Texas A&M University engineering students participated in the annual Virtual Project Showcase (VPS) by presenting capstone projects to 93 industry judges nationwide. Designed to highlight the innovative nature of senior design teams, the event brought together 114 teams, comprised of 480 students, competing for a total prize pool of $8,600.
VPS provides a digital canvas for students to exhibit their projects through short, compelling videos lasting between 5 to 10 minutes. These presentations delve into problems identified by industry, propose solutions backed by analysis or data, and address the expected impact of their innovations. The platform showcases the student's technical skills and demonstrates their ability to communicate complex ideas effectively.
“The Virtual Project Showcase aims to raise awareness of the value of sponsored capstone projects to industry, government agencies and others,” said Magda Lagoudas, Executive Director of Industry/Nonprofit Partnerships. “Capstone projects connect engineering academic excellence to industry needs where students’ innovative approaches meet the demands of real-world challenges. This industry-academia collaboration ensures that skills cultivated in capstone projects align with the evolving needs of industry.”
This industry-academia collaboration ensures that skills cultivated in capstone projects align with the evolving needs of industry.
Platinum sponsor Samsung, along with silver sponsors Bray International and Caterpillar, played crucial roles in enabling VPS to feature a tiered award structure, recognizing achievements at various levels based on different departments. With a $1,500 prize, the Overall Showcase Award was open to all 114 teams.
In-Major Awards, ranging from $300 to $1,000, encouraged competition within specific majors with a minimum number of fifteen teams, with a focus on electrical engineering, industrial and systems engineering, and mechanical engineering. The Industry Sector Awards, each carrying a $300 prize, added an extra layer of competition with sectors like Health, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, and National Security.
Team VR Cloud won the Overall Virtual Project Showcase Award with a grand prize of $1,500. The electrical and computer engineering team behind this innovative project consisted of Eric Hyche, Matthew Edge, and Deva Issa.
Check out other winning teams:
Best in Major for Electrical and Computer Engineering
First place - $1,000
Fan-Filter Unit (FFU) Monitoring using Industrial IoT
- Marcos Perez
- Noah Shaw
- Jack Griffin
Second place - $500
Artisan Cheese Aging Cave
- Gabriel Gonzalez
- Austin Ramirez
- Sean Bonafe
Third place - $300
Space Weather Impact Tool for Aviation Communication (SWITAC)
- Cameron Hoholik-Carlson
- Sofia Arrazola
- JC Liu
Best in Major for Industrial and Systems Engineering
First place - $1000
Team 14 - Mission Analysis Group (MAG)
- David Hunt
- Emily Wilkinson
- Daniel Grimes
- John Krutzig
Second place - $500
Increasing Manufacturing Efficiency through Strategic Material Handling
- Christian Ornelas
- Mashal Syed
- Trenton Rudd
- Eduardo Negrete
Third place - $300
Traffic Congestion Improvement for Railroad Crossing Blockages
- Zach Holcomb
- Miguel Cantu Cardenas
- Chris Pontikes
- Michael Potts
Best in Major for Mechanical Engineering
First place (Tie) - $1,000
Flight Dynamics and Performance of VTOL UAV Systems
- James Palmer
- Andrew Krecek
- Lauren Berryman
- Amelia Gonzalez
- Ashley Gundrum
- Hector Guzman
First place (Tie) - $1,000
Instrumented Tool Holder for Milling and Drilling
- Vincent Groeneveld
- Kristin Le
- Alex Mitchell
- Tyler Langford
Third place - $300
Automated Energetic Material Measuring and Dosing Device
- William Oliver
- Sarah Bouckley
- Samuel Hebert
- Connor Matcha
- Connor McCrea
- Robert Overly
Best in Industry Sector Awards
Health Industry Sector - $300
IndigoAffect VR, Desktop, and Server Project - Computer Science & Engineering
- Joshua Wood
- Brian Chen
- Angel Ham
- Yifan Qin
Infrastructure Industry Sector - $300
Lunar Surface Positioning System - Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution
- Rex Hoffman
- Dylan Muecke
- Matthew Camacho
- Bryce O’Brien
Manufacturing Industry Sector - $300
Increasing Manufacturing Efficiency through Strategic Material Handling - Industrial & System Engineering
- Christian Ornelas
- Mashal Syed
- Trenton Rudd
- Eduardo Negrete
National Security Sector - $300
Team 14 - Mission Analysis Group (MAG) - Industrial & Systems Engineering
- David Hunt
- Emily Wilkinson
- Daniel Grimes
- John Krutzig