Johns Hopkins University, $5,000

This team is developing EasySuds, a low-cost device that will automatically release soap (and then water) out of a faucet, with the goal of increasing handwashing in both developed and developing countries.

http://easysuds.com

Cornell University, $25,000

Phenol and its derivatives are produced in a wide variety of industrial processes and make up the majority of EPA-regulated compounds under the Clean Water Act. Traditional methods of removing phenol from wastewater are costly, use a lot of materials, and often do not convert the compounds into less reactive forms. This team’s solution traps enzymes in metal oxide nanoparticle cages and places them on scaffolds, which is both more ten times more efficient and reusable.