miraclefeet Honored as Laureate in The Tech Awards 2015
San Jose, California and Carrboro, North Carolina (PRWEB) September 15, 2015 -- miraclefeet, a non-profit working to eradicate untreated clubfoot in the developing world, was today named a laureate of The Tech Awards 2015, one of 10 global innovators recognized at this level for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum of Innovation, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc., selected miraclefeet as one of two laureates in the Katherine M. Swanson Young Innovator category.
The Tech Awards: Technology Benefiting Humanity is one of the premier annual humanitarian awards programs in the world, recognizing technical solutions that benefit humanity and address the most critical issues facing our planet and its people. Finalists and laureates are selected by a prestigious panel of judges made up of University faculty, as well as leaders from educational and research institutions, industry and the public sector and former laureates.
“The Tech Awards is an incredible honor. We hope this award will raise awareness about the miraclefeet brace and the importance of untreated clubfoot as a global problem,” said Ian Connolly, Stanford student and engineering lead for the miraclefeet brace.
Established in 2000, The Tech Awards first recognizes 25 finalists, and then two laureates in five categories: environment, education, young innovator, economic development and health. All 25 finalists have developed new technological solutions or innovative ways to use existing technologies to significantly improve the lives of people around the world.
This year marks the 15th annual gala of The Tech Awards, often referred to as the “Oscars of Silicon Valley.” It will take place on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, where each of the ten laureates will receive a cash prize of $50,000.
“We are thrilled that the recognition of this award will enhance the work miraclefeet is doing and hopefully make the brace accessible to more children around the world – changing thousands of young lives in the process. Nothing is more exciting than the idea that our work may help kids run, walk and live active, happy lives. This award puts us another step closer. ” said Lucy Topaloff, project coordinator for the brace at miraclefeet.
The Tech Awards collaborates with humanitarian, educational, and business partners through global outreach efforts, giving people around the world the opportunity to benefit from the successful technologies recognized through The Tech Awards.
“The global challenges of the day have become increasingly strident, more deeply rooted,” said David Whitman, Vice President of The Tech Awards. “Still, there is hope. These incredibly impressive laureates have all proven to be equal to, or better than, the challenge to make the world a better place. By celebrating their accomplishments today, we are encouraging future innovators to work toward solutions to make the world healthier, safer and more sustainable.”
For more information, visit The Tech Awards and miraclefeet.
About The Tech Museum
The Tech Museum is a hands-on science and technology institution designed to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in experiences that educate, inform, provoke thought, and inspire action. Ensconced in the heart of Silicon Valley, the museum captures the spirit of the region through innovative content and programs such as The Tech Challenge, our annual team design competition for youth, and the internationally renowned The Tech Awards, which recognizes technology to benefit humanity. Daily, The Tech Museum celebrates the present and encourages the development of pioneering ideas for a more promising future.
About miraclefeet:
Clubfoot is a common birth defect that affects one out of every 750 children born worldwide. It is not well known in the US since children born with clubfoot are routinely treated at birth, usually with excellent results. However, children born with clubfoot in developing countries lack access to treatment, making untreated clubfoot a leading cause of physical disability in much of the world. Clubfoot makes it painful and difficult to walk. As a result children living with untreated clubfoot face terrible stigma, often do not go to school and are at higher risk of abuse, neglect and lifelong poverty. miraclefeet is a non-profit dedicated to providing proper treatment for children born with clubfoot in developing countries. It partners with local healthcare providers in public hospitals to establish and support clubfoot clinics. By building local capacity and working within the public health system miraclefeet is creating long-term and sustainable solutions to the problem of clubfoot. miraclefeet’s local partners have helped treat over 12,000 children in 13 countries around the world. A child born with clubfoot in a developing country can be fully treated for about $250 per child, transforming his or her life forever.
Jill Dykes, Jill Dykes PR, +1 (919) 749-8488, [email protected]
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