Design I Final Competition
Fall 2023WELCOME TO THE UPCYCLE EVERTHING CHALLENGE
Welcome to the Fall 2023 Upcylce Everything Challenge where the top Cornerstone Design I teams (as picked in preliminary in-class competitions across 32 sections) showcased their final solutions and competed for prizes in an in-person digital poster pitch competition. The semester’s wicked problem was “Upcycle Everything” where we were seeking opportunities to address the threats faced by our world due to excessive traditional waste streams from single-use materials of human-made items at the end of their service life by finding opportunities to increase up cycling and participation in the circular economy. Solutions designed by student teams should represent creative, novel responses to some facet of the challenge. With emphases on social dimensions of the problem and the socio-technical intersection, the brunt of solutions are technical in nature, but may touch on any technical field: electrical, mechanical, civil, environmental, computer science, chemical, geological, materials, mining, industrial, etc. (read the full Call For Proposals here).
Teams compete for cash prizes, including a special Subject Matter Expert Pick. Below you can see the grand prize winning teams as well as all of our finalists. Check out their poster presentations next to the team information below. For more information on Design I, click here.
THE WINNING TEAMS
1ST PLACE: The Biodegradables
Problem Statement: How can we inform others about proper plastic recycing practices?
Team Members: Elliot Cossins, Anastasia Sokol, Kate Rodgers, Sandra Juarez, and Hayden Woodruff
Instructor: Jack Bringardner, Section M1
2ND PLACE: The Trepidatious Team
Problem Statement: How might our team create a machine to locally upcycle 3D prints into usable 3D print filament?
Team Members: Jack Betz, Jake Mumm, Holly Anderson, Sam Orgeldinger, and Wyeth Summerford-Ng
Instructor: Mike Davis, Section J2
3RD PLACE: The Battery Bunch
Problem Statement: How might we repurpose the internal components used in disposal vapes to reduce toxic and electrical waste?
Team Members: Nate Moore, Alyssa Mannie, Andrea Lee, and Tristan Karinski
Instructor: Cindy Athanasiou, Section B2
SME AWARD: The Battery Bunch
Problem Statement: How might we repurpose the internal components used in disposal vapes to reduce toxic and electrical waste?
Team Members: Nate Moore, Alyssa Mannie, Andrea Lee, and Tristan Karinski
Instructor: Cindy Athanasiou, Section B2
THE FINALISTS
Section A1
Team: Team Merc
Problem Statement: How might we create an accessible electronic recycling facility for the rural community of Nederland, Colorado?
Members: Alec Malcangio, Matteo Lombardi, Carson Russel, Jenna Rayder, and Hannah Rayder
Professor: Barbara Yaeger
Section A2
Team: Team Biofuel
Problem Statement: How might we utilize food waste sources from the Denver Metro area for biofuels that don’t require intentional farming?
Members: Milos Jankovic, Tara Lindgren, David Bowling, Rhys McClean, and Jordan Bolton
Professor: Cindy Athanasiou
Section B1
Team: Team MechE
Problem Statement: How can we upcycle empty aluminum cans into affordable, durable, and practical roofing tiles?
Members: Chayce Lanphear, Alex Bilbrey, Wilkes Jarrett, Tyler Stull, and Declan Ward
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section C1
Team: C.O.R.D.
Problem Statement: How might we upcycle electronic waste?
Members: Brian Bartholomew, Cooper Hyland, Mikhaila Powers, and Isaac Van Ryn
Professor: Donna Bodeau
Section C2
Team: Tree Huggers
Problem Statement: How can we create a process for an organic polystyrene substitute to reduce non-biodegrable waste going into landfills?
Members: Jacob Dressler, Megan Moro, Katie Winn, Adair Perez, and Nathan Gebre-hiwot
Professor: Cindy Athanasiou
Section D1
Team: The Chilly Dogs
Problem Statement: How might we upcycle appliances from demolition sites into new products while keeping the process cost-effective?
Members: Chance Carnival, Brody Mittelstadt, Bryan Martinez Vazquez, Eduardo Hernandez, and Riley Starzel
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section E1
Team: Phantom Shield
Problem Statement: How can we eliminate phantom power draw to save and upcycle electricity?
Members: Liam McArthur, Jack Hopkins, Melanie Perez, and Grayson Williams
Professor: Megan Tidd
Section E2
Team: Filtration Force
Problem Statement: How could wastewater be upcycled to help benefit communities?
Members: Kate Callan, William Meng, Brian Luzar, Ryan McCormick, and Fox Winkinhofer
Professor: Cara Juergensen
Section F1
Team: PLARN Paracord
Problem Statement: How can we upcycle polyethylene bags that make up much of our hazardous waste to our environment?
