Saul Griffith likes to create things — pretty cool things. He invented low-cost eyeglass lenses that can mold into various shapes within 10 minutes to correct people’s vision.

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Filed under: Materials, Mechanical, Trailblazers | Comments Off on Ideas at Play

Tags: Materials, Mechanical, Technology

Music fans can rock out with virtual guitars on an interactive wall, thanks to a touch-screen technology that Jeff Han tinkered with. Most touch- screens, such as the ones at airport check-in kiosks, allow only one finger touch at a time. But Han’s large, multitouch screens can be activated by touching or sweeping several fingertips across the surface.

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Tags: Computer, Materials, Technology

Randal Pinkett is most famous for winning the TV reality show competition, The Apprentice, but his passion is helping those less fortunate. He has multiple engineering degrees from Rutgers University, Oxford University, and MIT.

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Filed under: Computer, Trailblazers | Comments Off on ‘The Apprentice’ Takes Charge

Tags: Computer, Technology

Laurie Carrillo is an aerospace engineer at the NASA-Johnson Space Center who’s working on the Orion CEV spacecraft, slated for a moon launch after the current space shuttle retires in 2010. She’s experimenting with different materials to find the best combinations for keeping the temperature ideal inside the spacecraft.

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Filed under: Aerospace, Materials, Trailblazers | Comments Off on A Real Rocket Scientist

Tags: Aerospace, Materials

A Web site that allows people to make small, $25 loans has become a pretty big deal. Matt Flannery used his programming skills to develop Kiva.org, which allows people to lend money to entrepreneurs in developing countries after browsing their profiles online. Kate Ewhrugakpo in Nigeria borrowed $350 to buy sewing machines and fabric for designing clothes and paid back the loan in eight months.

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Filed under: Computer, Trailblazers | Comments Off on World Banker

Tags: Computer, Programming, Technology