Whytneigh Duffie and Kaleb Roth have been recognized with the Braun Student
Inventor Award for their unique inventions at South Dakota Mines.
Two South Dakota Mines students are winners of 2022
Braun Student Inventor Award. One award is for a new type of water-degradable 3D
printer resin, while the other is for a new type of campfire starter.
The Ann and Dave Braun Student Inventor
Award includes $5,000 in
cash and a free patent application from McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC or Goodhue, Coleman, & Owens, P.C. This
award was established to recognize a South Dakota Mines student who has made a
significant discovery or invention while enrolled.
Whytneigh
Duffie, a Ph.D. candidate in
the Karen M. Swindler Department Chemical and Biological Engineering, has won a Braun Inventor Award for her invention, Disappearing 4D
Advanced Materials.
Duffie’s
invention is a new type of high-resolution 3D printer resin that dissolves in water. The product can be used in the
injection molding process for manufacturing in a wide range of industries. The
applications could include precision casting of parts that are difficult to
machine, end-of-life disposal of a part or device to prevent reverse
engineering of sensitive technology, and a wide range of medical uses from new
types of casts for broken bones to wound coverings to drug delivery.
Kaleb
Roth, an undergraduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has won a Braun Inventor Award for a new and innovative campfire
starting device he invented called the Forever Fire. It uses a human-powered
generator to power electronic parts, which can produce an electric arc in all
weather conditions.
“These students exemplify the value of
ingenuity that we champion at Mines. We’re proud of the innovative spirit shown
by this year’s Braun Inventor Award winners and their contribution to the
culture of entrepreneurship on campus,” says Mines President Jim Rankin.
The
Braun Inventor Award judges’ panel noted the exceptional quality of this year’s
submissions from all seven entrants. Many of the entries that did not make the
top two were represented at the annual CEO Business Competition. Some will represent Mines at other collegiate
business competitions in the region and at the upcoming South
Dakota Governor’s Giant Vision Awards
later this month.