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Dr. Joshua Chin

Affordable 5G Wireless Broadband Network Deployment

The California wildfires, Texas power shortages, and COVID-19 highlighted broadband disparity. Both man made and force majeure events demonstrated the importance of reliable telecommunications and our dependence on the internet. It was the critical lifeline in which we worked, shopped, communicated, and learned. As we emerge from the pandemic into a post COVID-19 world, the world has changed to a new normal. The world is ever more dependent and interdependent on reliable broadband internet. We want to close the digital divide by accelerating the rollout of affordable broadband through 5G. We believe our 5G technology solution can not only make it easier to connect rural and urban America together. We see it as a solution that can save lives, create new opportunities, and be a greener solution using less electricity and natural resources to help usher America into the next decade.

Jessica Bradford (No Spike)

In 2020, 1 in 10 Americans were diabetic, or 34.2 million people, and 1 in 3were considered pre-diabetic, or 88 million people. With such a large number of people (122.2 million individuals) watching their sugar intake, there is yet to be a strong brand name that supports this large population. Everyday product favorites, juices, jams, sauces have too much added sugar, and often no-sugar alternatives simply do not taste that good. No Spike products are designed to be diabetic friendly options so that those watching their sugar intake do not need to make everything from scratch anymore. With the use of allulose, fiber, and scientific research these products are designed to not spike sugar levels, and give diabetic individuals their favorite foods again, while ensuring their safety and saving on precious time. Everything made by No Spike is ensured to be diabetic friendly, as well as a low-sugar option.

Dr. Maryam Shafahi

To sustain an ever-growing population with incredible amount of waste generated daily, we need a return to circular economy and the culture of reduce, reuse and recycle. Leather production is among the most pollutant industrial processes in the world. With each piece of leather produced, comes a certain amount of carbon emission, water and energy consumption, water pollution and other environmental impacts. The goal of this project is to develop the process of reusing old leather pieces and return them to the market for a longer life cycle. We are building test machines to conduct test procedures to analyze old leather pieces and provide experimental data for the restoring process.

Jeffrey Saylors

Providing Organic Hops will prove to the craft brewery industry that the can have a new niche in the beer market. With over 80 Hop types, there could be new breeds cultivated for the master brewers. While using the latest technology from the Pulse, Crop Box we can become sustainable and scalable as we grow our business. The hydroponic approach will allow us to more cost effective in the long run. Efficiency is key and while we know that hops require more light for healthy growth...using the appropriate lighting that the Crop Box company will provide will get us there. With over200+ craft breweries in our state there is room for a new player in the market. Especially Organic Hops. After proving ourselves both inconsistency and service, we will explore the world of medicinal offerings of our Hop Organix products to the supplement health partners.

Dr. Saeideh Fallah Fini

Systems engineering is a methodology that focuses on how to design, develop, implement, and manage complex systems throughout their lifecycles. This approach is a common practice for space systems, characterized by their complexity and low tolerance for errors. Methodology is a document-centric approach, however with the increase in the use of digital modeling environments, Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) was introduced in which models replace the documents used in traditional systems engineering. MBSE is currently the standard practice at NASA and other large space companies. To allow forth design of any type of system, MBSE tools are very generic. Big companies usually allocate a significant amount of time/resources to develop models tailored to their needs. We propose to use generic and widely available software such as MATLAB-Simulink and its MBSE toolbox and develop a tool for design, development, integration, implementation, and management of systems specific to space missions.

Preni Amijanian

A streaming service which will allow the users to write reviews for the movies and series. The users will be able to share their opinions and chat with other users who share the same taste in movies. The idea I am aiming to achieve for my platform is to combine a streaming service with a social networking platform and add a comment section to it by giving the users the option to rate and review movies and shows. By giving the users the option to write reviews for the movies, the platform will help the users to not only read each others' comments but also to connect with each other and message each other using the direct messaging feature to talk about the movie they just watched, ask each others' opinions, and make new friends.

