The Awakho Award has met with similar success at VBI. Five employees from various areas and disciplines participated with ideas ranging from solutions to administrative problems to figuring out how to solve decontamination issues for hazardous laboratory waste.  Ultimately, postdoctoral student Jasmin Bavarva’s idea—a database-driven website dedicated to matching patients with over-the-counter drugs—was the winner. “It was applicable, broad-based, and definitely sought to solve a widespread problem,” Garner noted.  For his idea, Bavarva will be given funds to travel to any scientific meeting or conference he desires, preferably one that is outside his discipline, which will therefore stimulate his creative process even more.

Bavarva was ecstatic at his win.  “I’ve never won anything before!”  he exclaimed.  But then, as he discussed how he had reached his position, it was clear that he feels creativity is closely linked to drive.  He’d reached his current position by sheer determination, requesting an interview to become a PhD candidate in a highly competitive program in India that at first was determined to shut him out.  “I simply created a position for myself because there were none,” he noted.  “And now I am here, winning this wonderful award, getting to attend a conference I would never get to go to otherwise.”

Such creativity and assertiveness is fertile ground for the development of new solutions to current challenges in the global marketplace.   “When training for a marathon you should run, to be more creative you should create.  We are encouraging everybody to exercise their creativity daily”, said Garner.   The Awakho Award will be held annually to foster creativity across all disciplines, and is yet another way Virginia Bioinformatics Institute is working to ensure Virginia Tech’s motto of inventing the future.