What would you do if you had 48 hours to invent for the planet? An invention not just in the ideation stage, but to design, prototype and present.
Invent for the Planet
One such intensive competition was hosted by Texas A&M University in February where over 400 students participated. This Aggies Invent virtually connected teams from 15 countries spanning 13 time zones, tackling various global challenges in energy, waste management and medical fields.
Team Edu-LIGHTER from the University of Technology, Yatanarpon Cyber City (UT-YCC) presented a sewing machine that could generate electricity. They recalled those candlelit nights of studying, and were passionate to create a portable power source for 55% of the population who does not have access to electricity.
Edu-LIGHTER won the second prize at Invent, and a fully funded trip to Texas to collaborate with the first prize winner, Illumi-Nite, from the host university. The latter team had designed a platform to efficiently utilize the light energy, the source of which would be generated by the former. Given these synergies, the two teams would compete again as a unit “EDU-LITE” at the OPEN Minds Conference.
Journey to Texas
Van Lar Ruat, Thiri Ko Ko, Hein Dway San, Htet Wai Lin and Hnaung Thet Htar Wai took a 12-hour bus to Yangon before boarding the 35-hour flight YGN-BKK-HKG-DFW. It was their first ever international travel and accompanied by a chaperone from USAID.
The one-week stay in College Station showcased a strikingly different set of facilities and academia. The students were astounded by the library, the magnitude of the football stadium and laboratory equipment.
During the interview with Thingaha, they talked about one lecture they attended at the university.
“We were at first feeling nervous, but surprised that we could properly follow their discussions,” said Hein Dway San. “Of course, the teaching methods were different, but the content was comprehensible.”
It was a senior class that they joined, and motivated them that it is not too late for Myanmar students to catch up.
Throughout the week, they worked together with their American counterparts to polish the integrated design, the prototype as well as the pitch. Apart from the language barrier, the collaboration was productive, and the teams finalized the product – costs 22 USD – well ahead of time.
Source: Eagle photo by Dave McDermand
OPEN Minds
Texas-Yatanarpon duo demonstrated their innovation at the VentureWell 2018 OPEN minds showcase in Austin.
Other presenters at the evening include projects from Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University and UC Berkeley, covering such extensive topics as health care, education and energy. While this duo had a mere week to design and build their prototype, others have invested a great deal of time and money for their projects.
With the Myanmar members in full traditional attire, team EDU-LITE grabbed the attention with a question, “Where in the world is Myanmar?”. People guessed it somewhere near India, China and Thailand, but few could locate it correctly on the map.
The attendees were given 3 million “Venture Bucks” to invest in their top picks, and by the end of the evening, the US-Myanmar team garnered 75 million Venture Bucks, winning by a landslide, and earning the top prize of 3,000 USD.
Takeaways
When asked about their key takeaways from this journey, Myanmar students highlighted:
Determination
This event in particular had a tight schedule, and the members were less experienced in entrepreneurial competitions, worsened by the language barriers. However, the team members encouraged each other through the hardships, and were determined to strive till the end.
Student Support
They wish to have more support at their parent institutions in terms of laboratory apparatus and management staff. They had the hands-on opportunity to build a product and utilize the theories for real world challenges. With similar resources at home, their peers can unleash their talent and potential as well.
Teamwork
Htet Wai was particularly inspired by the brilliant team work of their new friends. “They don’t talk a lot, at least in front of us,” he said. “But they are always on time and coordinate their tasks very effectively.” And he hopes to utilize such systematic planning and executions in their future projects.
Conclusion
As proven by this victory, Myanmar students, given the right support and guidance, can be globally competitive. There is certainly a lot of untapped talent in this emerging market, who are frustrated by the problems in their community and keen to tackle them. Access to electricity, for instance, is a relevant and critical issue to all Myanmar nationals.
Cross-border partnership with a team halfway around the world is a prime example of the creative and borderless nature of the young generation. This award in Texas also follows another achievement last year where the Myanmar team ranked #6 worldwide at the Robotics competition in Washington D.C.
May this pave the way for aspiring Myanmar innovators to amplify their ideas on the international stage, and install the most feasible ones at home.
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