(November 11, 2009 – Thunder Bay, ON) HaemAssist, a product designed and developed by the 2009 Lakehead Shads’ company FiberGel Inc., has won Best Application of Scientific Principles and Best Business Plan at the RBC Shad Entrepreneurship Cup, held in mid-October in Waterloo, Ontario.
The theme of the 2009 competition asked Shads to look to nature and natural fibres, tasking them with finding an innovative way to use the fibres: through first use (manufacture with new materials); repurposing (reuse of existing material in a new manner); recycling (creating new product from old); or retirement (converting existing natural fibre materials to a final use). Shads explored the development of HaemAssist while considering the boundaries of science, design, and art, while thinking innovatively and using bottom-line principles to develop a product that encapsulates economic value, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability.
HaemAssist is an entirely new product for use in the emergency response and healthcare industries. Currently, many Canadian emergency response services do not have means to provide fast and effective treatment to patients suffering severe blood loss. In response, HaemAssist provides care workers with a natural-based product that aids in the retention and coagulation of blood using the natural fibre Hagfish Exudate.
“Our Shads faced a tough yet reputable judging panel this year and we’re extremely proud of their achievements,” says Dr. Sultan Siddiqui, Lakehead’s Shad Valley Director. “Through their time with the Shad program and in preparing their final projects for the Cup, our students learned a great deal about engineering, entrepreneurship, information technology, medicine, and science as well as about themselves and how they work alongside their peers. They fared very well in several areas overall this year. They set some high standards for themselves, and in working as hard as they did, they are all more prepared to face the challenges and opportunities that life, schooling, and work will bestow upon them – now and in years to come.”
The annual RBC/Shad Entrepreneurship Cup is a national competition that unveils Shad-designed products that are well-positioned to be the next business success story. The Cup showcases the best in entrepreneurship, science, and technology, and demonstrates what senior high school students are capable of creating.
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