A young female student with blue hair and pink earrings in black attire holding a microphone and pointing to the right side of the photo and looking that way while presenting on stage with the Bioscience Association Manitoba (BAM) logo attached on the top right corner of the image as well.

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2024 competition teams

Here is a list of 2024 projects and the teams working on them.

Addressing invisible threats: Applications of microbial DNA to prevent waterborne outbreaks

Jocelyn Zambrano-Alvarado

Conductive Battery Binder

Team members:

  • Mariam Odetallah
  • Angela Mai
  • Gamaliel Azariah

Immobilized enzymes for novel flow reactors

Team members:

  • Randi Roy
  • Harman Gill

GradFinder

Team members:

  • Devon Bath
  • Mohamed Naim Ben Younes
  • Ilyas Dawoodjee

SyphiStat: A Glucose Based Rapid Syphilis Test

Team members:

  • Ian Kruk
  • Laura Los

PLAnet Zero: A Bio-Based Device for the Degradation of Polylactic Acid Plastic

Team members:

  • Jessica Marinelli
  • Anotidaishe Chimutsa
  • Rudra Patel
  • Oyinkansola Oyateru
  • Kevin Lim

Boob-y Trap: Capturing Microplastics in Breast Milk

Team members:

  • Karthika Babu
  • Snigdda Sharma
  • Rabia Shuaib
  • Tiana Steeves

Sats Capital

Saulo Quinteiro dos Santos

The Power of Electrical Current: Disease Detection in Newborns

Shubhneet Thind

Competition details

The Science Spark 3K Pitch Competition presented by BAM recognizes and inspires innovation and entrepreneurship in Science. The competition is open to any undergraduate student, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Science (or any team up to 5 members) who has an idea, innovation, invention or technology to pitch and who has undertaken entrepreneurial or commercialization activities or plans to do so in future.

Students must submit an application to be eligible to pitch at the Science Spark 3K Pitch Competition presented by BAM.

Pitch training, coaching and mentorship will be offered by the Science Innovation Hub to all selected applicants to help support and prepare you for the pitch competition.

If you do not have a commercialization or entrepreneurship plan, but you do have an idea, innovation, invention or technology, we will support you in developing some commercialization or entrepreneurship plans for your pitch.

Application details

Applications for the Science Spark 3K Pitch Competition presented by BAM are now closed.

Eligibility and evaluation

Eligibility

The pitch competition is open to all current undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows in the Faculty of Science who have an idea, invention, or technology to pitch and who have undertaken or plan to undertake entrepreneurial or commercialization activities. If you are a recent science graduate student (within 6 months of defending your thesis), you are eligible to apply.

Applicants may be individuals or teams of up to five members. The primary applicant and presenter have to be from the Faculty of Science. The prize will be distributed equally to all registered team members. All team members need to be registered on the application form.

At least one member must be a Faculty of Science student or postdoctoral fellow and that team member must:

  • be the primary applicant and
  • have contributed substantially to the idea or entrepreneurial activities and not merely be a spokesperson.

I don't have a business plan. Can I still apply?

Yes! You do not need to have a business or even a comprehensive business plan to apply. Research and development activities are considered as entrepreneurial and commercialization activities if they are undertaken to advance the technology readiness or commercial feasibility of your idea, technology, or invention.

My innovation, invention or discovery is part of a research project. Can I still apply?

If the idea, innovation, invention, or technology submitted is the result of a collaborative research project or PI-driven project, the student applying needs to be a significant contributing factor in the idea, innovation, invention, or technology and/or to entrepreneurial and commercialization plans surrounding it, and not just a spokesperson.

My innovation, invention or discovery is not part of a research project. Can I still apply?

If you are a current undergraduate or graduate student in Faculty of Science or a current postdoctoral fellow in Faculty of Science you are eligible to apply, even if your idea, innovation, or invention is not the result of a scientific research project and your commercialization plans do not involve scientific research and development.

My idea, invention, or technology was the result of team effort or collaboration. Can I still apply?

Teams of up to five members may apply provided:

  • The primary applicant is a current undergraduate or graduate student or postdoc in Faculty of Science
  • A current undergraduate student, graduate student or postdoc in Faculty of Science has contributed to the idea or entrepreneurial activities substantially and is not merely a spokesperson

However, this question is best addressed on a case by case and individual basis.

Please contact Christa Kruck to determine if your idea is eligible for this competition.

Evaluation

Applications to the Science Spark 3K Pitch Competition presented by BAM will be evaluated by a selection committee and selected applications will be invited to pitch at the Science Innovation Showcase. 

Applicants will be notified whether they will be invited to participate in the pitch competition.

The pitch competition will be judged by external judges and the top prize will go to the individual or team with the highest score.

Past competitions

2023 Science Spark Pitch Competition presented by Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, TDS Law

On April 27, 2023, 11 students pitched their innovative ideas and technologies as they competed for a $3,000 cash prize. Thank you to all our amazing presenters!

Congratulations to our winner, Daniel Heschuk, and the team of Laura Los, Ian Kruk, and Shayna Giesbrecht, our audience choice winners.

Watch all pitches on YouTube

2023 sponsors

Contact us