TAMPA, Fla. — Two 3rd Infantry Division soldiers were honored with having the top innovation at the eighth Dragon’s Lair.

First Lt. Chris Aliperti and Pvt. Salem Ezz were given the top prize for the development of the MCAT, or mold conditions awareness tool. Fort Stewart officials have used the MCAT to detect mold in barracks that are unoccupied for lengths of time.

The U.S. Special Operations Command and the XVIII Airborne Corps hosted the eighth iteration of Dragon’s Lair, which brought the finalists to the University of South Florida’s Research and Innovation Park on March 29.

The MCAT is a specialized 3D-printed device that uses sensors to detect temperature and humidity levels within barracks rooms to identify early signs of mold. The data is ingested in real-time to an application through Wi-Fi that enhances military leaders and barracks managers’ visualization to assess the conditions and remediate through taking action.

“Dragon’s Lair was a great opportunity to present our ideas to leaders across the Department of Defense and the civilian sector,” Aliperti said. “It is not every day you get to present your ideas on improving the Army to a three and four-star general, so it was a great honor to be selected.”

Aliperti and Ezz expected the first problem they would address would focus on national security.

“We did not expect to find the greatest threat to our soldiers right now was within their own living areas,” Alipertii.

Ezz spent months developing the MCAT, and now it is being beta tested in barracks on Fort Stewart.

“It feels great to be recognized for our technical skills in software engineering and product management,” Ezz said. “This tool has been months in the making and it feels great that the hard work has been recognized by the Department of Defense.”

During the competition, seven innovations were presented in front of a panel of expert judges from government, industry, academia and investors. Each innovator had seven minutes to present the concept, scope and application of their ideas, which was followed by 12 minutes of questions generated by the judging panel.

With their selection, Aliperti and Ezz each were presented with the Meritorious Service Medal. They will be allowed to attend a military school of choice, and they will receive the support and resources from U.S. Special Operations Command and the XVIII Airborne Corps to propel their idea’s implementation across the U.S. Department of Defense.