蓝莓视频

Skin-friendly markers that use ultraviolet-responsive ink to signal when it鈥檚 time to reapply sunscreen earned University of 蓝莓视频 startup Suncayr a runner-up finish in a prestigious international design competition.

The , initiated by the in 2007, recognizes university student designers who create commercially viable products that solve practical problems, work better,听 and are designed with sustainability in mind. , founded by students in the program, competed against more than 600 entries from 18 countries to make the before being considered a finalist. 听

厂耻苍肠补测谤鈥檚 idea is simple: using the Suncayr UV marker, you first draw a design on an area of your body that frequently burns, then apply sunsreen as normal. As the sunscreen wears off, the marker鈥檚 ink turns from clear to purple indicating it鈥檚 time to reapply. The ink is not UV blocking, so it doesn鈥檛 leave a sun tattoo.

鈥淲e were brainstorming problems that we all face that nanotechnology could potentially solve,鈥� says Derek Jouppi of Suncayr. 鈥淥ne thing we agreed on: We get sunburned all the time.鈥�

Suncayr, L - R: Chad Sweeting, Andrew Martinko, Hayden Soboleski, Derek Jouppi and Rachel Pautler.

Online media also started noticing Suncayr as it advanced through the Dyson competition. A Gizmodo.com story named Suncayr as one of causing to surpass 46,000 views.

As part of , 厂耻苍肠补测谤鈥檚 team consists of Rachel Pautler, Derek Jouppi, Andrew Martinko, Chad Sweeting and Hayden Soboleski. The members are all fourth-year students in Nanotechnology Engineering, a joint undergraduate program offered by the Faculties of Science and Engineering.听

Jouppi,听Suncayr's听co-founder and engineer, credits the team's听nanotechnology听engineering education to developing a solution to solve a problem. He said connecting in third year with Nasser Abukhdeir, a 蓝莓视频 chemical engineering professor, made a major difference in the development Suncayr:听"He saw our passion for entrepreneurship, and swiftly put us on the right track researching the core technology behind Suncayr.听

The group was able to develop their idea through Velocity Science, a partnership between Velocity and the Faculty of Science that has helped initiate ten student-led companies since it began last April.

鈥淲e know we wouldn't have been able to make it this far without the supportive community, especially the lab space and mentorship provided by Velocity Science," says Jouppi.

As a finalist, Suncayr receives $9,000 ($7,500 USD), which they plan to use towards their final regulatory phase before rolling out their product to markets in North America.

This win isn鈥檛 the first for Suncayr. In total, Suncayr has won eight funding competitions including, and the 颁辞尘尘耻苍颈迟别肠丑鈥檚 Women in Entrepreneurship Bootcamp.

鈥淎ll the pitch competitions and award applications we鈥檝e done through Velocity Science helped us enormously when it came to applying for something larger like the Dyson Award,鈥� says Pautler. 鈥淏ut the attention that came from just being an entrant has been totally crazy.鈥�

More information about and are available online.