September 22, 2012 casper

LAUNCH, a public-private partnership, facilitates the discovery of transformative technologies to create a sustainable future. Innovators trying to solve world problems often take years to develop technologies and their dedication shows in the submissions we receive. We on the LAUNCH team, are thrilled to witness innovators stepping up to solve our LAUNCH challenges, sometimes from the most surprising places—

LAUNCH, a public-private partnership, facilitates the discovery of transformative technologies to create a sustainable future. Innovators trying to solve world problems often take years to develop technologies and their dedication shows in the submissions we receive. We on the LAUNCH team, are thrilled to witness innovators stepping up to solve our LAUNCH challenges, sometimes from the most surprising places— such as Angela Philips’ 3rd graders. Ms. Phillips, an intervention language arts teacher in Wasilla, Alaska, shared our LAUNCH: Beyond Waste challenge with her students. Ms. Phillips received a number of intriguing solutions from her class, including the use of worm manure to produce soil for long duration spaceflight and transporters for moving material long distances.

"One solution that was creative was to take worm manure (which is pretty much dirt) and mix it with our manure and use it to grow plants.  I know this seems rather simple, but for this class it is way beyond the usual."
Perhaps in the near future, Ms. Philips' 3rd graders will grow up to be inventors and innovators. We need them! The challenges we face with waste are complex and will require novel solutions.
 
We received over 200 submissions to our Beyond Waste challenge and will now review each one to select what we believe are the top 10 innovations. The top 10 innovators will be invited to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California for the LAUNCH: Beyond Waste Forum where they will be joined by waste experts, government leaders, and investors to critique and comment on their technologies and business models. Following the Forum the LAUNCH team will help the innovators integrate Beyond Waste Forum recommendations to accelerate their chances of success. 
 
The purpose of LAUNCH is to discover and accelerate the deployment and adoption of game-changing innovations. Disruptive technologies appear where passion and innovative thinking intersect, regardless of age. Whether you are a 3rd grader in Alaska, a scientist in El Salvador, or an engineer in Seattle, Washington, we believe you too can change the world for the better. We invite you to share our challenges with your friends, family, and colleagues.
By Dennis Bonilla