2022
Biomedical
make-a-thon
$500 CASH
PRIZE FOR
WINNING TEAM
BMES, MDC, and EMPOWER PRESENT
/ calling all makers and marketers!
Are you interested in the process of bringing a medical device from concept to market? Looking for some tangible, hands-on experience to add to your resume? Bring your engineering design and business acumen to the Biomedical Make-A-Thon! You will have the opportunity to work closely in a team of 4-6 designers and commercializers to research, develop, design, and present a solution to a medical problem in this fast-paced, 3-day competition for a $500 grand prize.
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Each participant will choose a role that they will fill on their team: designer or commercializer. More information about the responsibilities of each of these roles can be found below.
/ TEAM INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS
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​You can sign up as either an individual participant or part of a team.
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Each team will have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 people.
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Participants will select what role they would like to take on: designer or commercializer.
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There must be at least two commercializers on each team.
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Individual participants will be assigned to a team at random.
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Teams can sign up as full or incomplete. Incomplete teams that do not meet the minimum criteria will be filled in by other individuals at random.
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If your incomplete team meets the minimum participant requirements, you may choose if you would like to "cap" your team or if you would like additional participants added at random to "fill out" your team.
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Only one participant from each team will fill out the "team sign up" form.
/ SCHEDULE
30th
WEDNESDAY
7:30pm-9:30pm
Kick-off event in Advanced Technologies Laboratory
PROMPT ANNOUNCED
31st
THURSDAY
8:00am-4:00pm
Open lab work time in EMPOWER lab
(Lunch and snacks provided!)
1st
FRIDAY
8:00am-4:00pm
Open lab work time in EMPOWER lab
(Snacks provided!)
2ND
SATURDAY
3:00pm
Finalized presentations due
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4:00pm-6:00pm
Presentations and Judging in 192-106
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6:30pm
Winners Announced!
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/Designers
Your responsibilities include:
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Specification development
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Brainstorming
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Idea evaluation
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Development of solution using engineering principles
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CAD prototype of solution
/Commercializers
Your responsibilities include:
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Research of market availability and value proposition
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Cost analysis
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Comparing your solution to competing products
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Development of marketing strategy
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Present solution to judge panel
While the roles divide the team's responsibilities, successful teams will be closely collaborating throughout the whole process
/ FAq
If I only have a team of two, can I still sign up as a team so I know I can work with that person?​
Yes! You can sign up as an incomplete team. Incomplete teams can be any size from 2-5 people. Just know that any team of less than 4 people WILL have other students added to them.
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If one of my teammates has already filled out the team sign-up form, do I also have to fill it out?
NO!!! PLEASE DO NOT FILL THE FORM OUT TWICE! Just have one of your teammates fill out the form for everyone on the team.
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I'm not a BMED or Business major. Can I still participate?
Absolutely. Students of all majors are encouraged to participate and choose a role based on their individual strengths and experience.
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I'm not sure what role I should take on for this project. How do I know what to pick?
Your role on this project should best fit your assets and interests. If you are interested in the physical design of a medical device, you should sign up as a designer. This will typically be engineering majors or students with highly technical educational backgrounds. If you are interested in market research, marketing materials, business planning, or presenting/pitching ideas, the commercializer role is definitely for you. Students with technical and non-technical backgrounds are encouraged to sign up for this role.
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This project is a lot to take in in such a short amount of time. Will there be any resources available to me during the event in case I get stuck along the way?
This year, we have organized a fleet of advisors who will have drop-in times throughout the event where participants can stop by and ask questions about their projects. Each advisor will specify what their "specialties" are so you can direct your specific questions to the appropriate advisor. Each advisor's availability will be made available to participants at the beginning of the event.
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The event lasts about 3 days, do I need to be working on this non-stop for the full 72 hours?
NO! We actually encourage you not to do that. That's the beauty of working in a team, you can divide and conquer. With that said, this project is A LOT of work to finish in such a short amount of time, so you will have to work pretty hard over the course of those few days to get it all done. Plus, the more work you put in, the better chance you have of impressing the industry judges.
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Why should I sign up for this event?
Working in a team of technical and non-technical participants to create, develop, and commercialize a product is EXCELLENT tangible, hands-on experience. It is a great talking point in any job interview and gives you the opportunity to get valuable experience in a short, low-commitment setting.
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