Make-A-Thon Winners Design Sustainability Solutions

During the seventh annual NC State Make-A-Thon sustainability innovation competition, students competed in teams to create the best solution to a sustainability challenge. 

With feedback from industry mentors, teams designed and prototyped their solution. At the end of the competition, teams pitched their ideas via video submissions to judges from the community and local companies for the opportunity to win cash prizes.

Here are the winning teams from the Jan. 27-31, 2022, competition:

• Grand Prize: An Arduino-based device that can turn off lights in residence hall rooms when students are not present. Unlike a motion detector switch, the device offers an audible prompt to confirm no occupancy before lights are turned off. 
• Second Place: A showerhead that encourages shorter showers by briefly pausing flow of water after a set period of time as a reminder to conserve water.
• Third Place: A network of UV light sanitation stations on campus where students can sanitize disposable masks to allow for reuse, which reduces mask waste.

The Wilson College of Textiles also offered special Textiles Prize category, and the winning ideas are:

• Textiles 1st Place: A network of UV light sanitation stations on campus where students can sanitize disposable masks to allow for reuse, which reduces mask waste.
• Textiles 2nd Place: A campus apparel shop that upcycles apparel and scrap textiles, which student designers can use to create new items. 
• Textiles 3rd Place: A clothing rental service for students that’s based on campus to reduce carbon emissions associated with shipping.

Make-A-Thon is a collaboration of NC State Housing, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability Office, Libraries, and the Division of Academic and Student Affairs.

This post was originally published in Sustainability News.