NEWS

Earlier this month, the Louisiana Tech University College of Engineering and Science hosted its Annual Design and Research Conference in the Integrated Engineering and Science Building. The conference spotlights the creativity and accomplishments of engineering and science students through the Freshman Design Competition and Senior Capstone Project presentations.

This year’s conference featured 110 teams competing in the Freshman Design Competition, with 352 first-year students presenting Living with the Lab and Living with Cyber projects. Fifty-six senior capstone teams made up of 212 seniors shared solutions to real-world problems developed through year-long design challenges.

During his visit to Louisiana Tech’s campus on Friday, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy toured the Senior Capstone Projects, engaging with students and learning about the innovative technologies they are developing. Cassidy was guided by Dr. Mary Caldorera-Moore, the incoming associate dean for undergraduate studies.

“The COES Design and Research Conference is one of my favorite events each year because it showcases the incredible journey our students take — from freshmen just beginning to apply core engineering principles to seniors presenting the culmination of nearly a year of hard work on real-world solutions,” said Caldorera-Moore. “It’s an inspiring celebration of their creativity, teamwork, and perseverance, and a testament to the outstanding mentorship provided by our faculty. The energy in the building — from students, judges, alumni, family, and friends — reflects the caliber, impact, and transformation that define our college.”

Freshman Design Competition Winners:

Living with the Lab Awards:

• First Place Overall: Loaf-Lab – Emma Garlington, Jacob Guidry, Spencer Bordelon
• Second Place Overall: Mirror Mirror – Dominic LeBoeuf, Evelyn Paolo, Ava Robert
• Third Place Overall: Aud Cam – Derek Nguyen, Jesus Sierra, Cason Smith, Kiet Tran
• Shoot the Moon Award: The Smart Headband – Cassidy Fixico, Carmen McGlasson, Shreya Subedi, Sneha Poudel
• Can-Do Award: Sea-Hat – Kaci Thibodeaux, William Lowe, Christopher Allen
• Patent-Pending Award: Fold-o-Matic – Kevin Coke, Addie Brauer, Anthony Ubeda, Nathan Berthelot
• Da Vinci Award: Iris Smarthouse – Grayson Toney, William Navarre, Brealyn Lindsey
• Makers Award: back.beat – Landon Treadway, Steven Deville, Brock Dunn

“Living with the Lab engages our first-year engineering students through experiential learning and problem-solving which they apply to their final design project,” added Dr. Krystal Cruse, first-year engineering program coordinator who is tasked with spearheading Living with the Lab projects. “We are incredibly proud of the creativity and hard work from all of our teams.”

Backed by Business Award:

• Boat-A-Float – Gavin Gill, Landon Smith, Sean Johnson, James Predtechenskis

This year marked the inaugural Backed by Business Award, a new cross-campus collaboration between the College of Engineering and Science and the College of Business. With a goal of forming entrepreneurial collaborations between business and engineering majors, over 60 student “investors” heard 60-second pitches, then selected their top team based on market potential.

 Jessica George, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the College of Business, praised the event’s success.

“After hearing 20 business pitches and prototype demonstrations from first-year engineering students, our business students were actively engaged — debating market potential, dissecting pricing strategies and margins, and offering insightful critiques,” George said. “It was exactly the kind of real-world analysis and collaboration we hoped to inspire.”

Living with Cyber Awards:

• First Place Overall: The B.O.S.S. – Ryan Bourge, Logan Brignac, Whitney Jones, Gage Waller
• Second Place Overall: Puzzle Alarm Clock – Hunter Hicks & Jason Roberts
• People’s Choice Award: Braille Interpreter – Jadon Newton, Alex Orgeron, Nicholas Sanders, Hayden Mersky
• Maker’s Award: Pantry Pal – Kate Barron, Ellie Stone, Aayush Kumar KC, Casey Vermillion
• Best Use of GPIO: RemiCare – Aayusha Khadka, Ashish Ghimire, Joseph Gullegde, Gia Kim Truong
• Most Inventive Award: PawPoint – Jesse Webb, Lauren Phillips, Ashley Lee
• Moonshot Award: Controllerless Controller – Shibu Oli, Christian Smith, Abhishek Silwal

“Living with Cyber challenges our students to incorporate hardware into software solutions that meet societal needs,” said Dr. Ankunda Kiremire, program director for Living with Cyber and senior lecturer in computer science. “Our students never cease to impress us with the bold and creative ideas they bring to life — combining programming, basic fabrication, hard work, and strong teamwork. It’s inspiring to see what they can accomplish with the tools and knowledge they’ve gained over the last year.”

Math + Art Installation

The conference also featured a collaborative art installation titled “Construction Zone Compound: Building Math in 3D,” a project developed through the mathematics program in partnership with Studio Infinity out of Seattle, WA. The piece was guided by faculty members Ann Clifton and Dr. Blake Farman, with contributions from students Anthony Roubique and Ujjal Ale Magars.

The COES Annual Design and Research Conference continues to highlight Louisiana Tech’s commitment to experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovative problem-solving.