Finalists Selected for Collegiate Innovation Competition with $10,000 Award

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Sept. 18, 2017 - PRLog -- Top Eight Solution Finalists for BIG Pitch $10,000 Award Are Announced

In addition to the Ocean Exchange Neptune and the WWL Orcelle® Awards, the seventh annual Ocean Exchange event October 8-10, 2017 in Savannah, GA will feature eight collegiate finalists for the third year of the BIG Pitch Competition. These undergraduate & graduate innovations were developed to improve economies, health, and the environment, and fit under the theme of sustainability.

The eight collegiate finalists will present October 8 in front of delegates from business, NGOs, academia, and government. Delegates vote for the recipient of one $10,000 cash award, sponsored by the Georgia Southern University College of Business Administration, Business Innovation Group.

This year's BIG Pitch finalist solutions are:

Active Energy Systems
Cornell University
Convert waste heat to energy

Alquantal
Arizona State University
Grow crops sustainably with non-toxic pesticides

DayLyte Batteries
University of Texas-Austin
Power electric vehicle and grid-scale applications with innovative battery

Infinite Cooling
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reduce water losses due to evaporation in power generation

Palmos
Columbia University
Monitor hydrological risks via wireless sensors with computational modeling

Pipeguard Robotics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Find leaks and save water with robotic device

Rambuta
Oregon State University
Improve agricultural practices and yields with hybrid system of ground & aerial sensors

VelX Sail Based Wind Harvester
Rutgers University
Provide energy to tall commercial buildings with rooftop wind turbines

Eight experts with backgrounds in intellectual property law, sustainable design, healthy oceans, energy, materials science and chemical engineering, and environmental strategy and operations reviewed and selected the top eight collegiate solutions.  The winner in 2015 was Opus 12 from Stanford University, a solution for carbon dioxide capture and reuse.  The student innovator was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy in early 2016.    BIG Pitch 2016 winner was a sophomore undergraduate from the University of Illinois-Urbana with a piezoelectric energy generator.

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The Business Innovation Group (BIG) at Georgia Southern University, located in downtown Statesboro, GA, is the business outreach arm of the university, committed to developing a vibrant entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem for the southeast region. BIG provides resources for students and entrepreneurs to gain skills and training necessary to understand business principles, experience how businesses operate, and successfully launch new enterprises.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 118 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.