It’s not just Zero Mass Water’s technological achievement in developing fully solar-powered hydropanels that can produce water by absorbing water vapor from the air. It’s how the company has made it a priority to bring its system to underserved communities around the world. “As inventors, we have a responsibility to ensure our technology serves all of humanity, not simply the elite” says the company’s founder, Cody Friesen, a Fulton Schools associate professor of materials science and engineering. That guiding principle recently helped Friesen and Zero Mass Water win the Lemelson-MIT Prize given annually to “honor outstanding mid-career inventors dedicated to improving our world through technological invention.” (Read more in a September 19 post on this page.)