Members: Zane Gutierrez, Austin Truhn, Andrew Sagel, and Mohammed Al-Kharusi
Professor: Tony Vandenberge
Section G1
Team: Airbenders
Problem Statement: How might we upcycle deployed airbags to reduce waste?
Members: Jose Abuan, Cassie Ferrera, Allie Habeck, John Smith, and Eli Stewart
Professor: Patricia Littman
Section G2
Team: The Space Cadets
Problem Statement: As waste piles up on space missions, how can we upcycle/repurpose space waste to ultimately benefit astronauts?
Members: Nathan Cote, Avery Tresemer, Natalie Smith, Zander Snow, and Madelyn Heinemann
Professor: Cara Juergensen
Section H1
Team: WASSO
Problem Statement: How might we use parking meter components to reduce urban littering?
Members: Elyse Wright, Arael Anaya, Charlie Schlingman, Ethan Sauter, and Chantel Otoo
Professor: Patricia Littman
Section H2
Team: ECO-GUARD
Problem Statement: Our group is making a shin-guard from upcycled textiles. Our goal is to decrease emissions and landfill waste from cotton-polyester blended textile waste.
Members: Krysta Torkildsen, Kevin Ramirez-Giron, Nicole Perez-Escobar, Kathryn Nakahira, and Matthew Smith
Professor: Michelle Fisher
Section I1
Team: Plastic Pioneers
Problem Statement: How might we efficiently and effectively upcycle plastic waste in order to provide affordable housing?
Members: Michael Tetreault, Stew Nowak, Anastasia Saldana, Sophie Williams, and Henry Rexford
Professor: Mirna Mattjik
Section I2
Team: All Stars
Problem Statement: How can we utilize upcycled polystyrene foam for marine applications?
Members: Reiley Callighan, Eddy/Carlo Cassano, Renata Bolado Corona, Raquel Dickinson, and Kellan Ton
Professor: Mike Davis
Section J1
Team: PVC Solutions
Problem Statement: Duffel bags made from upcycled PVC Billboards.
Members: Jake Galloway, Nate Dubiel, Laith Ibrahim, Jonathan Moore, and Alex Good
Professor: Chelsea Salinas
Section K2
Team: The Fantastic 4+1
Problem Statement: We want to deter and prevent catalytic converter theft using upcycled materials, preventing vehicle waste and saving victims’ money.
Members: Alex Denton, Jason Long, Shane Reidy, Vicente Gubbins, and Jackson Hudson
Professor: Garrett Erickson
Section L1
Team: Team 5
Problem Statement: Upcycle the remaining used ceramic friction disc brake pad material generated from US consumer vehicles to create ceramic utility knife blades.
Members: Liam Abell, Brynn Benham, Claire Nelson, Fabiola Torres, and Aleksis Vilums
Professor: Yosef Allam
Section L2
Team: Team 1 (EGC Section)
Problem Statement: Reengineering the Administration of Insulin – How might we redesign insulin delivery to reduce the cost to the consumer thereby increasing accessibility?
Members: Amber Congdon, Ava Hakala, Alexa Moss, Andrew Prazen, and Willem Kloet
Professor: Alina Handorean
Section M1
Team: The Biodegradables
Problem Statement: How can we inform others about proper plastic recycing practices?
Team Members: Elliot Cossins, Anastasia Sokol, Kate Rodgers, Sandra Juarez, and Hayden Woodruff
Instructor: Jack Bringardner
Section M2
Team: The Incredibles
Problem Statement: How might we upcycle single-use sterilized packaging from hospitals in order to decrease their contribution to landfills?
Members: Tessa Brahler, Isa Hensley, Canon Humphreys, Holden Muirhead, and Chris Buczek
Professor: Kate Youmans
Section N1
Team: Waste Busters Inc
Problem Statement: How can we reduce electronic battery waste through upcycling, engaging younger generations, and educating the public?
Members: Isabel Roy, Asa Torres-Mestas, Yamato Matsumura, Nicolle Bruni, and Cole Ulrich
Professor: Jack Bringardner
Section O1
Team: Team V
Problem Statement: How might we upcycle waste generated by golf courses?
Team Members: Gray Schaefer, Nate Urban, Jonathan Valdez Flores, Giovanni Villagrana Andrade, and Carter Watkins
Instructor: Carlos Goncalves
Section O2
Team: Textile Tech Titans
Problem Statement: How might we upcycle unsold or used clothes from the fast fashion industry?
Members: Kevin Sucher, Audrey Gerdes, Mia Strangman, Cole Cook, and Daniel Hoang
Professor: Mark Florida
Section P1
Team: RenewRebels
Problem Statement: How might we upcycle e-waste?
Members: Justin Douthit, Sidney Tran, William Clem, Spencer Weldon, and Cesar Varela Gonzalez
Professor: Carlos Goncalves