The team, all students at Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, demonstrated its nickel-sized pill that collects a gastric acid sample from pediatric patients who can’t cough hard enough to provide a viable sample for diagnosis. The team designed the technology for the people of South Africa, where tuberculosis is the leading cause of death. Other means of diagnosing young children are invasive, painful and distressing to children. They also cost $81 — an estimated 10 times more than the method the students invented. 

Team members Jordan Addison, Amelia Adelsperger, Amy Koester, Daniel Romano, Julia Swartzenberg describe their winning project in this team-produced video. 

The annual DEBUT Challenge competition is funded by the NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), and VentureWell, a higher education network that cultivates ideas and inventions. All entries are designed to demonstrate a mastery of analytical and design skills and capabilities; the ability to manage the product development process; the ability to work effectively in teams; and written technical communication skills. 

The second and third-place winners will receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively. You can read about all the winning projects here. 

Photo: Amelia Adelsperger accepted the award at the 2016 Biomedical Engineering Society conference on behalf of her teammates.