The Lemelson-MIT Program this year is seeking applications for two distinct student awards. In addition to the annual $30,000 student prize for invention and innovation, it will also present a new $30,000 prize to a student team.
All MIT seniors and graduate students are eligible to apply for both awards, regardless of major or area of study. The Student Team Prize is limited to teams of five people or fewer. The application deadline for both prizes is Friday, Jan. 7, 2000.
"For the annual Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, we're looking for students who demonstrate remarkable inventiveness," said program officer Michael McNally. "Whether you've designed a new technology or product, developed an innovative scientific process or conceived a novel research approach, we'd like to see your application."
The Lemelson-MIT Student Team Prize, sponsored by Unisphere Solutions, Inc., is a special award that will be presented to a team that demonstrates innovativeness in telecommunications and networking technologies. A subsidiary of Siemens, the Burlington-based Unisphere Solutions designs, markets and services converged networking solutions to service provider customers.
"The new Lemelson-MIT Student Team Prize is an excellent enhancement to our existing student awards program," said program director Annemarie Amparo. "We recognize the fact that many projects on campus are team-based. This award gives us an opportunity to celebrate student teams developing innovations in the rapidly-changing area of voice, data and image networking."
Applying for both the Lemelson-MIT Prize and the Lemelson-MIT Student Team Prize is simple. Interested students and teams need to complete a one-page application and attach the following: a description (500 words maximum) of their inventiveness while at MIT, two letters of recommendation and a current r�sum� or CV. Supporting photos or diagrams may also be included.
Applications can be downloaded from the Lemelson-MIT Program's web site, the Invention Dimension. Students may also request an application by contacting Mr. McNally at x3-3352 or mmcnally@mit.edu.
All applications must be received by the Lemelson-MIT Program no later than 4pm on January 7. The selected winner will be announced at the Faculty Club on February 9.
The 1999 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize was awarded to Daniel DiLorenzo (SB 1987 and two SMs), who received the PhD this year from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
The Lemelson-MIT Program, established in 1994 by inventor Jerome H. Lemelson and his wife Dorothy, is administered by MIT. The program celebrates inspirational role models in the fields of science, engineering, medicine and entrepreneurship in the hope of encouraging future generations to follow their example.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on December 8, 1999.
