Some students at Purdue University came up with a whole new way to look at corn and, umm . . . toilet paper. Glad they’re using the (Nature’s) silk. Better than the cob methinks.
Three teams of Purdue University students that created new uses for corn and soybeans – melt-away cupcake liners, biodegradable cork and toilet paper – took top honors Monday (March 23) in the Student Soybean and Corn Innovation Contests.
The competition, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, focuses on teaching students how to become innovative entrepreneurs. The awards were presented at an unveiling at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.
“These contests are about more than just creating new products,” said Bernie Tao, Indiana Soybean Alliance Professor of Soybean Utilization at Purdue. “The future success of our country depends on our graduates’ abilities to innovate and market more sustainable products. That’s something that can be hard to teach in a classroom. These contests help the students take what they’ve learned in class and apply that knowledge to solve real-world issues.”
In the corn-only portion of the contest, members of team Nature’s Silk came up with a process for biodegradable toilet paper. The product earned a cash prize of $10,000.
“We were sold on the idea of Nature’s Silk from the beginning,” said Jessamine Osborne, a senior from Evansville, Ind., double-majoring in cell molecular development and genetics. “The idea is simple, but perfect. We couldn’t figure out why this product wasn’t already on the market.”