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The search to discover Asia-Pacific's most creative and talented young inventors is on again, with entries now open for the 5th annual Young Inventors Awards, hosted by the Far Eastern Economic Review in association with HP.
The Awards are designed to reward the innovative thinking of students in Asia-Pacific by recognising and encouraging outstanding tertiary projects that enhance quality of life in a significant or meaningful way.
Universities throughout Asia-Pacific are invited to nominate recently completed student projects or those nearing completion, in any field of study, from areas as diverse as medicine and nanotechnology to computing and chemistry.
An esteemed judging panel of international leaders in the areas of science, technology, education and commerce then face the difficult task of judging the entries, based on creativity, originality, feasibility, completeness and the potential economic, societal or environmental impact.
The winners will receive HP computer equipment and a free trip to HP Labs in Palo Alto, California, while their represented schools will get cash awards. In addition, these winners are also published in the Far Eastern Economic Review.
Are you a winning inventor?
So if you're a young inventor and see extraordinary ideas in everyday things, why not enter this year's competition? The chance to change the world is now in your hands. Entries close on October 22, 2004. For entry details click here  .
From one inventor to another
Since HP introduced the first audio oscillator in 1939, the company has continued to develop new inventions that have fundamentally changed the way people live and work.
'HP is a company with a history of invention. Just as other inventors have inspired HP, we want to help inspire others. The Young Inventors Awards recognize the innovative research of some of Asia's best and brightest minds. We encourage young inventors to develop their passions and make a difference in the world,' said Cecilia Pang, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Asia Pacific & Japan, Hewlett-Packard Company.
As part of this commitment, HP will fly the three winners to Palo Alto, California for a tour of the HP Labs.
According to a previous Gold medial winner, Mulyoto Pangestu, who devised a simple way to store organic material, travelling to HP Labs had been a dream come true.
'It was a totally inspirational experience to see a dedicated global centre where everything is based around taking a complicated concept, creatively simplifying it, and turning it into something useful for everyday life', he added.
Seeing extraordinary ideas in everyday things
Although entries can be from vastly diverse fields, the one constant of winning entries is fresh thinking and the spirit of invention - or the ability to see extraordinary ideas in everyday things.
Take last year's Gold Award winner, Ryuji Inai for example, who grew an organ within the body to replace a diseased one. The young inventor has succeeded in building minuscule two- and three-dimensional scaffolds from polymer nanofibres for cultivating living cells.
Then there's Silver Award winner, Han Sang Jin who created a new form of carbon which could make fuel cells more efficient and affordable. Many believe fuel cells are the energy source of tomorrow. They have the potential to reduce urban air pollution and cut reliance on fossil fuels, and their only by-product is water.
Bronze Award winners, Joanna Tan and Ginny Tan developed an improved method for growing plants and crops that feeds roots with a fine, nutrient-rich spray, without the need for soil and minimal water. With the world's population tipped to reach 9 billion by 2050, straining fresh-water resources and food production, this system has huge potential.
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