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What participants say

Hoopla Rack

Hoopla Rack,
third place and $4,000,
2008 Schoofs Prize for Creativity;
third place and $700,
Tong Prototype Prize;
and Younkle Best Presentation Award

“Through the whole process, I actually began to see my design turn into a prototype, and now my prototype might actually become a patented reality. By the end, I was so happy that I had chosen to take a chance on myself and do something that brought my engineering and hooping life together.”

—Danielle McIntosh

Pen Smart

Pen Smart,
$1,000 Judges’ Award for Special Merit,
2008 Schoofs Prize for Creativity

“I thought of this product two years ago—I wrote it down and kind of forgot about it for awhile. And I realized that if I didn’t do it, I’d always regret it, so I just decided to pursue it. The competition is a great outlet for anyone interested in innovation and development. The experience gives you the tools to develop the idea and the confidence to continue.”

—Daniel Gartenberg

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Tong Prototype Prize 2007

Third Place

BugsTOP

BugsTOP, third place and $4,000, Schoofs Prize for Creativity, and third place and $700, Tong Prototype Prize (large image)
BugsTOP

BugsTOP: A pond surface agitator that prevents mosquito breeding.

“I worked with the city of Madison public health department last summer as their West Nile Virus technician. My job was to monitor and treat the ditches that had high populations of mosquitos in the city of Madison. I noticed that we were going to some of the same ditches over and over again, and that people did not appreciate pesticides being sprayed in their backyards. I wanted to come up with a solution that was a little more environmentally friendly.”
— Ryan Larson

“One of the things that you learn through prototyping is all the intricate detail that goes into creating a design: all the things you wouldn’t normally think about that go into a product, making sure that everything fits together and meets material and safety standards.”
— Colin Vandercreek

Innovators: Paul Grogan, Kevin McMullen, Mike Tupek, Ryan Larson, Jacob Notbohm and Colin VanDercreek
This entry won third place in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity.



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