‘MIT Technology Review’ in Spanish has granted the distinction in the country for the first time, naming three women and seven men as the leaders of innovation in Turkey.
Turkey has been added this year to the list of countries that theMIT Technology Review magazine in Spanish, published by Opinno, gives its highest award to, to the greatest innovators under 35. The 2014 selection recognizes the countries 10 most pioneering, visionary, entrepreneurial, inventive and humanitarian young people, whose proposals aim to fix the problems society faces from an innovative point of view.
Three women and seven men between 25 and 34 years old have become the winners of this first regional edition. The special mentions of Social Innovator and Innovator of the Year have fallen upon women, Duygu Kayaman and Canan Dagdeviren, respectively. Because of this, the Turkish edition has converted in an example of parity and equality, values shard by Opinno, advocating the role of the woman in all and each social context.
Kayaman was acknowledged for the creation, from her own experiences as a blind person, a mobile application that uses voice recognition to simplify daily activities for those who are visually impaired. Her advance is a clear representation of social innovation.
Dagdeviren was awarded with Innovator of the Year for her development of implants capable of collecting, storing and converting the energy produced by the beating heart, the diaphragm and lungs into electricity. This idea would be applicable in many contexts, adding to its global features.
Both distinctions were announced in a ceremony last Wednesday in Istanbul (Turkey), in which the ten young people presented their proposals to an audience full of the country’s leaders in innovation and entrepreneurialism.
The winners were selected from over 100 candidates from all fields of technology, and have in common the creativity and capacity to remedy concrete problems.
The judging panel was made up of expert investors, professors and mentors known for their international prestige. They acknowledged the success of the projects that try to transform problems into engines for economical and social development.
Other projects graced with a mention in the Spanish version of the MIT Technology Review included the creation of an underground wireless communication system to improve the efficiency crop watering in the country, the development of biochips that can predict the pain crisis of sickle cell anaemia and monitor its treatment, and the production of LED devices based on nano-crystals that offers high quality and efficient light, complete a list supported in the presentation by solutions destined to solve the complex problems of society.
Within the context of this first edition, it’s important to highlight the quality of the projects presented that show the great technological and innovative development of a country in plain technological effervescence.
Amplifying the innovation network and support for emerging countries is the main objective of these awards and one of the pillars of Opinno’s philosophy. Through the Spanish edition of the MIT Technology Review magazine, this work will continue in regions where the event takes place as well as in future regions, to create a legacy of ground breaking development for society.
