While some students spent their winter break catching up on a little R&R, those participating in the Weiss Tech House's annual PennVention competition were otherwise engaged in a little R&D.

Wharton Junior, Derek Zoch, spent part of his break researching and developing his idea for a device that will aid football kickers in practice. Tentatively called the "Quicker Kicker," Zoch's device was inspired by his experience on the field.

"I didn't want to always have to drag a friend along to practice with," said Zoch, "So I set out to create a device that simulates the snapping position of a football that you'd experience in a real game."

Zoch is one of 78 Penn students currently entered in the first round of the PennVention 2007 competition; a thirty-five percent increase over last year's numbers. Event organizers have many theories for why aspiring inventors from across the University are increasingly taking advantage of this opportunity to create, develop and commercialize new technologies.

Jae Yoon Kim (W/SEAS'08), Chair of the student-run PennVention Committee attributes the higher number to an aggressive marketing campaign that included the distribution of post cards featuring past PennVention winners, and the introduction of the University's first annual Innovation Week last semester where through a series of events, including a campus-wide Treasure Hunt, the Weiss Tech House rallied hundreds of students around technological innovation.

"We saw an influx in PennVention entries during and directly after Innovation Week," said Kim, "and some were students who hadn't otherwise been involved with the Weiss Tech House."

Other students, like Koch, point to the public success of young entrepreneurs like last year's PennVention winner, team MuscleMorph, for their heightened interest. After winning the grand prize in PennVention 2006, MuscleMorph went on to win the Wharton Business Plan competition and then the FORTUNE Small Business Magazine's Battle of the Business Plans for their motion actuator that simulates the movement of biological muscles.

Koch decided to take his idea to the Weiss Tech House and was immediately paired with a mentor who helped him navigate available resources.

"Everyone I've met has been very helpful," said Koch. "The suggestions I received from engineers and product design professionals helped me to develop a preliminary prototype."

One expert on Koch's list was Dr. Karl Ulrich, Weiss Tech House Faculty Director and Wharton professor. Over the past year Ulrich has noticed significant increase in demand for his product design and development courses, causing him to add two additional courses and double the number of seats in an existing course. He encourages his students to look at an issue that they are passionate about and try to solve a real problem or fulfill a real need.

Derek Zoch seems to be on the right track. "I didn't set out saying I'm going to make an invention; I just wanted to do this for myself" he says.

Students have until February 2nd to submit their ideas to the PennVention competition. All participants will gain instant access to a team of industry mentors, expert feedback, and a chance to win more than $60,000 n cash and in-kind services. For more information click here.