March 6, 2017

Purdue student teams accepted for Rice Business Plan Competition

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Two groups of students from Purdue University will participate in the annual Rice Business Plan Competition in April.

PathVis, a graduate student team from the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, and Tri-D Dynamics LLC, a startup founded by two graduate students from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will compete in the three-day contest beginning April 6.

Both teams are among only 42 from around the world accepted to this year’s competition. Teams compete for more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes.

PathVis was accepted after submitting a one-minute video pitch. They are developing a smartphone technology that will monitor and track pathogen outbreaks. The technology aims to provide real-time data on disease detection so that health care resources can be more efficiently targeted to areas of need.

Tri-D Dynamics co-founders Alex Finch and Deepak Atyam were behind the first 3-D-printed and tested rocket engine from a university group in the world. The Purdue students want to establish their engines as a less costly alternative than traditional methods to small satellite companies.

Tri-D Dynamics includes three other Aeronautics and Astronautics students: Pablo Podesta, Eric Schweitzer and Eric Thurston.

PathVis is made up of graduate students Katherine Clayton (Mechanical Engineering) and Taylor Moehling (Biomedical Engineering). Undergraduates include a mechanical engineering student, Jay Donghoon Lee, and three biomedical engineering students: Andrew Witten, Axel Masquelin and Ryan Preston. 

Writer: Brian L. Huchel, 765-494-2084, bhuchel@purdue.edu  

Sources: Alexander Finch, 510-856-8690, alex@triddynamics.com

Korina Wilbert, 765-496-6024, kwilbert@purdue.edu

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

© 2015-22 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of Strategic Communications

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact News Service at purduenews@purdue.edu.