🧊 Southern Oregon University’s ColdConnect: Cooling That Saves Lives

🏅 Winner of the Visionary Award

Access to vaccines can mean the difference between life and death — but keeping them cold in remote areas is a challenge. That’s the problem Mark Morrison and Elijah Anderson-Justis from Southern Oregon University set out to solve with ColdConnect.

Their compact, solar- and USB-powered vaccine cooling system uses IoT monitoring to ensure safe, last-mile vaccine delivery — even in areas without reliable power. What began as a classroom idea quickly evolved into a real-world innovation with global potential.

ColdConnect’s technology is efficient, affordable, and portable, making it a vital tool for healthcare workers in developing regions and emergency response efforts.

🎥 In our mini-documentary, you’ll see how the SOU team combined engineering ingenuity with humanitarian drive to create a product that’s already earning recognition — winning the 2025 Invent Oregon Visionary Award for its potential to change the world.

👉 Watch the full ColdConnect story on YouTube and see how innovation can truly save live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POr-NATvGGk