Four MAE Students Won 3rd Prize in iCAN 2014
A group of four PhD students, Reuben Chi Ming Cheung, Feng Ni, Zhen Qin, Haoran Wen, led by Prof Yi-kuen Lee, won the 3rd prize (with US$1,000) in the 5th International Contest of Applications in Nano-Micro Technology (iCAN). Hosted by the Tohoku University, iCAN’14 was held in Sendai, Japan from 19 to 21 July 2014.
Their winning project “Magic Ruler”, developed from the class project of MECH5950 - Introduction to Microsystems: Technology and Devices, is a new application of multiple Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors integrated with low-cost multipoint control unit (MCU) and the signal processing program which helps kids learn mathematics and measurements of length, thickness, 2D/3D angles,etc. This technology could provide a good solution for STEM education in USA and the other part of the world.
This year, 23 worldwide teams entered the iCAN contest Final in Sendai. In recent years, iCAN has attracted many students in mainland China while in 2014, more than 1,000 teams from 100 universities in 30 provinces attended the domestic contest of iCAN in the mainland, with only five teams chosen for the final round. All the iCAN students were thrilled to attend this contest because they learned a lot about the spirit of teamwork and the applications of MEMS devices in their daily life. Some projects awarded with the iCAN prizes in the past even attracted private funding to start up a company.
In addition, the iCAN has confirmed that the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will provide free space for demonstration of the awarded iCAN projects in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 6 to 9 Jan 2015. Such showcase highlights an important role of MEMS in consumer electronics.
About iCAN 2014
iCAN'14, the first international youth innovation contest in micro/nano fields, is open to high school, undergraduate and graduate students in the world interested in translating rapid-evolving micro-nano technologies into commercial and industrial applications. The theme of iCAN'14 is "Applications in nano-micro technology for disaster reduction and others".
