Lakehead University Shad Valley Team Wins Best Prototype at RBC/Shad Entrepreneurship Cup

(Thunder Bay - October 20, 2003) SaniGoo, designed by 16 Lakehead University Shad Valley students this summer, won Best Prototype at the RBC/Shad Entrepreneurship Cup held on October 16.

The annual RBC/Shad Entrepreneurship Cup is a national competition where new products are unveiled that are well positioned to be the next business success story. They are created by students participating in Shad Valley, a program that develops innovative leaders at 10 Canadian host universities. The Cup showcases the best in entrepreneurship, science, and technology and demonstrates what teams of senior high school students can create.

The Lakehead Shad team named their company Innovo Industries Incorporated. They created a toy called SaniGoo, which is a mouldable, stretchable substance that, when played with by children, sanitizes hands and toys. This product is chemically structured to kill bacteria within the first 30 seconds of play.

Each year, student teams at each Shad Valley campuses compete in the development of an innovative product, along with a business plan that demonstrates viability. Once the winners at each campus are chosen, that team continues to develop a prototype, website, and video. The teams then go on to compete against the other Shad teams in the RBC/Shad Entrepreneurship Cup. The Cup judged the teams in 5 categories: Best Overall; Best Business Plan; Best Prototype; Best Website; and Best Video. The Best Prototype is judged on innovation, construction and workability, and overall quality. Lakehead's team also tied for second place in the Best Website category.

"We are very proud of the accomplishments of our Shad Valley students," says Dr. Sultan Siddiqui, Lakehead University Program Director of Shad Valley. "Winning Best Prototype shows the innovation and creativity of these students. I know they will go far in their education and careers with the dedication they have shown with this project."

The Shad Valley students who created SaniGoo are: Scott Cressman, Haafiz Dossa, Thea Gheorghe, Richie Harrison, Michelle Kan, Clarissa Mak, Ron Mandel, Matthias Melhorn-Boe (Lakehead's partnered student), Corinne Riddell, Kajan Umakanthan, Siva Vijenthira, Barb Vriends, Rachel Woynorowski, Lena Yam, Ernest Yau, and Charles Yoon.

Shad Valley puts Shads through a rigorous academic program with a focus on Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, Medicine, and Science. During the month-long program, students attend presentations on various topics, participate in workshops, and complete projects in different areas.

For further information, call Dr. Siddiqui at 343-8794, and visit www.sanigoo.com.

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Contact Marla Tomlinson, Communications Officer, Lakehead University, 343-8177 communications@lakeheadu.ca www.lakeheadu.ca.