train veterinary students on complicated and risky procedures. The team included Joseph Kishpaugh, a sophomore engineering major, Elise Luo, a senior economics major, veterinary students Gabriela De Lima and Jessica Xu, as well as Lee-Jae Jack Guo , a Ph.D. biomedical sciences student.
The top three winning teams were awarded $1,000, $750 and $500, respectively, and will gain global exposure through Aggies Invent’s partners. The College of Veterinary Medicine, Maxim Integrated and Banfield Pet Hospital sponsored this event. The event was judged by Lorne Smith from Maxim Integrated, Dr. Adam Little from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Eleanor Green, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Corrine Mardel, and Roland Block, associate director, Engineering and Experiential Education.