Simply Genius

Greetings.  It's the start of a new week and a chance to approach the problems and opportunities you face in brand new ways.  And a good place to start is by challenging yourself and the geniuses you work with to stand conventional wisdom on its head.  To do something that really matters in a manner that is much simpler, faster, and cheaper than you ever imagined.  If this sounds impossible, you might enjoy a bit of inspiration from Lila Kerr and Lauren Theis–two undergraduate students at Rice University in Houston.  In a class on bioengineering and world health they were given the assignment to figure out a low-cost and portable way to diagnose anemia that did not require the use of conventional power.  And given the problem of anemia in developing countries, this seemed like something that really mattered.  In fact, diagnosing anemia is often a vital piece of information used to determine whether or not someone has other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

Their solution involved modifying a salad spinner into a simple centrifuge that can separate 15 blood samples at a time into its component parts…all in roughly 20 minutes.  The invention, called "Sally Centrifuge," is currently being field tested in rural clinics in Africa and South America.  And if it works well could dramatically reduce the time required to analyze and treat life-threatening illnesses.

At a cost of $30.  And requiring only human energy and ingenuity.  While giving all of us a quick reminder of the value of approaching challenges with fresh eyes.

We win in business and in life when we see hidden potential in the simple things around us and seek to apply that potential to the things that really matter.  And when we eat more salad.

Cheers and have an innovative week ahead!