Boise State University
04/23/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/23/2026 10:03
2026 Presidential Innovation Awards announced
Boise State encourages and celebrates a culture of innovation. The Presidential Innovation Awards recognize contributions of students, faculty and staff across campus who have demonstrated outstanding innovative thinking and problem-solving skills.
The 2026 winners are Owen McDougal a professor of chemistry, Phil Merrell, in the Office of Information Technology, and students winners, Koda Boldt, Maxwell Hewes and Jadyn Hart.
Faculty winner - Owen McDougal
Professor and director of the Food and Dairy Innovation Center at Boise State, McDougal has built a nationally recognized hub that turns industry challenges into real-world solutions. His team's breakthrough, applying pulsed electric field technology to dairy, could transform processing efficiency and energy use, and has already launched a startup. Under McDougal's leadership, the center has engaged over 100 students and secured major funding, advancing Boise State's reputation for innovation and economic impact.
Staff winner - Phil Merrell
Phil Merrell, director of cloud architecture and development in the Office of Information Technology, created boisestate.ai, a custom AI tool built specifically for the university. Instead of relying on large commercial systems designed for the general public, he built something tailored to the needs of our students, faculty, and staff. In a short time, more than a thousand people across campus have used boisestate.ai. Interest is growing beyond Boise State, including from state agencies looking to learn from or adopt the model.
Student winners - Koda Boldt, Jadyn Hart and Maxwell Hewes
Koda Boldt, Jadyn Hart and Maxwell Hewes are Boise State students who turned a simple volunteer request into something entirely their own. "Tin Can Turbines" is a hands-on activity that lets anyone build small wind turbines from recycled cans, then test how efficiently their inventions generate energy. Since the project's launch, more than 200 turbines have been built and a friendly spirit of competition has grown among participants. The students' idea has inspired interest in engineering, sustainability and learning - all in the guise of fun.
Boise State University published this content on April 23, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 23, 2026 at 16:03 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]