YOUTH:
Sharp Minds: Indian American Kids Take on the Conrad Challenge
A team of two young entrepreneurs were pronounced finalists in an international business competition. Ruchit Majmudar and Vivek Calambur from Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, Calif. are going to Houston, Texas for an Innovation Summit for the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge, writes Carrie Taylor.
(Above): Katy Kuei, Honors Chemistry teacher and coach to Ruchit Majmudar (c) Vivek Calambur (r). (Below, right): Vinton Gray “Vint” Cerf, an American computer scientist, who is recognized as one of the fathers of the Internet.
 Officials with the Conrad Foundation selected students representing Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, Calif. to compete in the final round of the 2012-2013 Spirit of Innovation Challenge. Warriors for Change is one of 20 high school teams from around the world invited to present their innovative product at the 2013 Innovation Summit April 10-13 in Houston, Texas for the chance to win one of four $10,000 prizes.
The annual competition, presented by Lockheed Martin Coporation and Battelle, challenges teams of students of ages 13-18 from around the world to combine innovation and entrepreneurship along with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to create commercially-viable products to benefit humanity. The 2013 teams developed new technologies to solve challenges in the areas of aerospace and aviation, cyber technology and security, energy and environment, and health and nutrition.
Members of the team include Vivek Calambur and Ruchit Majmudar. Their team, Warriors for Change, developed a product called TADD (Technology Against Drunk Driving) that uses cameras and Wi-Fi technology to identify potential drunk drivers and alert the highway patrol to reduce the number of tragic incidents.
Before the 2013 Innovation Summit, the Warriors for Change has one more hurdle to jump — the People’s Choice video contest. From March 18-29, the public is invited to review the profiles of the 20 finalist teams, view their product videos and cast a vote for their favorite video. Bay Area residents are encouraged to vote for their hometown team by visiting www.conradawards.org/groups. One vote is allowed per person in each challenge category. Public votes provide valuable points in each team’s overall score.
“To say these young people are creating unique and impressive products only gives a piece of the education puzzle,” said Jennifer Fotherby, executive director of the Spirit of Innovation Challenge. “The practical knowledge, leadership and teamwork skills they are developing will serve them well as they become the innovative workforce of the 21st Century.”
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Carrie Taylor is the education and outreach director at The Conrad Foundation. She lives in Houston, Texas.
