SMU ‘Big iDeas’ winners advance to Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

By Milan Khatami
SMU News

DALLAS (SMU) – Since its launch in 2008, student teams have been awarded grants through SMU's Big iDeas program to research and improve issues facing the Dallas area and beyond, ranging from energy and education to health and campus living. 

This year, two of the contest’s winners will compete against university undergraduates from other area schools in the regional Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition, sponsored by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

The event will be 6-9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, on the SMU campus in Dallas Hall’s McCord Auditorium. It is open to SMU students and the neighboring community. Those interested can RSVP here.

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is a worldwide forum for student entrepreneurs who have successfully developed and run their own business. The nominees compete in regional qualifying competitions for the chance to advance to the global finals in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2016. The participating student teams from SMU are:

BioLum Sciences: 

Winning both the SMU Pitch Contest in 2014 and the Business Plan Competition in 2015, BioLum Sciences is the developer of a medical device used to help manage asthma. It allows users to test their symptoms, monitor daily progress, and understand the cause of their asthma. BioLum uses a smartphone based imaging system to detect and quantify the disease biomarkers found in the user’s exhaled breath. This technology has the potential to reduce the current 40% misdiagnosis of asthma in the US. 

Team members are students Edward Allegra, Miguel Quimbar and Jack Reynolds.

Fiddler: 

A company that is focused on creating a clean energy alternative, Fiddler offers affordable wind energy to the average consumer. Rather than focusing on the traditional large and expensive wind turbines, Fiddler has designed a wind turbine designed to work with the pitched roof of a house or commercial building rooftop. With this design, the designers have seen a two to four times overall increase in the power available with this method.

Team members are students Jonah Kirby, Cameron Buller, Alec Siems, Brendan Celii and Luke Oglesbee. Kirby delivered a popular TEDxSMU talk on the project titled “Gone With the Wind” in spring 2015. 

“This is the first time the Entrepreneurs’ Organization has hosted a regional competition in Dallas, and EO choosing SMU to cohost it makes a statement about the quality of innovative thinking and idea making that is happening here on our campus,” said Susan Kress, executive director of Engaged Learning.

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