When a Davis High School chemistry teacher asked UC Davis engineering students to come up with a replacement for her outdated colorimeters and spectrometers, they eagerly jumped to the task. After just a summer of prototyping they came up with the Chromatiscope. The Chromatiscope is an easy to use, multi-functional, and inexpensive laboratory device which, using a smartphone, acts as a fluorimeter, colorimeter, spectrometer, and microscope. The team is hoping to use the device to make quantitative scientific experimentation available to all students in K-12 schools.

Over the last few months the Chromatiscope team has been busy pitching the Chromatiscope both locally and nationally. They have received numerous grants for development, and attended an entrepreneurship conference in Washington, DC over spring break.  Most recently, Biological Systems Engineering student Lisa Illes and Chromatiscope co-founder presented the Chromatiscope at the UC Davis Big Bang! Business competition, where they won $5000 in cash to further their entrepreneurial endeavor. The Chromatiscope team plans to use these funds to develop a production model of their prototype, determine the logistical needs to mass manufacture said production model, and further analyze potential entry markets.

Congratulations to Lisa and the rest of the Chromatiscope team!