University of California, Davis, $25,000

This team is aiming to reduce the worldwide quantity of plastic waste by incorporating it into our process feed stream. Specifically, the team is developing a way to use biological methods to break down Polyethylene Terephthalate plastic into Purified Terephthalic acid, a high-value commodity chemical, and ethylene glycol, which can be used as a bacterial food source. The goal is to create a cycle that enables the conversion of waste plastic into new, high quality plastic without dependence on fossil fuels.

Northwestern University, $5,000

Americans waste up to 20% of the electricity in their homes each year. One way to help solve this problem is providing people with a means to monitor their energy consumption. The ampèr system is designed to do that by relaying data from smart circuit breakers to the cloud, then allowing residents to control appliances by sending data over existing electrical wiring in the home.

University of Pennsylvania, $20,000

Plastic pollution is a global crisis that threatens the safety of wildlife and the food of over 4 billion people. BioCellection upcycles unrecyclable plastic pollution into biosurfactants using engineered microbes.

http://www.biocellection.com

University of Oregon, $25,000

This team is developing Tessellation, a biodegradable alternative to fiberglass insulation.

http://www.blkldg.com

George Mason University, $23,000

This team is developing E-Mow, a self-fueling, self-guided drone harvester that produces biomass pellets at the same time that it harvests a crop.

University of Akron, $25,000

Unexpected system failures in hybrid or electric cars can lead to costly breakdown or even loss of life. This team is developing software for an on-board diagnosis system for hybrid and electric vehicles that can provide early fault indications, improving reliability and safety.

University of Massachusetts-Amherst, $25,000

FogKicker is a natural, green anti-fog solution. It prevents the formation of fog on any surface, including vehicle windshields, eyewear, mirrors, windows, and display screens. Made from Nanocellulose, a wood derived natural nanomaterial, FogKicker is biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic.

http://www.treatyllc.com

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, $20,000

Higea Technologies is utilizing magnetic nanotechnology to clean oceanic oil spills in the most efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost effective way possible.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, $5,000

This E-Team is addressing two problems at the same time: e-waste, of which smartphones are becoming a rapidly increasing percentage, and the lack of people to fill job positions in the tech sector. The team’s product, the Neo, is a computer powered by a discarded mobile phone and comes pre-loaded with an operating system designed to introduce computer programming to novices. The Neo is envisioned as a sustainable and socially responsible way of introducing school-aged children to programming.

Northern Illinois University, $5,000

This project will utilize a newly-isolated species of microalgae to improve municipal wastewater treatment. The microalgae will remove polluting levels of nitrate and phosphate from sewage presently discharged into waterways, and the algae can then be harvested and used to produce biodiesel.

Arizona State University, $5,000

Photovoltaics don’t work well on vertical building facades for both technical and aesthetic reasons. RaVolt is developing a novel solar thermal technology that overcomes the specific wavelength absorption limitations that reduce the efficiency of photovoltaics and are attractive at the same time. The technology can be incorporated into conventional building materials on a smaller building scale, taking advantage of a source of energy that is currently not exploited.

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, $25,000

This team is developing a reduced cost heliostat aimed at energy companies that are moving away from coal-produced electricity. The heliostat will implement New Mexico Tech-patented water-ballast technology that makes the heliostat array cost-effective for large power plants. The technology produces heat that can be used to power existing steam turbine hardware, minimizing the required changes in current power plan hardware.

Current approaches to “smart glass” or “electronic dimming windows” are expensive and impractical. SmarterShade created polarized film for shading windows. Unlike other smart glass technologies, SmarterShade’s patented technology can transition on command, with no electrical power needed, with simple mechanisms for a fraction of the cost. In 2015, VG SmartGlass acquired the IP assets, brand, and key human resources of SmarterShade Inc. to focus on the commercialization of the product. SmarterShade Inc. has re-named to ST Labs and still exists as an R+D entity. The team from the University of Notre Dame received an E-Team grant in 2007. VentureWell invested in SmarterShade in 2013.

smartershade.com

Stanford University, $25,000

Buildings consume enormous amounts of energy, and architects waste billions of dollars re-working designs to create energy efficient buildings. Spectrum provides enterprise software for the architecture industry that seamlessly integrates building information modeling with sustainability analysis.

West Virginia University, $5,000

WindPax is developing portable, collapsing power generating/power storage wind turbine devices. These rugged, lightweight devices can be easily shipped, transported and carried within backpacks. Two products are envisioned: a 25-watt Wisp and 100-watt Breeze.