STUDENT SUCCESS
Student Innovator: Cooper Bierscheid
Published April 2016
Cooper Bierscheid won first place in the products category at this year’s Innovation Challenge.
The competition is open to all NDSU undergraduate and graduate students and features four categories: products, services, agriculture and social impact. Students are empowered to think, create and present their innovative ideas.
Major: Manufacturing engineering, December ‘15
Hometown: Watertown, South Dakota
His project: Founded a company, Protesthetics LLC, that equips people who have lost a limb with affordable prosthetic devices by using creative designs and 3-D printing.
Effect on society: “I hope that Protosthetics LLC makes a worldwide impact. We want to reduce the acceptable price tag for medical devices so that they are accessible for anyone who needs them, especially in underdeveloped countries.”
Next steps: “Our team is continuing to develop new products. We are working with major prosthetic clinics across the United States to get the devices to people who need them. Our ability to create interchangeable replacement parts allow amputees to feel comfortable wearing their device, instead of being ashamed of it, and allows them to efficiently perform their daily activities.”