Announcing Our 2024 CIC Graduate Winners

On Oct. 16-17 at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, the nation’s most innovative college students presented their cutting-edge inventions.

Since 1990, Collegiate Inventors Competition^® (CIC) Finalists have presented their inspiring work to Judges including National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Inductees and USPTO officials to gain valuable insight while competing for cash prizes to fuel their progress.

Congratulations to Our 2024 CIC Graduate Winner and People’s Choice Winner!

Our Graduate Winner is Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, inventor of Nutrient-Stabilizing Materials, representing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology!

The World Health Organization promotes food fortification to address the micronutrient deficiencies experienced by 2 billion people worldwide, and this invention offers an excellent solution. Based on metal-organic frameworks, Nutrient-Stabilizing Materials can be incorporated into foods or taken orally as supplements. Using only food-derived molecules, it is safe and natural, as well as time-efficient, energy-efficient and cost-effective.

As our Graduate Winner, Zhang received a cash prize of $10,000 and a USPTO Patent Acceleration Certificate.

Additionally, Zhang was named the winner of the 2024 People’s Choice Award! Determined by nationwide public voting, this award earned her an additional $2,000.

“What motivates me as an innovator is the deep sense of fulfillment that comes from solving problems,” Zhang said. “Whether it’s making small, incremental progress or achieving a major breakthrough, each step forward brings a rewarding sense of accomplishment and fuels my passion to keep pushing the boundaries.”

Congratulations to Our 2024 CIC Graduate Runner-Up!

Representing the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, our Graduate Runners-Up are Zhuoran Han and Jaekwon Lee, the inventors behind Photoconductive Semiconductor Switch (PCSS)!

Increased energy demand and climate change cause power outages, disrupting daily lives and costing American households $150 billion annually. Diamond-based PCSS promises to address complex challenges faced by the aging U.S. power grid and transform it into a more reliable, resilient grid. They allow for faster recovery from outages and improve grid stability with rapid switching, high-voltage capabilities and exceptional reliability, all while reducing reliance on fossil fuels, enabling wider adoption of renewable sources and advancing toward net-zero emissions.

As our Graduate Runners-Up, Han and Lee received a $5,000 cash prize to advance their innovative journey.

“We are progressing toward broader utilization of renewable energy sources in our electric grid,” Lee said. “Our invention will assist this transition by safeguarding the electric grid in the face of climate change.” Han added, “I am very proud that our invention provides an elegant and effective solution to a critical issue in today's world.”

Who Are Our 2024 CIC Undergraduate Winners?

Find out who won our Undergraduate competition by checking out our blog, and learn more about CIC by visiting our website.