High School Inventors Design for the Future: 2010 Conrad Awards Winners
Student visions for robots, space nutrition, and more This past weekend, high school students from all over the country gathered at California's NASA Ames Research Center to meet their brilliant peers, present their groundbreaking research -- and chat with interested venture capitalists on the side. The potential investors hovering in the background are one indication that the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards Summit, founded in honor of former astronaut Pete Conrad, isn't your average science fair. Instead of just trophies, winners are presented with grant money they can use to turn their projects into commercial reality (top winners in each category receive $5,000; all finalists receive $1,000 in matching grants). This year's competition included entries in four different categories: Aerospace, Renewable Energy, Green Building, and Space Nutrition. Here are the grand prize winners. Grand Prize Winner, Aerospace: Falcon Robotics After honing their 'bot-building skills at the National Underwater Robotics Challenge, the robotics club at Carl...