CCS Student Anthony Reale Exemplifies American Innovation with his Strait Power Shark Design

DETROIT, Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama told the nation that the "...first step in winning the future is American innovation." The spark and creativity shown by inventors were extolled as the elements that will help to create new jobs and industries in the nation. For recent Product Design alumnus Anthony Reale, these words were more than rhetoric. They were a perfect description of the project that he worked on during his senior year at College for Creative Studies (CCS)  -- Strait Power.

Strait Power is a power generation unit that mimics the way the Basking Shark swims through water to generate power.  The project design combines elements of artistic design, engineering and biomimicry. The unit's housing is comprised of two counter-rotating turbines and the converging nozzle receives a power boost from a secondary convergence nozzle. With the highly technical knowledge this invention requires, many people may wonder how it ended up coming from an art and design student.

"I have a background in engineering which equipped me well to be adept at technical and scientific principles. But it is my education at CCS that gave me the freedom to design Strait Power. If I was in a traditional engineering program, the curriculum may have been too structured to encourage creativity," says Anthony Reale, CCS alumnus and inventor of Strait Power. "I think like an artistic designer first and my training in design teaches me to identify problems and identify creative solutions."

Moving CCS design programs to the former Argonaut Building was the ultimate way to pay homage to the merger of design and technology.   The Albert Kahn-designed facility once served as GM's first research and design studio -- now called the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. According to CCS president Richard L. Rogers, opening the Taubman Center may help to encourage more innovative inventions.

"Our state-of-the-art prototype imaging facilities increase our student's capabilities immensely," said Rogers. "Without this technology in place, Anthony may not have been able to successfully create the first versions of Strait Power. His work is indicative of why we expanded our facilities. We wanted to make certain that our design students had the resources they needed to help bolster the Creative Economy."

It's just that contribution to the Creative Economy that has people like Matt Clayson, director of Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) so excited about Anthony Reale's work. "The concept of Creative Economy describes the convergence of art, culture, and technology. That's exactly what Anthony's invention does. We are excited by his work and the opportunities that CCS provides its students."

Strait Power is a hydroelectric power solution that eliminates the need for dams. For more information or to follow the project's progress, visit Anthony Reale's blog at http://straitpower.blogspot.com

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is an integrated learning community located in Detroit. A private, fully accredited college, CCS enrolls 1,400 students pursuing Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. CCS also offers visual art opportunities for learners of all ages through its Community Arts Partnerships and Continuing Education programs. The Advancing the Creative Spirit campaign enables CCS to provide a world-class art and design curriculum and innovative programming. The $55 million campaign has raised more than $45 million to date, and the College is working hard to keep its promise to the community. For more information, visit www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/about

SOURCE College for Creative Studies