30 years of soybean innovation

For the past three decades, the Student Soybean Innovation Competition has introduced students to the multifaceted uses and potential of soybeans in industrial applications. A partnership between Indiana Soybean Alliance and Purdue University, the competition enhances the viability of Indiana soybean farmers, expands market demand, and fosters the development of future leaders in the agriculture industry.  

Students work in teams to brainstorm novel product ideas, create a production timeline, conduct patent searches, develop a market analysis, document the technical process of creating their product, design packaging, and market the product.  

Previous winning products from the contest include soybean crayons and candles as well as a non-toxic, soy-based herbicide; soy-based styrofoam, playground mulch; drinking straws; fiber insulation; a liquid biostimulate to promote growth in crops grown in vertical farms; and much more.  

“The students, their ideas, and passion for creating new products has been inspiring for the entirety of the competition. They take on this challenge outside of their standard coursework and create novel ways to use soybeans that could bring value back to the farm,” says Ben Forsythe, Indiana Soybean Alliance sustainability and value creation innovation director. “This isn’t just a six-month competition, but an opportunity for the versatility of soybeans as a feedstock to be well positioned for tomorrow’s industry leaders. The competition is a perfect example of one of Indiana Soybean Alliance’s strategic focus areas, Value Creation.” 

ISA is proud to be celebrating 30 years of collaboration with Purdue University. The 30^th annual Student Soybean Innovation Competition Award Ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. EDT March 27 in the Purdue University Memorial Union Ballrooms. Click here to register for the ceremony.  

Past winners reflect on their experiences  

Sara Richert participated in the Student Soybean Innovation Competition for three consecutive years from her sophomore to senior year at Purdue.  

Team Soots, participating in the 2013-2014 competition, won second place and received a provisional patent for its 100 percent organic leather boot conditioner and polish. The product was later sold to an Indiana company.  

Team Soy Sniffs won first place and received a provisional patent for a soybean-based air freshener in the 2014-2015 competition. 

Team Sparked by Soy received the people’s choice award for a soy-based fire starter in the 2015-2016 competition.  

“The judges appreciated that our products had a high soybean content,” she says. “They didn’t just include soy; they were primarily soy.”  

Richert says her two teammates came from a farming community, but she didn’t have knowledge of soybeans or the agriculture industry before participating in the competition.  

“This competition really enlightened me personally, but it also sheds light on how many uses there are for soybeans, and it forces participants to think outside the box with what it can be used for,” she says. “…I also gained a lot from working in a collaborative team. I started as an engineer major before switching to public relations and strategic communication. A large portion of the Purdue engineer schooling is working in teams, and I don’t think that I found a more valuable experience in my time there than I did working on our soybean competition.”  

She encourages students to consider the experiences they’ll gain from the competition and go for it.  

“It’s something that is still benefiting me today,” she says. “My participation in the Student Soybean Innovation Competition is on my resume and I’ve never had an interview where someone has not asked me about it. It is a strong talking point. It shows that you’re a well-rounded, multifaceted person who has participated in something unique.”  

She also credits the support system provided by Purdue University, particularly Micky Creech, the program manager of the Student Soybean Innovation Competition, and Indiana Soybean Alliance.  

 
Today, Richert works in commercial property management with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) in Chicago.  

Developing new uses for soybeans in a changing market  

Lauren Paladino was on Team Soiatek, which earned a provisional patent on its soy-based screen protector during the 2013-2014 competition. 

“Keep in mind, this was in 2014 when screen protectors on your phones were plastic stickers that bubbled, and you eventually had to take them off and throw them away. That’s when we decided to try to make a conductive screen protector out of soy products,” she says. “We created a thin, soy-based plastic for phone screens using soybean oil, which helped it be conductive, and some soy lecithin.”  

Something she learned through the competition was how quickly trends or product needs can change.  

“It was a cool idea that quickly became obsolete when glass screen protectors were developed, but a soy-based film is still relevant in a lot of different applications,” she says. “I think that’s why we received the primary patent. It wasn’t because it was a screen protector, it was because it was a thin, see-through, and conductive pseudo-plastic and there wasn’t much else like that on the market.”  

Paladino says students thinking about participating in the competition should sign-up.  

“I gained so many skills during the Student Soybean Innovation Competition including being prepared to present our ideas to a third-party judge and answer questions as well as project management and time management skills,” she says. “I also saw the benefits of having a preliminary patent. That was one thing in my resume that helped me jump off the page. It was something I could talk about during an interview that not many other people could talk about.” 

Paldino graduated from Purdue in 2014 with a biological engineering degree with an emphasis in food processing. Today she is the continuous improvement leader at Owens Corning in Kansas City, Kansas. 

Soybean crayons: the first-ever winner 

Note: This section is an adaptation of an article written by ISA for the 2019 Indiana Corn and Soybean Post Magazine.  

Jocelyn Wong, a member of the winning team that developed soy-based crayons, didn’t know at the time how the contest would help shape her life. The soy crayons that her team created in that first competition remain one of the event’s best-known innovations. The contest helped launch a career for Wong, who currently sits on the Board of Directors for four different companies including a healthy snack startup company and a marketing agency focused on connected commerce.  

“I can honestly say that this competition, for me, is something that I have never forgotten,” she said while holding a box of test crayons in 2019 when she addressed students during the annual awards celebration. “In fact, and I am not making this up, this is the original prototype that my teammates and I submitted 25 years ago – Earth Color Crayons. These crayons sit on the vanity of my bathroom, you can ask my daughter, so I can look at these every single day to remind me of this moment in time that helped influence so much of who I am.” 

Wong graduated from Purdue with a chemical engineering degree. While at a job interview with Procter and Gamble, she was asked, “Why should I hire you?” Wong opened the box of crayons on the table and started coloring. “That’s why,” she answered. 

Wong got the job with Procter and Gamble, but admits to being a “clumsy engineer.” Fearing that she might lose her job, a co-worker noticed Wong had a flair for sales and marketing. So she tried something new and discovered a passion for her work. 

Wong has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, merchandising, brand management, and product innovation. Her most recent role was the Chief Customer Officer of Gopuff, a late stage-startup that delivers consumer goods in less than 30 minutes in over 650 U.S. cities. Prior to that, she was the Chief Marketing Officer at Lowes. Her earlier experiences include roles at Safeway, Family Dollar, and Procter and Gamble.  

Learn more about the Student Soybean Innovation Competition here.