Fall 2016 Tech Symposium

The future of engineering was on display during the first-ever fall Tech Symposium, held Nov. 29 in the H-E-B University Center Ballroom. Typically, the College of Engineering hosts the Tech Symposium once a year in the spring semester, but with the help of a number of community partners, this inaugural fall Tech Symposium gave the hardworking seniors who graduated in December a chance to show off their Senior Design 1 and 2 projects and posters, which they have worked on over the course of their senior year.

Additionally, the Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CITE) Big Rowdy Idea Business Competition kicked off at the event. The aim of this new business model competition is to prepare participants to launch scalable entrepreneurial ventures while simultaneously pursuing their degree program or working at The University of Texas at San Antonio.

In front of a packed house of alumni, fellow students, and engineering professionals, engineering teams displayed projects with a variety of implementations for the future. Among the innovations on display were a baby stroller that can be set at speeds to move alongside a person; a new video game controller shaped like a gun that uses gyroscopic and accelerometer technology to give players an enhanced experience; a new conveyor belt system that will automatically sew shut feed bags and save on cost of production; and a new exhaust and intake system that increases horsepower and reduces the weight of a race car.

The student participants also had a chance to network with professionals from the San Antonio engineering community. Among the professionals on the scene was Frank Garcia, a UTSA alum and the owner of the Land Aero Group, which specializes in aircraft and heavy equipment repair services. Garcia expressed pride in seeing how far the UTSA College of Engineering has come since his days as a student.

“I graduated in 1986 from UTSA,’ Garcia said. “Back then we shared a building with the science and computer science students. It’s amazing to see all the growth. This is a great opportunity for the students to talk to the professional community about their projects.”

JoAnn Browning, dean of the College of Engineering, noted that the event not only highlights the students’ hard work, but often is the gateway for students into the workforce.

“It’s really gratifying because students work endless hours to make this happen,” Browning said. “Many times they may have done an internship or worked with a company on these projects, and those turn into jobs quite often. They come out of this with the experience, the pleasure of being able to show off their hard work, and with job opportunities.”

FALL 2016 TECH SYMPOSIUM WINNERS

Tech Symposium Overall Winners

• 1st Place - Spark Mechanics Engineering (SME)
  Jose Cervantes, Lindsey Melish, Chelsea Moussouni, Jason Salas
• 2nd Place - 4i Engineering
  Benjamin Rodriguez
• 3rd Place - Smart Roads
  Aragon Scherpereel, David Molina, Travis Persyn

Civil and Environmental Engineering - Senior Design 2

• 1st place - SAE Engineering - Urgent Care Development
  Christopher Wood, Jacob Poell, Jianhong Lei, Dru Zella, Van Tran, Kyle Rostance
• 2nd Place - Roadrunner Civil Engineers and Consultants
  Erika Urias, Lillian Martinez, Cesar Martinez, Jesus Juarez, Adam Valdez, Victor Mendoza
• 3rd Place - Big Green Dog - Sunglo Townhomes
  Connor Bishop, Jacob Clanton, Nayeli Guzman, Chase Hill, Sean McFarland, Maria Northcutt

Electrical and Computer Engineering - Senior Design 2

• 1st Place - The Centurions - Portable Raman Spectrometry Hormone Detector
  Farhan Sajal, Xavier Saenz, Dhirendra Subedi
• 2nd Place - Operation Force Feedback - Haptic Feedback System for Robotic Surgical Forceps
  Priyanka Petluru, Antonio Anzalcua, Franklin Sinche, Somruedi Yawanophat
• 3rd Place - Team Forgot Me Not - Forget Me Not
  Richard Barrera, Mark David Mercado, Rachel Peadson, Nicole Robinson

Mechanical Engineering - Senior Design 1

• 1st Place - AmMech
  Leo Drew, Evan Veregge, Gustavo Contreras, Biegette Garcia
• 2nd Place - Exceptional Engineering
  Ivan Paredes, David Rodriguez, Levi Jordan, Travis Horstman
• 3rd Place - ROS
  Sayid Almusawi, Ali Jeraq, Qasim Abbas, Albraa Alandanousi

Big Rowdy Idea Business Model Competition

• 1st Place - NovoThelium
  Bianca Cerqueira, Lauren Cornell, Matt Breaker, Zach Stansbury, Cecillia Nguyen
• 2nd Place - STEMpak
  Patrick Stockton, Kasai Omar, Meghann Lee, Ruben Asebedo
• 3rd Place (Tie) - Face Inc.
  Roland Reyna, Abimael Villarreal, Anthony Bidault, Jeremiah Hall, Justin Strapple
• 3rd Place (Tie) - Smart Road Sensors
  Aragon Scherpereel, Travis Persyn, David Molina