1st Emerson Innovation Challenge taps Youth
1st Emerson Innovation Challenge taps Youth
University Students Showcase IoT Solutions Aimed to Address Social Issues of Today and Tomorrow
MANILA, November 20, 2018 – Emerson’s passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education was highlighted today when the leading engineering and technology company announced the winners of the Emerson Innovation Challenge 2018 in the Philippines.
The local program reinforces Emerson’s global initiative to inspire and empower the next generation of STEM-related professionals. The Emerson Innovation Challenge is designed to be socially relevant and tests young minds on solving both the simplest and most complex community issues today.
Emerson invited colleges and universities from all over Metro Manila to create the Internet of Things (IoT) applications for today and tomorrow. The diverse design submissions included a traffic light control system that adapts to vehicle volumes and road conditions, a home monitoring and care embedded system that allows pet owners to watch after their pets remotely, and other creative approaches to everyday problems.
“The Internet of Things is the wave of the future discussed everywhere – this vision of everyday objects having network connectivity has long been happening, at rates faster and more wide-ranging than what the world has expected,” said Ed Boone, president of Emerson Asia-Pacific and general manager of Emerson Philippines: “The Emerson Innovation Challenge 2018 empowers young Filipino innovators as catalysts to further drive social progress through innovation.”
“This challenge is the latest in a series of Emerson’s award-winning STEM initiatives in the Philippines designed to support the development of our young talent,” Boone said: “These efforts include an ongoing scholarship program, technical instrumentation training, research project collaborations, faculty immersion programs, and partnerships with key academic institutions, special interest groups and government units – all to inspire young students to enter science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields.”
The Challenge’s big winner, bagging the first-place trophy and the PHP 70,000 grand prize, is the Technological Institution of the Philippines (TIP). The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) came in second place and took home the PHP 30,000 prize.
The top two entries both aimed to solve health-related problems. TIP’s winning entry, Project Amihan, focused on air quality monitoring and conditioning and proposed an IoT-powered air filtration system. Their innovation was founded on the study by the World Health Organization, which shows that air pollution has been one of the main causes of health concerns in the Philippines. On the other hand, UPD’s entry, Subsidy, proposed an incentivized handwashing IoT system that grants redeemable BEEP card points for commuters who use the system.
The Challenge’s other top 10 schools who advanced to the final round were the following: Adamson University, Asia Pacific College, Bulacan State University, De La Salle University, FEU Institute of Technology, Mapua University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and Technological University of the Philippines.
More information about Emerson’s global STEM program is available at Emerson.com/WeLoveSTEM.
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