Bound for Make48 Nationals

The Purple Knights, a team from Beloit, won first place this past summer in an Make48 Competition held in Beloit, for an idea that envisioned a use for solar panels that have reached their life expectancy. Their design aided farmers in their crop drying time rather than sending the panels to a landfill. Make48 is a nationwide invention-competition docuseries that gives everyday people a challenge to develop a new product at the start of a three-day event. With just 48 hours, teams have to plan, prototype, and pitch a new idea, within the specifications of a challenge. Beloit was one of four cities that held Make48 competitions this summer. Kansas City, Anderson, Indiana, and Bentonville, Arkansas., were the others. The first and second-place winning teams at each city event this summer qualified for the Make48 Nationals set for Nov. 10-12 at Winrock International in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Purple Knights took first-place in Beloit. Team members are Ray Watkins, Moises Guerrero Sandoval, Dulce Figueroa, and Brooklyn Watkins. The team that took second place in Beloit this summer, Its Classified, with teammates Erik Rozolis, Nathan Wilder, Kelby Schneider, and Katherine Woodard, will also compete in the Make48 Nationals this weekend. Tiny Homes will be the challenge theme at Nationals.

Courtesy Jessica Watkins