The National Center for Earth and Environmental Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NanoEarth) hosted the tenth annual NanoTechnology Entrepreneurship Challenge (NTEC) on April 30th. 2024 marked the program’s 10th year and the third year that it has been open to participation from all 16 National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) sites. This year, 15 teams competed from seven separate sites, incorporating 18 students. 

The NTEC program was created by Matthew Hull and launched in 2014 to encourage diverse teams led by college students and postdoctoral scholars to translate nano-enabled solutions to address global sustainability challenges. During the seven-week virtual NTEC Accelerator Program, teams receive mentorship from nanotechnology entrepreneurs and have access to NNCI facilities and staff. They learn how to gauge customer interest in their idea, develop a business model, and create a nanotechnology-enabled minimum viable product (MVP). 

At the end of the NTEC Accelerator Program, individual teams develop a two minute video summarizing their process and MVP. The videos are shared during the virtual NTEC Showcase, where a group of external panelists assess teams on how well they leveraged their resources to create a business model for an MVP. This year’s panelists includes: two-time NTEC recipient and VT Ph.D. candidate, Aditya Garg; UNC Greensboro Professor and Co-Founder of Minerva Lithium LLC Hemali Rathnayake, Ph.D.; Managing Director of Activate Anywhere, Andrés Ochoa, Ph.D.; Assistant Director of the Black Male Excellence Network (BMEN) and Virginia Tech Student Success Initiatives, Patrick Wallace; Founder/Scientific, Technical, and IP Consultant of CSI (Create, Solve, Innovate, LLC), Chief Scientists fo Air-Clenz Systems, LLC and Founder/MD Inspired Consultant of MD Inspired, LLC, Anita T. Broach, Ph.D.; Senior Principal of Flagship Pioneering, Nathan Hancock, Ph.D.

The 2024 NTEC program featured exciting competition among teams from across the US. After hearing from each team, panelists came together to discuss the top three teams. During the panel deliberations, Ms. Katy Ayers, winner of the first NNCI-wide NTEC competition in 2021, presented a “where are they now” talk focused on her entrepreneurial journey and current role as an NIH-funded MARC student at Washington State University. 

Undergraduate students Abhijeet Mali, Torti Uwaike, Keshan Lighty, Briana White, and Lawson Zimmerman from JSNN-SENIC won third place for their research on “Nanofiller-Reinforced Environmentally Friendly Epoxy/Bio-binder System for Lighter and Stronger Composite Materials”. Lifeng Zhang, Ph.D served as the team mentor.

Abhijeet Mali, Torti Uwaike, Keshan Lighty, and Lawson Zimmerman, JSNN-SENIC
Abhijeet Mali, Torti Uwaike, Lawson Zimmerman, Lifeng Zhang (mentor), Briana White, & Ke’Shan Lighty, JSNN-SENIC

Graduate student Joshua Yang from nano@stanford won second place. Yang researched “Chip Scale Ti:Sapphire Lasers and Amplifiers” with mentor Lavendra Yadav Mandyam, Ph.D.

Joshua Yang and Lavendra Mandyam, NTEC 2024 NanoStanford
Joshua Yang and Lavendra Mandyam (mentor), Nano@Stanford

Graduate student Freddy Garcia and undergraduates Beeta Zamani and Laura Charria from San Diego Nanotechnology Infrastructure (SDNI) won the top award for NTEC 2024. The team researched “Portable High Resolution Ultrasound Device for Point-of-Care Brain Stroke Diagnosis and Intervention” and worked with mentors Oscar Vazquez Mena, Ph.D. and Yves Theriault, Ph.D. 2024 marks the third consecutive year that a SDNI-led team has taken the top spot in the NNCI NTEC Showcase.

Freddy Garcia, Yves Theriault, Beeta Zamani, and Laura Charria, NTEC 2024 UCSD
Freddy Garcia, Yves Theriault (mentor), Beeta Zamani, and Laura Charria, SDNI

To see a complete list of competing teams and titles, please see below.

San Diego Nanotechnology Infrastructure (SDNI) supported two NTEC teams. The first SDNI Team includes graduate student Freddy Garcia and undergraduates Beeta Zamani and Laura Charria researching “Portable High Resolution Ultrasound Device for Point-of-Care Brian Stroke Diagnosis and Intervention”. The team received a diversity award and worked with mentors Oscar Vazquez Mena, Ph.D. and Yves Theriault, Ph.D. Vazquez Mena is an Associate Professor in the NanoEngineering Department at UC San Diego and Theriault is the Program Manager for Education and Outreach Programs at Qualcomm Institute Department, UC San Diego, and Director of Education and Outreach at SDNI. The second SDNI Team was led by student Lana Chung, who is researching “Dermatology Fask Mask - Non Prescription (Dermatiq Mask MD). The team worked with mentors Yves Theriault, Ph.D. and Ivonne González-Gamboa, Ph.D. González-Gamboa is an assistant teaching professor at UC San Diego. 

