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04/14/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/14/2026 22:37

BU Student Innovators Are Reimagining How We Eat, Dress, Work, and Even Treat One Symptom of Brain Disorders

BU Student Innovators Are Reimagining How We Eat, Dress, Work, and Even Treat One Symptom of Brain Disorders

Campus spaces, programs, and contests across Boston University help students turn their big ideas into reality

Tonight, April 15, the $80K New Venture Competition takes place at Innovate@BU's Innovators' Night 2026. At last year's event, BU President Melissa Gilliam addressed a crowd of students, faculty, and family members who gathered to cheer on their favorite teams. Photo by Cydney Scott

Strategy & Innovation

BU Student Innovators Are Reimagining How We Eat, Dress, Work, and Even Treat One Symptom of Brain Disorders

Campus spaces, programs, and contests across Boston University help students turn their big ideas into reality

April 14, 2026
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A clothing company that turns recycled tennis strings into performance wear. A citrus alternative that replaces fresh-and expensive-limes behind the bar. A wearable device designed to suppress tremors in people suffering from neurological disorders.

These are just a few of the entrepreneurial ideas taking shape at Boston University, where students from all disciplines are building start-ups with the potential to change the way we live and work, eat and dress, recharge in our free time-and even treat one of the symptoms of neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease. Through a network of campus spaces, programs, courses, and competitions, BU supports innovation by helping students move their plans from concept to prototype.

Across campus, students have access to resources that encourage experimentation and collaboration. At hubs like Innovate@BU, CDS Duan Family Spark! Initiative, and the Robotics & Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center (RASTIC), and in courses taught across BU's schools and colleges, students can test ideas, solve problems, and build ventures. Some hope to make meaningful social change. Others look forward to pitching their idea on Shark Tank. Many simply want to learn skills they can carry into their careers.

"I've had students say they chose BU because all intellectual property for undergrads is owned by the undergrads-we don't take a piece of that," says Siobhan Dullea (CAS'91), executive director of Innovate@BU. "Our mission is to help all Terriers develop innovation skills and an entrepreneurial mindset so they can make change in their lives, careers, and communities."

That know-how is increasingly essential. "Students are going to be working in disrupted industries, in emerging or completely new technologies," Dullea says. "These skills we teach will help them adapt along the way."

Through a University-wide emphasis on applied, experiential learning, BU "empowers students to work together in creating, designing, testing, and launching their ideas into the world," says Gloria Waters, University provost and chief academic officer. "These experiences enable students of all disciplines to apply their knowledge while developing practical skills-and a portfolio-that they can build on after graduation."

Each spring, many of these programs culminate in competitions, where students pitch their ideas for thousands of dollars in funding and mentoring support.

BU Today went in search of some of the most exciting projects in various stages. Read more about them below.

A Device to Suppress Tremors

As a teenager in Eastman, Ga., Mark Lucas cared for his mother, who lived with a neurological condition that impaired her cognition and motor skills. She died when Lucas was 14. "Watching and taking care of her as a child really opened my eyes to what people living with these conditions go through," says Lucas (ENG'26).

Not long after he entered the College of Engineering's biomedical engineering program, he began working toward a long-held goal, inspired in part by his mother's decline in motor skills: developing a device to help people with tremors.

Approximately 30 million people worldwide live with tremors-conditions that can interfere with eating, writing, self-care, and careers-and that number will likely grow as the population ages, Lucas says. Existing treatments, such as medication and surgery, can be invasive and costly, and are not always covered by insurance.

Mark Lucas (ENG'26) demonstrates his NeuroBrace system. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
A closeup of the NeuroBrace. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

Lucas has developed multiple prototypes of what he calls the NeuroBrace, a device that uses machine learning to detect tremors and deliver targeted compression to affected muscle groups. The compression minimizes tremors in real time for people with Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. The NeuroBrace, which looks like a combined bracelet and arm brace, and can be worn under clothing, is designed to help patients regain independence in their daily lives, says Lucas.

He's founded a medical device start-up, Antioch Technologies, and is preparing for clinical trials. He's also figuring out how to get the NeuroBrace covered by insurance.

Throughout the process, he has consulted with subject-matter experts, including Franchino Porciuncula, a Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences research assistant professor and physical therapist, and Michael Levinger, a Metropolitan College lecturer in computer science and a former tech and healthcare exec and entrepreneur specializing in electronic health solutions. He has also taken advantage of BU programs, such as RASTIC, where he first 3D printed components for his device, BU Spark!, and, most recently, Innovate@BU.

After participating in Innovate@BU's Innovation Pathway program, Lucas is now a finalist in the 2026 New Venture Competition, Innovate@BU's major pitch competition. He says he's received valuable advice through the program: "They taught me organizational knowledge around the business space and funding. It's been amazing."

