Two weeks after the initial meeting, the average student couldn’t remember any of the unscented pencil’s selling points. However, without being provided the scent again, the students remembered about three details of the scented pencils.

Krishna's research is already being implemented into the marketplace. Westin, for example, sells White Tea scented candles and oil diffusers. Additionally, Westin hands out scented pens called Aromawriters for hotel guests to take home.

“They put the signature scent of Westin Hotels in the pen, so when people go home they can smell the scent and they remember other things about Westin hotels,” Krishna said. “So, they are using this research to say, ‘Look if you give scented products for your patrons to take home they’ll remember your hotel better.’ "

WELLO WATERWHEEL

Courtesy of Josh Dick Photography

Creative thinking was the weapon of choice for Ross graduate Cynthia Koenig, who transformed an already existing concept into an innovative business and humanitarian effort.

The concept of “rolling water” in the world’s rural regions has been around for about 15 years as a method of transporting water from faraway sources, Koenig said. It greatly alleviates the strain of traditional water collection – think balancing heavy pails of water on your head – by rolling the water across terrains for more efficient water retrieval.

Two tools for rolling water have been introduced in South Africa, but these products only yielded limited success as it was impossible for many rural residents to afford them. Koenig embarked on a bold venture to make this concept of water transportation more accessible to rural residents. Wello, the non-profit company that she founded in January 2008, focuses primarily on the much-overlooked issue of water accessibility in rural areas around the globe.

Koenig materialized her vision in the form of a WaterWheel, a durable plastic container that is pushed much like a lawnmower and capable of transporting 20 gallons of water in one trip. Traditional water gathering methods only allowed about five gallons of water to be carried at once. To put this into perspective, the United Nations Development Programme determined that humans require a minimum of five gallons of water per day to maintain reasonable health and hygiene. The WaterWheel makes this possible for a family of four.

Through Wello, Koenig was able the address the limitations of both water accessibility and water retrieval by manufacturing the WaterWheel locally. Koenig said her idea involves bringing the factory right into the rural community via onsite mobile manufacturing. The elimination of shipping costs will make her product more readily available to rural residents.

Koenig envisions that residents can use the WaterWheel not only for personal use, but to transport water and goods to sell in their own communities. Koenig adds that on-site manufacturing of the product will also create more jobs for residents.

Koenig has only recently returned from field testing the product in Rajasthan, India, looking at potential markets and usability of her product. Koenig adds that she has also developed partnerships with Indian organizations like Barefoot College and Seva Mandir to aid her venture.

WATER-LOVING, OIL-HATING

As the recent fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico illustrated, it’s slow work getting oil out of a large body of water. But a group of researchers at the University might have a quicker solution.

Working alongside two of his students, Material Science and Engineering Prof.