September 2016 Accolades

Iman Cooper (2011) and a team of students from Earlham College were awarded the 2016 Holt Prize! The group created Magic Bus, an offline app which aims to increase public transportation efficiency in developing countries. Magic Bus has been awarded $1 million in seed funding to launch its operations in Kenya and the rest of Africa.

“We are 100% committed to our mission to increase predictability in the bus system in order to empower commuters to access jobs, education, and healthcare across the African continent. We hope that you continue to play a part in spreading the magic with us! Follow our journey over the next few months with #magicbusticketing,” Magic Bus posed on their Facebook page.

Heather Bowerman (2002) was named among the top innovators under 35 by the MIT Technology Review. Heather is CEO of a startup, Dot Laboratories, that is developing a cheap and easy way to test female sex hormone levels and track them online. A patient spits into a tube at specific times and mails the tubes to Dot Laboratories. The company then delivers data on hormone levels in an app for the woman or her doctor to review. Detailed hormonal data could help doctors tailor drugs and treatment regimens so that they work better for women.   

Rachel Blanks (2003) is featured in the September issue of Cooking Light magazine, and is in the running to be named Family Dinner Hero. You can grab the issue on newsstands now and vote for her until October.

Jake Basden (2002) is being honored by the University of Oklahoma with the 2016 Regent’s Young Alumni Award, the second highest honor bestowed upon alumni at OU. Jake is Vice President of Publicity and Corporate Communications for Big Machine Label Group in Nashville.

Kavita Shukla (2002) was named one of the “5 Most Innovative Women in Food” in TIME Magazine. She also just signed a deal with HSN for FreshPaper, naturally antibacterial sheets infused with herbs to help produce last four times longer.

Daron Roberts (1997) recently sat down with Kevin Durant to discuss life as one of the most visible professional athletes at UT Austin’s Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation. Watch the interview here.