The 12th annual Engineering Project Showcase at Texas A&M University included over 300 teams of 1,400 students presenting their senior capstone design projects and competing for top prizes. The event, which was hosted at the Zachry Engineering Education Complex, brought together 170 industry judges to observe a year's worth of dedicated work and innovation.
The showcase highlighted the collaborative efforts between academia and industry, with students addressing real-world challenges presented by academic departments or industry sponsors. These challenges formed the basis for projects aimed at tackling pressing issues across various sectors. Magdalini Lagoudas, executive director of Industry/Nonprofit Partnerships, stressed the crucial role of capstone design projects in bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application.
“The Engineering Project Showcase allows us to celebrate the accomplishments of our capstone student teams and the incredible value they generate for their sponsors,” said Lagoudas. “It is also a great way for industry to see examples of successful academic partnerships with the College of Engineering.”
Overall, the event's goals are to celebrate students' innovative solutions to real-world problems, foster engagement with industry partners and collaboration within the teams themselves, and promote STEM awareness among prospective students and educators.
"The students are very well-prepared here at the College of Engineering, and they are very impressive,” said Lynda Estes '87, an employee in the structures group at NASA. “I do a lot of mentoring of co-ops where I work and what I see here is a lot of that work getting done ahead of time, specifically with getting to work with others from different backgrounds that may not be similar to yours, but then figuring out how to divide up the work, get it done and put it all back together to create a final project. I think a skill like that is very helpful to all these students."
Beyond celebrating academic achievements and collaboration, the showcase also facilitated invaluable networking opportunities between students and industry professionals.
"Andersen Windows & Doors looks for students who are flexible, eager to learn, and want to be hands-on,” said Felicia Nguyen, a representative from Andersen Windows & Doors, a platinum sponsor. “Engineering Project Showcase allows the students to show what they have learned and what skills they can bring to our corporation. We sponsor events like this because we want students to know what Andersen does and what we bring to the table. We want to be able to give them opportunities when they get out of school to bring their talent to work with us full-time."
A highlight of the showcase was the announcement of the Overall Showcase Capstone Design Awards. Teams from diverse majors, ranging from aerospace engineering to biological and agricultural engineering, competed for top prizes. With 18 different award categories, the event’s prize pool totaled over $20,000.
Two teams tied for the Overall Showcase Capstone Design first-place award. The project Autonomous and Remote Control Operating Light (ARCOL), sponsored by Texas A&M University’s J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, addresses the challenges faced in operating rooms where frequent adjustments to surgical lighting are needed. The ARCOL system offers autonomous and remote-control capabilities to minimize disruptions during surgeries, such as shadows and obstructions. By providing a cheaper, safer, and more efficient operating environment, it aims to enhance patient care.
Sponsored by Laken Grimes and Dessert Holdings, Production Line Modeling geared their project towards streamlining the management of a production line. Inefficiencies and bottlenecks often happen with fluctuating product sequences, equipment setups, crew compositions, and processing durations. The primary objective of the project is to craft a simulation tool capable of foreseeing process challenges, furnishing feedback on schedule viability and ultimately heightening operational effectiveness.
The annual Engineering Project Showcase offers a platform for students to apply their skills in innovation and collaboration taught by Texas A&M Engineering. Join us at the next showcase to witness future projects on April 25, 2025.
The 2024 Engineering Project Showcase was sponsored by platinum sponsors, Andersen Windows & Doors and Samsung; gold sponsors, Bray Inc. and Caterpillar; and silver sponsors, Baker Hughes, Endeavor Energy Resources and H4 Architects + Engineers.
The top teams from each award category are listed below.
Engineering Project Showcase 2024 Winners:
Overall Showcase Capstone Award
First place - Tie ($2,000)
Team: Autonomous and Remote Control Operating Light (ARCOL)
First place - Tie ($2,000)
Team: Production Line Modeling
Third place ($1,000), sponsored by Samsung
Team: OGRE Skin Test Rig
Biological and Agricultural Engineering Award
First place - Tie ($500)
Team: Design and Implementation of Water Distribution and Filtration System in Remote Guatemala
First place - Tie ($500)
Team: SCTHS Rainwater Harvesting
Third place ($250)
Team: Kubota Tractor Lead/Lag Ratio Tire Testing
Biomedical Engineering Awards
First place - Tie ($750), sponsored by Bray International Inc.
Team: Improved Vesicoamniotic Shunt for Treatment of Fetal LUTO
Second place - Tie ($750)
Team: Combined Continuous Glucose Monitor and Infusion Set
Second place - Tie ($750)
Teams: Fetal Stabilization for Fetoscopic Surgery
Computer Science and Engineering Awards
First place - Tie ($1,000), sponsored by Andersen Windows & Doors
Team: FlashMacros: Automating Calorie and Macronutrient Tracking
First place - Tie ($1,000), sponsored by Andersen Windows & Doors
Team: Promenade
Second place - Tie ($750)
Team: BoomBoards
Second place - Tie ($750)
Team: SCRAPS
Electrical and Computer Engineering Awards
First place ($1,000), sponsored by Samsung
Team: Raytheon Drone Competition
Second place ($750)
Team: RFID PC Passkey System
Third place ($500)
Team: Radiation Resilient Logic Circuits
Industrial and Systems Engineering Awards
First place ($1,000), sponsored by Caterpillar Inc.
Team: Calibration Lab
Second place ($750)
Team: Applied Materials - Detrash/Marry-Up Area Improvement
Third place ($500)
Team: CHRISTUS Health Warehouse Optimization
Material Science and Engineering Awards
First place ($500)
Team: Sealing the Deal for Hydrogen Fuel: Characterizing Elastomeric Sealing Materials for High Pressure Hydrogen Environments
Second place ($350)
Team: Metal Turnings Recycling Through ECAE
Third place ($250)
Team: Design and Evaluation of Novel Recycling Methods for Coated Polymeric Automotive Components
Mechanical Engineering Awards
First place ($1,000), sponsored by Andersen Windows & Doors
Team: Continuous Cement Mixing Head Redesign
Second place - Tie ($750)
Team: Parking Alert Service Project
Second place - Tie ($750)
Team: Pipeline Displacement Detection Unit
Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering Technology Award
First place ($500)
Team: The Destabilizer
Second place ($350)
Team: Team GDMAN - Automated Camera System
Third place ($250)
Team: Fluid Powered Vehicle
Energy Sector Award
Prize Amount: $250
Team: Predicting & Optimizing the Power Performance of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Using Machine Learning Techniques
Health Sector Award
Prize Amount: $250
Team: Improved Vesicoamniotic Shunt for Treatment of Fetal LUTO
Infrastructure Sector Award
Prize Amount: $250
Team: Alternate Route Study
Manufacturing Sector Award
Prize Amount: $250
Team: Team Metal Turnings Recycling Through ECAE
National Security Sector Award
Prize Amount: $250
Team: Crypto-Analysis Resistant Digital Key FOB
Large Capstone Team Award
Prize Amount: $1,000
Team: LHIVA: Long-Range Hybrid eVTOL Integrated Assembly
Non-capstone Team Award
Prize Amount: $1,000
Team: RASC-AL 2024: Large-Scale Lunar Crater Prospector