NEWS

Louisiana Tech University’s Living with the Lab and Living with Cyber immersive first- and second-year education programs awarded 14 teams with prizes at the First-Year Projects Showcase, part of the College of Engineering and Science (COES) Design and Research Conference.

For the showcase – part of the College of Engineering and Science (COES) Design and Research Conference – 120 teams of first-year students used entrepreneurial, engineering, collaboration, and technical skills to develop products from idea to prototype.

Judges visited each booth, asked questions, and watched demonstrations to determine which projects best-exhibited creativity, construction, ambition, innovation, success, and tenacity.

The Engineering Showcase included 88 teams of students enrolled in the Living with the Lab program, and the Cyber Showcase included 42 teams of students enrolled in the Living with Cyber program. Ten teams with Cyber Engineering majors enrolled in both Living with Cyber and Living with the Lab course series created one project and participated in both showcases. As a result, one team consisting of Lee Saucier (Computer Science, Mandeville), Conner Heard (Cyber Engineering, Minden), and Dominic Rosario (Cyber Engineering, Katy, Texas) won third place in the Engineering Showcase, and a Moonshot Award for the Cyber Showcase for their project “Braille Printer.”

All the winning teams are listed below.

Cyber Showcase

First Place Overall: Christian Hall (Computer Science, Denham Springs), Nathan Gremillion (Computer Science, West Monroe), and Ryan Boudreaux (Computer Science, Baton Rouge) for their project “Sheet Music Reader;”

Second Place Overall: Cole Sylvester (Cyber Engineering, Pierre Part), Ethan Bondad (Cyber Engineering, Monroe), and Hazem AlSabagh (Cyber Engineering, Shaab, Kuwait) for their project “CodeBuilders – A Physical Coding Experience;”

Moonshot: Lee Saucier (Computer Science, Mandeville), Conner Heard (Cyber Engineering, Minden), and Dominic Rosario (Cyber Engineering, Katy, Texas) for their project “Braille Printer;”

Most Inventive: Hayden Pott (Computer Science, Cypress, Texas), Landen Nguyen (Computer Science, Berwick), and Sadie Sanders (Cyber Engineering, New Iberia) for their project “PiPill;”

Best use of GPIO (general-purpose input/output pins): Landon Baker (Computer Science, Junction City, Arkansas), Chase Dowdy (West Monroe, Computer Science), and Edgar Sanchez (Computer Science, West Monroe) for their project “LED Rubik’s Cube;” and

Maker’s Award: Cade Barfield (Computer Science, Youngsville), Brady Burns (Cyber Engineering, Baton Rouge), and Christine Meister (Electrical Engineering, Bossier City) for their project “Super Mega Package Protector 5000.”

Engineering Showcase

First Place Overall: Caroline Cresap (Chemical Engineering, Zachary), Hanna Elliott (Biomedical Engineering, Beckville, Texas), and Jonathan Rosas (Mechanical Engineering, Kilgore, Texas) for their project “Step-ma;”

Second Place Overall: Randie Arinder (Chemical Engineering, Stonewall) and Mallory Pesnell (Biomedical Engineering, Minden) for their project “Cone Vacuum;”

Third Place Overall: Lee Saucier (Computer Science, Mandeville), Conner Heard (Cyber Engineering, Minden), and Dominic Rosario (Cyber Engineering, Katy, Texas) for their project “Braille Printer;”

Shoot the Moon: Max Howenstine (Mechanical Engineering, New Orleans), Carter Boone (Electrical Engineering, Kilgore, Texas), and Joshua Lawrence (Mechanical Engineering, West Monroe) for their project “The O.P.E.N. Wrench;”

DaVinci: Claire Scott (Mechanical Engineering, Bossier), Elisa Tomlin (Mechanical Engineering, Alexandria), and Trilby Hill (Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics, Sun) for their project “Handy Tuner;”

Can-Do: Kullen Hebert (Mechanical Engineering, Oberlin), Brennan Henry (Mechanical Engineering, Thibodaux), and Anthony Holyfield (Mechanical Engineering, Longview, Texas) for their project “Fire OUTlet;”

Makers: Michael Macaluso (Electrical Engineering, Mandeville), Evan Simon (Mechanical Engineering, Covington), and Jackson Slater (Electrical Engineering, Physics, Prairieville) for their project “Eezy Peezy;” and

Patent Pending: Will Verret (Electrical Engineering, Hahnville), Gaven Hinson (Electrical Engineering, Vidalia), Quin McDonald (Electrical Engineering, Bernice), and Jason Jones (Electrical Engineering, Thibodaux) for their project “HVAC RF.”

“I’m proud of all the teams from this year’s showcase. This year’s selection process was very competitive,” Chair of Louisiana Tech’s Living with the Lab program Dr. Krystal Cruse said. “Judges had a hard time choosing the winning teams, and in the end, they decided that these projects had a little something extra, whether it was the success of the project or the application of the teams’ engineering skills.”

“These teams and their advisors worked incredibly hard. Everyone who participated this year helped make the showcase a success,” Chair of the University’s Living with Cyber program Dr. Ankunda Kiremire added.

In addition to trophies, each category’s first- and second-place winners won scholarships that will cover educational expenses. Each student in the first-place teams for the Cyber and Engineering Showcases received a $300 scholarship, and each student in the second-place teams received a $200 scholarship.