Julian Fernandez

Our product would address a concerning issue with public awareness that does cater to those of bike riders, daily commuters and runners who openly spend their time outside. The product is a simple set of sunglasses that would enable the wearer to have a general sense of presence behind them without needing to physically turn their head. Similar to "spy" sunglasses, a bottom corner reflective coating would enable those to gain a peripheral rear view of what or who may be behind them. This solution would bring piece of mind to those who enjoy spending their time outside as often as possible. This product can cater to almost any demographic that spends time outside and enjoys lone commutes giving it ideal potential for many various styles to choose from.

Paul Vander Werf

The caper plant (Capparis spinosa) has not been commercially harvested in the United States even though the UC Extension identified the plant as a possible crop for California in 1989. I believe the barriers to entering this market are (1) difficulty propagating the plant and (2) the high labor cost of picking the bud. Overcoming the labor cost could reasonably be done by using robotics to automate the process. This could also increase the quality as the smaller caper buds are generally of the superior quality. The team members have all grown up at the China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center and come from families of scientists who worked at the base. The latitude of the Indian Wells Valley (Ridgecrest, China Lake and Inyokern) is also the same latitude of the Mediterranean locations where capers are commercially harvested.

Dr. Patricia Coates

Extended stay RV parks are becoming ever more popular for retirees, military, contract workers, entrepreneurs and young families looking to travel and unplug from a typical lifestyle or by necessity because it is more economical. By their very nature, RV's offer limited space and RV parks who allow for long term stays generally have limited amenities such as pools, a playground and maybe a place to fish. Some have a small store or common area. Many have none of the aforementioned. Creating an agricultural and entrepreneur based RV Resort which establishes a farm, auto skills center, large workshop to work on vehicles (including RV's), a craft and sewing room with a long arm quilting machine, a woodworking shop, commercial kitchen and store, not only provides employment but also creates the ability for long term Rv'ers to have space to create and run a small business.

Anna Cook

Snail farming, or heliciculture, is a unique, regenerative endeavor that can address both social and environmental justice issues. Snails need not be viewed as solely a gourmet delicacy or a garden pest; they are an excellent source of protein and essential vitamins and minerals, and as mini livestock snails can provide accessible, sustainable nutrition for urban communities. SoCal Snails will breed, raise, and harvest snails and snail eggs (snail caviar) for human consumption, as well as extract the snail slime, which can be done without harming the snails, in order to process the slime for use in the cosmetic industry.

Dr. Reza Lakeh

Waste Salt Technologies® tackles two major challenges of water and energy sectors simultaneously; a novel material, extracted from the reject of water desalination is employed for developing an ultra-low-cost Thermal Energy Storage system.

Date: Fall 2020

Number of Teams: 6

Number of Participants: 13

The NSF I-Corps program just completed the Fall 2020 short course on Friday, October 9 and 23, 2020. The 2-day virtual course covered how to take an idea, product, technology, and/or research and translate it into the marketplace. 6 teams for a total of 13 Æðµã´«Ã½ students and faculty made up Cohort 5, led by an 8-person teaching team.

Project Spotlight: Orangeosity

Orange pomace (byproduct of orange juice production, typically thrown away or used in livestock feed) is full of antioxidants, but it is too bitter for people to incorporate into their diets. Orangeosity plans to develop ways to reduce the bitterness of orange pomace and incorporate it into foods, reducing waste along the way.

Highlights

Isabel Gutierrez from Cohort 2 spoke about her company, , and offered advice to Cohort 5. She said it has been a difficult–yet very rewarding–experience to combine her interests in engineering and medicine to create an app that can help detect athletes’ injuries on the field.

Returning team HyStack also offered advice and words of encouragement. They said that it took them a couple of tries for them to understand the I-Corps lessons, so they encouraged this current cohort not to give up hope if they didn’t yet understand everything. Now that the lessons have clicked for them, they feel confident in their technology and the improvements they made along the way.

We hope you all will join Cohort 6 this upcoming Spring 2021. Details coming soon!