Turning Tennis Strings into Clothing

As a member of the BU men's tennis team, Jakob Esterowitz (ENG'27) often needs to replace the strings in his racquet. Old strings lose tension. New ones promote peak performance (as a sophomore, he helped the Terriers reach the NCAA tournament). But there's a downside to replacing all those old polyester strings: they end up in landfills. In 2024, sidelined by an injury, Esterowitz had some extra time on his hands-and an idea. Could he recycle the strings into polyester-blend performance clothing?

Esterowitz, who'd always been interested in fashion and started designing his own clothes in 2022, along with teammates Jonah Dickson (COM'25) and Yash Seth (MET'26), and former teammate Ouwen Lu (Questrom'21), began talking to professors to see if the idea was feasible.

They created a company, LET, which has partnered with more than 100 donation sites worldwide to gather used polyester tennis strings. Using a patented chemical recycling process, developed with a professor from Washington State University, they convert the discarded strings into polyester fiber, the building block for yarn, and, ultimately, fabric. LET partners with a clothing factory in Asia to create the shirts out of the recycled fiber.

As a member of the BU Men's Terrier Tennis team, Jakob Esterowitz (ENG'26) recycles old tennis strings into polyester-blend performance clothing. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

The team plans to release its first line of performance T-shirts, priced between $50 and $60, this summer. They say their process uses 47 percent less water, 59 percent less carbon, and 75 percent less energy than petroleum-based polyester production. (The name LET is a reference to a tennis term-a let calls for a point to be replayed-that reflects their mission to give used materials a second life as high-performance apparel.)

Esterowitz says his idea couldn't have happened without the faculty and staff at Innovate@BU, a program he has taken full advantage of: he received a Sustainability Innovation Seed Grant, participated in last year's Summer Accelerator (an intensive, 10-week program that guides BU students and recent alums in building an early-stage venture), went through the Innovation Pathway, and reached the finals of the 2025 New Venture Competition.

"Innovate@BU has been so supportive along the way," he says. "They connected us with professionals in the fashion and sustainability industry for advice, and they gave us specific ways to help grow our business, how to grow our supply chain, and offered marketing and hiring help."

Finding the Right Place to Sell Your Art

For many artists, selling their work at a pop-up craft show or art fair can be an effective way to make some extra income. But it can also be a gamble. Traveling to a show and renting a table cost money, and there's no guarantee that their goods will sell.

Raheeq Ibrahim (CAS'25, ENG'25) learned about the problem from a cousin who runs a fragrance business and for years has spent time and money at underperforming markets. Ibrahim asked herself: Is there a way to predict whether setting up shop at an event would be worth it?

A past president of BU's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, Ibrahim tapped her own growing knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI). She designed MarkitIt, a platform that helps small business vendors-like food truck owners, photographers, artisans, and fashion designers-find and apply to the right pop-up events. At the same time, event organizers can use the platform to discover and manage vendors more efficiently.

During her time at BU, Raheeq Ibrahim (CAS'25, ENG'25) interned at the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering's Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL), took classes through the Duan Family Spark Initiative (CDS's innovation and experiential learning lab), and served as president of BU's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. Photo by Cydney Scott

"We use AI to look at a vendor and tell them where they're going to make the most revenue," Ibrahim says. Their algorithm considers factors such as the seller's products-say, fragrance or clothing-the average price of those products, the event's location, and the typical demographics of the seller's previous customers.

The financial stakes are significant. Vendors can lose $150 to $400 trekking to an unsuccessful event. MarkitIt aims to reduce that risk by providing data-driven guidance. While a free version is available, its premium service charges vendors $20 a month; event organizers pay a 5 percent fee on what they charge vendors to attend their markets and fairs, in exchange for tools that manage applications, curate vendors, and process payments.

In the platform's early stages, Ibrahim joined the BU Spark! XC475 innovation fellowship, where she collaborated with computer science students (all BU Spark! tech fellows) who helped build MarkitIt. She says the fellowship pushed her to conduct more interviews than she'd originally thought necessary, and she received invaluable feedback that helped her validate her idea.

"It was about being innovative and coming out with something tangible," she says. "I'm glad I got to be a part of that."

Reimaging Food Systems

Andrea Catania (MET'24) has managed a fine-dining restaurant and worked in resorts and grocery stores, witnessing both culinary excellence and food waste and inequality. Many people who grow, ship, and prepare food often aren't paid enough to feed themselves, she says.

To address those issues, Catania, who focused on food policy in Metropolitan College's gastronomy graduate program, joined forces with Boston Food Forest Coalition's Mark Araujo to cofound EquiTable, a nonprofit dedicated to making the food system more just.

A central part of EquiTable's work is the concept of public kitchens: shared, community-centered spaces that are free and open to all. Catania describes them as a form of food-based public infrastructure, akin to parks or libraries, "where you are welcome to be there without spending money."

