Students examining a booth during Inventanooga in the UTC Engineering and Computer Science building. Photo by Angela Foster.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosted its fourth annual Inventanooga competition on Thursday, Dec. 11, where middle and high school students pitched ideas to innovation leaders from the Chattanooga area.
Dr. Subin Im, the George Lester Nation Professor of Marketing in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, served as a co-director for the event alongside STEM School Chattanooga teacher Kyle Carrasco.
The day’s agenda included tours of the biomechatronics and robotics labs in the UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science led by Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, director of the Biomechatronic and Assistive Technology Lab, professor of mechatronics and head of the Engineering Management and Technology Department.
Students also received pitch coaching from Im, Max Fuller Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Director Mike Bradshaw, and Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Entrepreneurship Thomas Lyons.
“Entrepreneurial mindsets and skill sets should be cultivated as early as possible because they help younger students become creative problem-solvers in college and in their careers,” Im said. “While most universities host pitch events for college students, opportunities for middle and high school students to pitch their ideas are rare—even though creativity often flourishes at a younger age.
“Inventanooga gives younger students the chance to develop and pitch creative ideas, building creative confidence and leadership skills that can drive economic development through innovation in Chattanooga and across Tennessee.”
The competition culminated in elevator pitch sessions and the awarding of scholarships to the winning team.
Lyons congratulated the participants on their efforts and on the “fabulous” pitches he saw throughout the day.
“A big part of our mission is to help our students develop their entrepreneurship skills,” he said. “It’s very exciting to see students getting started at a much younger age to begin to develop those skills.”
One of the groups Lyons and others saw was “Cuttacon” from the STEM School. Seniors Quinn Holland, Brayden Payne, Chloe Hixson and Michael Bain developed an idea for a website that resells Styrofoam to crafters for secondhand use rather than sending it to landfills.
“We talked to Signal Mountain Public Works’ Louis Brill, who is one of the recycling managers,” Hixson said. “He gave us a great insight into how much Styrofoam is a bigger problem than people think. We were looking more into Styrofoam and thought it was a great option because it’s honestly pretty low cost for us to be able to cut it down and clean it up.”
Bain added that the coaching helped them prepare for their presentations.
“We’ve got lots of feedback on it, saying how well it’s been put together and how we have a really strong start,” he said. “The moment we started presenting, we were presenting facts and data. We all presented well. None of us messed up. We were all very clear, authoritative and excited to be here.”
Recipients of the executive pitch competition scholarship can choose to attend the Rollins College of Business or the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
The A.R.C. team, from left to right: Allie Shaw, Annalise Ely and Elizabeth Arnold.
Seniors Allie Shaw, Annalise Ely and Elizabeth Arnold from STEM School Chattanooga received scholarships for their A.R.C. presentation.
“Essentially, it is for a flood-prone area—such as the East Ridge area, to name one locally—and it essentially sits in your yard to help redirect water,” Shaw said. “We know it’s a product that already exists on the market, so we created it while looking at other alternatives.
“A.R.C. has some specific benefits, such as being really simple and easy to clean. It has multiple layers that allow water to flow continuously without clogging.”
The group said that this project was personal to them because of the recent flooding in the East Ridge community.
“We first started by going to homes and asking about how the flood affected them,” Ely explained, “and how recently Chattanooga, especially, has been facing so much more flood damage and just flooding in general. We were trying to find a solution for specifically residential homes.”
They said it felt “surreal” when they were announced as winners.
Shaw plans to attend UTC to study finance. Ely said receiving the scholarship “is going to encourage it.”
Both agreed that it was a good opportunity to learn more about the University.
Dr. Robert Dooley, dean of the Rollins College of Business, congratulated participants in the Benwood Auditorium.
“I hope you had a really enjoyable time here in this beautiful facility in the College of Engineering and Computer Science,” Dooley said. “We run a number of pitch competitions in the College of Business and know it’s always daunting to stand up in front of a bunch of judges and present to them. I heard you all did an outstanding job.”
Dr. Kumar Yelamarthi, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, also congratulated the students and explained how engineering is intertwined with their projects.
“If I were 20 years younger and trying to compete with you all, I’m absolutely going to lose,” he said. “You all did a terrific job of identifying a problem, trying to make connections with different concepts, and coming up with pictures of how you add value. That is what engineering is all about: creating value.”
Members of the executive leadership team attended to view student pitches, as did Rollins College of Business Associate Dean Kathleen Wheatley.
This year was Carrasco’s final year serving as Inventanooga’s co-director. He is moving into a new role after being involved with the event since its inception.
“His dedication and passion have been instrumental in the growth and success of Inventanooga,” Im said. “We truly appreciate his contributions. He will be greatly missed.”
Carrasco stressed the importance of Inventanooga and other events that promote critical thinking.
“I hope you guys recognize how monumental it is that you’re presenting your own original ideas,” Carrasco said. “Not only are you doing that, but you’re doing that in front of strangers and people who are coming from all over Chattanooga. The fact that we’ve got middle and high school here, speaking about your own ideas, is a huge accomplishment.”
Learn more
Gary W. Rollins College of Business
UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science
