Idea earns professor $50K award

A penny for your thoughts? \nFilippo Menczer got $50,000 for his.\nMenczer, an IU informatics and computer science professor, was named a runner-up in the Since Sliced Bread contest. His idea to link minimum wage to the cost of living index was voted one of the three best ideas out of an original 20,000-plus submissions.\n"The contest gave us a fun soap box for sharing and discussing our ideas; I have learned a lot from others' comments about the issues surrounding my idea on the minimum wage," Menczer told an audience at the Feb. 1 awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., according to a press release. \n"I am excited that the other finalists' ideas address important needs like sustainable resources, health care -- and in this case -- the working poor."\nThe contest was run through the Web site www.SinceSlicedBread.com and was sponsored by the Service Employees International Union, a group that advocates for blue-collar employees.\nSEIU President Andy Stern told the audience at the awards ceremony he was happy with the results of the contest.\n"We're here this morning to talk about what Americans think will improve their lives," Stern said. "Through the Since Sliced Bread contest, SEIU asked the public to tell us what will help the U.S. compete in the global economy and make work pay. The response was remarkable. We received more than 22,000 ideas, from people in every state and every congressional district."\nIn a Jan. 23 interview, Menczer told the Indiana Daily Student that his idea came from observing the debates that surface every few years surrounding minimum wage. He noted that the minimum wage, for many workers, is not enough to support the cost of living. The connection was easy -- Menczer thought minimum wage should be directly tied to the cost of living index.\nThe idea of the contest was to foster discussion of ideas that could improve life for working-class \nAmericans.\nAccording to its Web site, the contest is "a call for ideas that will strengthen our economy and improve the day-to-day lives of working men and women and their families."\nMenczer has repeatedly said the contest is about more than winners and that there are many important issues that need to be addressed.\nMenczer was announced as one of seven finalists for the award on Jan. 9. The public was allowed to vote for its favorite ideas, and Menczer was selected as a winner.\nMenczer was unavailable for comment as of press time Wednesday.