Regional
(2010-07-15)
FORT COLLINS, CO
(KUNC) -
The fourth annual International Development Design Summit is underway at Colorado State University. Students and scientists are working on business plans and the development of nine products that would benefit third world countries. Bryan Willson is director of CSU's Engines and Energy Conversion Lab at the College of Engineering and co-host of the conference. He says simple product inventions can have a transformative effect on certain parts of the world.
"We tend to have the idea that the only way to help poor countries is to donate money and what we're focusing on here has been empowering enterprise to help solve those problems," he says.
Willson says the summit benefits inventors because it teaches business concepts that will help them disseminate their ideas. Among the nine inventions being discussed this month are two types of water filters and a solar-powered water heating device. © Copyright 2012, KUNC
