The Innovation Showcase (I-Show) was created in collaboration with ASME and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) and Idea to Product (I2P) competitions. The first showcase will be piloted at the ASME 2007 IMECE on November 9, 2007 in Seattle, WA and will feature a Pacific Northwest regional competition at the collegiate level.

I-Show provides the full experience of technology product commercialization, bridging the gap between engineering school practicum to business theories.  In partnership with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), successful teams attend Invention to Venture (I2V) workshops and learn about technology commercialization and business plan development.  Additionally, teams will be matched with local entrepreneurs and experts based on their areas of expertise to help refine their product, develop a business model and elevator pitch.

The finalists for the 2007 I-Show are:

Washington State University  Plastic Mescocumbustors
Polyimide plastics are a viable alternative to standard metallic or ceramic reactors, as they have the added advantage of low cost, durability, and good electrical insulation properties.

Washington State University  Retractable Hydrofoil Kits
Designed for existing pleasure boats, these kits provide minimizes wake wash and most importantly provides a two-fold increase in hydrodynamic efficiency, ensuring a smoother ride and saving gas.

Oregon State University  Portia-Eye:  Microchannel Heat Sinks
At the microscale level, provides an accurate and non-intrusive way of determining the liquid/vapor ratio using reflected and refracted light.
 
University of Idaho  Sleep Sound
Embedding a variable inductor into sleepwear, this technology detects breathing abnormalities in infants.
 
Penn State University  i-conserve
i-conserve wirelessly monitors energy usage and building conditions to increase efficiency and reduce
energy costs.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  STOMP (Scanning, Thermal, and Optical Measurement Platform)
Designed for diabetic patients, STOMP provides a complete analysis and visual readout of a person’s foot.
 
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  Greensulate
Greensulate is a new insulating material, comprised of perilite that is bonded or “glued” into a composite board by the growth of a benign fungus.

St. Louis University  Hubless Windmill
Fan blades are parallel to the rotational axis, bringing windmills in from the fields into urban areas using existing structures and commercial buildings.

Texas A&M University  F.I.R.E. (First Incident Response Equipment)
F.I.R.E. relays real-time information through the buildings existing emergency power grid using radio frequency identification and broadband over power line technology with smoke and temperature sensors.
 
University of Texas at Austin  NANOTaxi
Packaging and delivering a wide variety of drugs to specific cell types in the body, NANOTaxi targets diseased cells while leaving healthy ones unaffected.

The 2008 Innovation Showcase will take place on June 7, 2008 at the ASME Summer Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. The Team Application will be available September 14 – November 30, 2007.  The teams that are selected will compete at IShow ’08 in Orlando, presenting their technological innovation to a judging panel of successful innovators, industry experts, venture capitalist, and intellectual property specialists.  Focusing on product innovation and commercialization, teams with the most creative yet feasible ideas will be rewarded with industry recognition and seed funds.

To learn more about and attend the 2007 I-Show and Invention to Venture Workshop at Congress in Seattle, WA visit www.asmeconferences.org/ecp07

For more information on the I-Show and how to participate, visit http://www.asme.org/events/ishow.