Andrea Catania (MET'25) of EquiTable, a nonprofit dedicated to making the food system more just. Photo by Cydney Scott

EquiTable's Culinary Commons initiative brings this idea to life by creating communal kitchen spaces across Boston. "It's a shared space used for all kinds of food-related programming," Catania says, which is different from, say, a soup kitchen. "Sometimes it's cooking and eating, sometimes it's making hot sauce, sometimes it's having food justice chats or food film screenings." Since 2023, the team has partnered with community organizations in Boston neighborhoods to pilot these spaces.

Support from Innovate@BU has been instrumental in growing the project, providing guidance on fundraising, brand strategy, networking, and community engagement. In 2024, Culinary Commons earned second place in the Social Impact Track of the New Venture Competition, along with a $10,000 prize.

Another key resource for Catania was the BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic, which offers legal assistance to BU and MIT students pursuing innovative and entrepreneurial activities. The clinic is staffed by BU School of Law students and is overseen by BU faculty. They helped Catania with incorporation documents and securing 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

Catania says the help they received from BU's innovation spaces "builds a muscle in us that we didn't have."

Fresh Citrus Reinvented

Before starting grad school, Jiayou "Leon" Lin (SHA'24) had a gig as a bartender. His least favorite task: juicing the lemons and limes before each shift. So he came up with a solution-and if his invention takes off, bar staff everywhere could swap the busy work for the mixology.

Foundry Libations makes a citrus replacement; it has no actual lemon or lime, but has the flavor and properties of the traditional juices. Lin's patent-pending, all-natural formula boasts a longer refrigerated shelf life than fresh-squeezed juice and a comparable price to bottled options. His invention recreates citrus juice "from its corresponding natural ingredients," he says, including citric acid, sugar, and cold-pressed essential oils. Targeted at bars and restaurants, it is ideal for cocktails, mocktails, batch drinks, marinades, sauces, and dressings, according to Lin.

Jiayou (Leon) Lin (SHA'24) founded Foundry Libations, which patent-pending, all-natural formula boasts a longer refrigerated shelf life than fresh-squeezed juice and a comparable price to bottled options. Photo by Cydney Scott

He says there are environmental and economic benefits to his product. Fresh-squeezed juice, while flavorful, is labor-intensive and spoils within two days, generating waste. Bottled juice is cheaper and more convenient, but it's pasteurized, which affects the citrus taste and can only last up to a month in the refrigerator.

Lin, who had little understanding of engineering and biochemistry before starting his business, credits Innovate@BU for connecting him to the College of Engineering's Bioengineering Technology & Entrepreneurship Center (BTEC). He conducted initial R&D in BTEC's biomedical wet lab before moving to ENG's Engineering Product Innovation Center (EPIC) for further development.

Then he won the 2025 Hospitality Innovation Competition and was named the 2025 School of Hospitality Administration Student Innovator of the Year, receiving a $25,000 prize.

Foundry Libations is on the market and is expected to reach $400,000 in revenue this year. Now selling lemon, lime, and yuzu flavors, they "theoretically can make any citrus juice flavor," Lin says. Cheers!

A Voice for Restaurant Workers

Alessandra Antonelli worked in restaurants throughout high school and college, but a recent job left a sour taste. She was sexually harassed during training, she says, and got little support from management when she complained. Instead, they told her the role wouldn't work out.

"It was frustrating because I put a month of my time into this job, doing the training and paperwork, and then I had to start all over," says Antonelli (CAS'25).

But the experience gave her an idea, which she brought to longtime friend Anna Bianco (CAS'26): a platform where restaurant workers could review employers, similar to Rate My Professors. The two are collaborating on a website called RollUp, where hospitality workers can review workplaces and help other job seekers identify top employers. The name references the silverware rollups staff assemble at the end of shifts.

Anna Bianco (left) (CAS'26) and Alessandra Antonelli (CAS'25) founded RollUp, a website that invites restaurant workers to review their workplaces and help new employees find the top places to work. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

During their research phase, Antonelli and Bianco visited restaurants in Fenway and the North End and spoke with owners, managers, and staff. Many offered valuable feedback, Bianco says.

"At first, the managers would ask, 'Why would I participate in this?'" she says. "But what we're seeing now-we already have around 20 reviews, and they're overwhelmingly positive, which honestly we did not expect. It's shown us how RollUp can be an opportunity to shed light on desirable workplaces. We are going to have lists of top places to work near you, and maybe monthly awards."

The team recently placed third, winning $10,000 in the School of Hospitality Administration's Hospitality Innovation Competition, held April 10.

Both Antonelli and Bianco say they are proud they've been able to turn a negative work experience into a system that could benefit others. "We saw firsthand how little accountability exists for management in the hospitality industry," Bianco says. "RollUp is our attempt to change that by giving workers a voice."

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Boston University published this content on April 14, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 15, 2026 at 04:37 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]