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The inaugural winners come from disciplines such as business, robotics, and architecture and include faculty, master’s students, and Ph.D. students.

Howie Choset

Howie Choset, the Kavcic-Moura Professor of Computer Science, will apply support from the Scott Institute’s entrepreneurship award by enabling his graduate students to attend trade shows and conferences, as well as to facilitate pilot studies that would bring his research group’s robots intothe field and closer to performing inspections of small-diameter pipes to assess their condition and detect issues like natural gas leaks.

Ruben Quesada

Ruben Quesada, an MBA candidate at the Tepper School of Business, is also CEO and co-founder of , an AI-driven data management startup that makes it easier for developers to source sustainable building materials. Quesada will use support from the entrepreneurship award to grow Sabana’s customer base during its beta phase, including by attending trade shows and conferences for valuable industry networking.

TJ Thomas

TJ Thomas, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, will use the entrepreneurship award to integrate robotics into the removal process for harmful algal blooms (HABs), which would minimize their harmful effects on ecosystems, economies, and human health.

Waku Ken-Opurum

Waku Ken-Opurum, a Ph.D. student at the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics in the School of Architecture, will pursue the prototype development of passive biomimetic biodegradable air filters to improve indoor air quality and, by extension, mitigate health risks associated with air pollution. This lays the groundwork for eventually deploying a more sustainable alternative to traditional filters for HVAC systems, which are discarded every 3-6 months.