One Spark Science Projects: Post-Game Analysis

Last week I had the amazing experience of serving as a science category juror at One Spark, the world's crowdfunding festival, here in Jacksonville. The competition among the science projects was intense, with the top project winning by a neuron. There were many projects deserving of funding and support, and our decision as jurors was very difficult, so (with my juror duties now concluded, and independently of One Spark and my fellow jurors whose analysis may be different than mine presented here) I thought I'd take this opportunity to describe some of these amazing projects.

Let's start with the three category finalists: How do you choose between neurologists & programmers curing Alzheimer's, exciting teachers developing an innovative learning space, and a 17-year-old building piezoelectric generators for remote sensors? It was not an easy decision, as...

• All three projects demonstrated tremendously refined expertise and qualifications for their proposed projects.
• All three creators have demonstrated success---including Cognitive Clubhouse's project leader being the second-grade teacher of the 17-year-old finalist! ("I told you I make science fun!" she shouted gladly during the Closing Ceremony.)
• All three creators presented specific plans for how to use their potential winnings---including the $10,000 we were to award.
• All three projects held promise for the two big deliverables scientists look for in any undertaking: Intellectual Merit (Will the proposed activities help advance human knowledge?) and Broader Impacts (Will the proposed activities bring practical benefits to society?). 
• All three creator teams communicated their ideas well and flourished under scrutinizing questions from the jurors.
• I found all three projects to be exciting ventures that I hope will succeed.

Even assembling these three finalists was a difficult decision. Although we ultimately agreed that these three projects came out on top, it was a tough competition among other well-developed and exciting projects, listed here as an unofficial Honorable Mention:

• Dragonfly Revival. This public awareness campaign is seeking to help prevent opioid overdose deaths.
• Sucralose Research. That artificial sweetener you're consuming may be zero calorie, but it also may be killing the good bacteria that live in your stomach.
• TruVitalZoo. This revolutionary project will enable zoo veterinarians to remotely measure vital signs of animals. Did you know you can't just walk up to a lion with a stethoscope? With TruVitals products, you can measure heart rate, respiration, and movement without having to approach the animal.
• The Wave Robber. This project presents a simple device that not only prevents coastal erosion but helps to rebuild shorelines in as little as a year.

Our juror results differed from the rankings by crowd vote, the top three of which included two aquariums and a community kitchen. Such a variety of awards is, I think, a reason One Spark's leadership decided to institute juror awards, and so I hope they'll continue to invite jurors to participate. These are three great projects and I hope to visit their final products some day soon!

So, what were your favorite projects?