HVAC software team wins Schurz Innovation Challenge at Purdue
May 1, 2015
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Andrew Martin |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Grissom Controls, which offers a software solution to optimize controls for highly complex heating, cooling and ventilation systems in buildings, took top honors and $5,000 at the fifth Schurz Innovation Challenge at Purdue on Thursday (April 30).
Andrew Martin, the sole member of Grissom Controls, is a student in Purdue's Lyles School of Civil Engineering.
"The software integrates a building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to make it run smarter," he said. "The software is ready to be deployed for a first test in a real building on Purdue's campus."
Placing second and receiving $3,500 was MirrorMirror, a team that has created a contextual display that shows relevant information in the home.
"The biggest thing we need is hardware," said team member Timothy Vincent, a student in Purdue's Department of Computer Science. "We also are looking to develop a more modular frame design."
Third place was awarded to Walk with Me, whose app is designed to bring friends together as they go about their daily routine. It merges a user's path with friends walking nearby.
"Being in the Schurz Innovation Challenge helped to start the idea from the ground up," said team member David Rokhinson, a student in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. "We are looking to further develop the app, begin marketing and developing a user base across college campuses."
Crwlr, which uses social media geolocation to represent the most popular venues and destinations, won $500 for being the crowd's favorite entry.
Schurz Communications Inc. sponsors the competition, which is organized by Purdue Foundry and held once each semester. It provides participants the opportunity to test their creativity and skills in developing innovative ideas in media technology. Participants developed and demonstrated prototypes that were judged by a panel of entrepreneurs and media professionals. Eleven teams and 31 people competed in this semester's competition, and each team was required to have at least one Purdue graduate student or undergraduate student.
About Schurz Communications Inc.
Based in Mishawaka, Indiana, Schurz Communications Inc. is a diversified privately-owned, nationwide communications company. The company publishes 11 daily and eight weekly newspapers in medium and small markets with a combined circulation of nearly 225,000. It also publishes shopping publications in California, has 10 television stations, owns 13 radio stations and operates three others, owns three cable companies, a phone directory and a printing company. Geographically, Schurz Communications has a presence in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Virginia.
About Purdue Foundry
The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. The Purdue Foundry is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2014 Incubator Network of the Year from the National Business Incubation Association for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org
Purdue Research Foundation contact: Steve Martin, 765-588-3342, sgmartin@prf.org