The Mid-Atlantic Nanotechnology Hub (MANTH) supported one team. The MANTH Team was led by student Kyle Chang researching “LilyLoop”. Gerald Lopez, Ph.D, the Director of Operations and Business Development and Center Associate director at the University of Pennsylvania, served as the team mentor.

The Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN) supported two teams. The first RTNN Team was led by student Elizabeth Teeters researching “Apex Analytics”. The team mentor was Marshall Brain, Ph.D, the Director of the Engineering Entrepreneurs Program and a Professor of the Practice at NC State University. The second RTNN Team was led by Postdoctoral Associate Julia Chang, Ph.D. researching “OneOK Solution to ‘Semiconductor High Threshold’ Dilemma: The Autonomous Fabrication of Multi- Dimensional Semiconductor Arrays”. Phillip Strader, Ph.D., the RTNN Program Manager, served as the team mentor.

The Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NNI) supported one team. The NNI Team was led by student Saowaluk Soonthornkit, researching “Durable Double Perovskite SrColrO3 Electrocatalyst for Acidic Media Water Electrolyzer”. Zhenxing Feng, Ph.D, Associate Professor at Oregon State University, served as the team mentor.

The Joint School of Nanoscience and Engineering (JSNN), part of the Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC), supported five teams. The first JSNN-SENIC team included students Abhijeet Mali, Torti Uwaike, Keshan Lighty, and Lawson Zimmerman researching “Nanofiller-Reinforced Environmentally Friendly Epoxy/Bio-binder System for Lighter and Stronger Composite Materials”. Lifeng Zhang, Ph.D, an Associate Professor of Nanoengineering at JSNN of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University served as the team mentor. The second JSNN-SENIC team was led by student Evan McDowell researching “From Waste to Wood: Innovative Decking Alternatives for a Sustainable Future”. Jeffery Alston, Ph.D,  an Associate Professor of Nanoengineering at JSNN of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, served as the team mentor. The third JSNN-SENIC team was led by student Yusif Abdul-Rashid researching “Developing a Novel Approach for Pancreatic Cancer Screening”. Kerui Wu, Ph.D, an Assistant Professor of Nanoscience at JSNN of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, served as the team mentor. The fourth JSNN-SENIC team was led by student Sindhu Yalavarthi researching “Engineering Antigen-Presenting Nanovesicle for Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy”. Kerui Wu. Ph.D served as the team mentor. The fifth SENIC team was led by student Tony Wang researching “An Electromagnetic Micromanipulation System Integrated with CT Scan for Neurosurgery”. Paul Joseph, Ph.D, a Principal at Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization, served as team mentor.

NanoEarth supported one team. The NanoEarth team was led by postdoctoral associate Bipin Lade, Ph.D. researching “Sustainable Flocculation Process of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Water Induced by Food-Grade Hydrophobic Polymer”. Marc Michel, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Nanoscience at Virginia Tech and Deputy Director of NanoEarth, served as the team mentor. 

nano@stanford supported three teams. The first nano@stanford team was led by student Fatimah AlNasser researching “Nanofluidic Investigation of Paramagnetic Fluids at the Subsurface”. Swaroop Kommera, Ph.D, a Senior Research and Development Engineer at Stanford University, served as the team mentor. The second nano@stanford team was led by student Joshua Yang researching “Chip Scale Ti:Sapphire Lasers and Amplifiers”. Lavendra Yadav Mandyam, Ph.D, a Process Engineer at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility, served as the team mentor. The third nano@stanford team was led by student Pingyu Wang researching “SeedSoalce - Sensing Solutions for Smarter Farming”. Nicholas A. Melosh, Ph.D, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, served as the team mentor. 

NanoEarth is a node of the NNCI, an NSF-funded network of 16 centers spread throughout the United States serving as user facilities for cutting edge nanotechnology research. NanoEarth is part of Virginia Tech’s Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), and proudly headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia. 

NTEC is made possible by NSF Award 2100059 for the NNCI Coordinating Office and individual support and resources available at each participating NNCI site. 

The next call for proposals will be in early 2025. If you have any questions, please reach out to Research Professor Matt Hull, Ph.D. at mahull@vt.edu.

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