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AKRON, Ohio -- A team of creative students at the University of Akron came up with an innovation that was recently judged to be one of the best new ideas in the world.

The students believe blocks of foam can help solve some of the problems facing the poor of the world as the population continues to grow.

"So they can grow herbs, leafy greens and several other lucrative plants. They'll then be able to sell these plants using our channels and existing channels," said Vishal Chaurasia, University of Akron graduate student. "Really the only thing that someone has to do is plant a seed into these pre-made bowls and then they just have to water it once or twice a week and as you can see the foam absorbs all the water."

Student, Kelsey Jones, added, "Then after the foam bricks are done, you are actually able to add a certain ingredient through our foundation that enables these soft foam blocks to be turned into hard foam bricks that are able to be used for housing materials."

The University of Akron project was in response to a question posed by former President Bill Clinton for the annual Hult Prize competition: Can we build sustainable social enterprises that double the income of 10-million people residing in crowded spaces, by better connecting people, services and capital?

More than 300 universities from around the world completed for the Hult prize, and at a regional competition in Dubai, the University of Akron team finished in the top six, making their concept one of the top 30 best new ideas in the world.

The eventual winner of the Hult Prize will receive a million dollars in seed money to turn their idea into reality.

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