by Kassandra Buenafe, OfCom | Sep 14 2024
MSU-IIT remains a stronghold of cutting-edge innovation and academic excellence as another achievement in the national setting was attained by MSU-IIT students in the selection of the James Dyson Award for 2024.
King Zhytt C. Driz, Alonzo Gabriel R. Limocon, Ynna Nichole O. Ilogon, and Rodel Jr D. Remolana have been awarded as the Philippines National Runners-up for their visionary inventions. Along with the De La Salle University representative who bagged the National Winner title, the teams will be advancing to the international round of the competition where their inventions will be showcased and reviewed by Dyson Engineers.
The James Dyson Award, run by the James Dyson Foundation, is an international design competition aiming to bring together and motivate design engineers to innovate and solve different world problems.
Driz and Limocon’s team created the “Fire GeoPrimer” which addresses the rising occurrence of destructive fires in wood-based structures and the environmental consequences of disposing of agro-industrial waste. While being sustainable and eco-friendly, this invention is a “geopolymeric intumescent flame-retardant primer coating for wood applications, using nanosilica and aluminium from agro-industrial waste and clay” designed to strengthen fireproofing and defense for wood-based constructions.
On the other hand, Ilogon and Remolana’s “GeoPolyCement” is “a low-carbon, cost-effective alternative to traditional cement” as it is made from agro-industrial waste and pozzolan materials. It is also described as a “lightweight foamed concrete” that can give better thermal insulation to buildings, resulting in lower energy costs.
These two inventions from the Philippines will be among the 29 participating countries, and only the top 20 teams will be shortlisted. The shortlist will then be presented to Sir James Dyson, a British inventor, industrial designer, entrepreneur, and founder of the Dyson company, who will select the international winners and runners-up.
Photos grabbed from Facebook