Braun Student Inventor Award

The Ann and Dave Braun Student Inventor Award was established to recognize a South Dakota Mines student who has made a significant discovery or invention as a student at Mines. The selected recipient of this award will be recognized at the Research Symposium, will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a free patent application from Goodhue, Coleman & Owens, P.C. and McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC. 

Eligibility Requirements 

Must be an individual or student group from South Dakota Mines.

Submissions/Judging Criteria 

Each student must email or deliver a signed invention disclosure to the office of Economic Development. You will be judged on the completeness and clarity of the invention disclosure (40%) and the utility, novelty and non-obviousness of the invention (60%). 

Information Session

Interested students are encouraged to join us for an Information Session scheduled Thursday, January 19 at 4:00 pm in the McKeel Room of the Surbeck Center. No RSVP required.

Timeline 

Date

Deliver or email a signed original invention disclosure to:

Joseph Wright joseph.wright@sdsmt.edu  
Office of Economic Development  
O'Harra Building, Room 102

February 28, 2023                 
Judges will review Invention Disclosures
Week of March 6, 2023                  
Winner will be notified

Week of March 20, 2023                    

Winner(s) will be announced at the Research Symposium and receive $5,000 cash prize and a free patent application from Goodhue, Coleman & Owens, P.C. or McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC.
April 4, 2023

Braun Inventor Award Winners

2022 Braun Inventor Award Winners

Whytneigh Duffie, 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, Forever Fire 
Roth's invention is new and innovative campfire starting device he invented called Forever Fire. It uses human-powered generator to power electronic parts, which can produce an electric arc in all weather conditions.

2021 Braun Inventor Award Winners

Kim Yip Chiok, BioTape 
His invention is a medical bandage for wound care made from cellulose biofilm. The biofilm has a 98% water holding capacity to retain medicine and offers a 50% increase in the wound healing rate with fewer dressings. 

Kristie Gildemeister, Itty Bitty Acre, LLC
Her invention provides an innovative solution to address reliability of electrocatalysts used in fuel cells through novel use of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating methodologies using nanoparticles to produce a far superior electrocatalyst compared to those commercially available today. 

2020 Braun Inventor Award Winner

William Trevillyan, HomeMetrics, LLC 
His invention is a fluid detection system that can detect small water leaks or flooding and alert a property owner that maintenance is needed before major damage occurs. 

2019 Braun Inventor Award Winners

Mark Rotert and John Chandler, Tornado Aerodynamic Solutions, LLC 
Their invention Improves fuel efficiency using a drag reduction device. 

Office of Economic Development

(605) 394-5168
economic.development@sdsmt.edu