During Make-a-thon, Students Create Sustainability Solutions

In this unique NC State innovation competition, students design and prototype solutions to sustainability challenges.

Imagine a future where the power of your footsteps can generate electricity.

That’s the student idea that took home top honors in NC State’s third annual Make-a-thon, a sustainability innovation competition.

Students Alberto Carrillo, Priyanka Kallem, Mariam Shah and Gabrielle Tonsay designed a layer of piezoelectric-discs that can be installed underneath floors to convert the energy of footfalls into electricity.

“People are constantly walking around, biking and exercising, and we wanted to find a way to harness this energy,” Shah said. “We know the idea is possible; now we have to figure out how to create it.”