Dominique Brienza a semifinalist in Fairleigh Dickinson University innovation contest

2014 Apr 18

Oakcrest Highschool Sophomore, Dominique Brienza, of May's Landing, NJ, has been recognized as a semifinalist in Fairleigh Dickinson University's Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship's 2014 New Jersey Idea Competition.

Brienza's idea was Parkinsons Cup.

In Brienza's own words: Most people wake up in the morning and do simple things like eat a bowl of cereal, or drink their morning coffee easily without any problems, but for people living with Parkinson's disease or for people that aren't able to control their muscles those small tasks can be very difficult and sometimes they are even unable to feed themselves due to the uncontrollable shaking of their muscles. But there can be a way to solve this problem by attaching a device that will stabilize the cup and reduce the vibrations, making a noticeable difference in coping with this disease and giving them the simple joy of having a cup of coffee or eating soup without it getting everywhere.

The contest is an annual competition designed to help foster an entrepreneurial mindset among all New Jersey high school students. Divided into Northern, Central, and Southern regions, more than 800 students across the state submitted more than 520 ideas this year. Each region had a winner (Northern had two), four finalists, and eight semifinalists.

Part of FDU's Silberman College of Business since 1989, the mission of the Rothman Institute for Entrepreneurship is to teach and support entrepreneurship and innovation in the academic, business and nonprofit communities. An outstanding entrepreneurship curriculum taught by an excellent faculty has helped make the academic program among the top 20 in the nation (as ranked by the Princeton Review). For more information, go to www.fdu.edu/rothman.