UTSA Fall 2018 Tech Symposium showcases students’ innovation

(Nov. 27, 2018) -- This year, 98 teams from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Engineering will present their innovative projects at the Fall 2018 Tech Symposium. The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27 inside the H-E-B Student Union Ballroom (HSU 1.104) on the UTSA Main Campus. The Tech Symposium will exhibit the latest engineering designs that impact health, business and the environment.

Fifty-eight Engineering Senior Design I teams will present their concept posters for a chance to win one of three available $1,000 team prizes. Forty Engineering Senior Design II teams will present their products and technologies to compete for $9,000. The first, second and third place teams will receive $4,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

The biannual Tech Symposium gives students the opportunity to showcase their innovations within an academic environment to an audience that includes the UTSA community, family members, industry players and government agencies. The diverse audience gives students direct exposure to business leaders and a chance to develop their networking skills.

“These Senior Design courses are unlike anything you’ve experienced in your undergraduate coursework. You will learn to research, design, build, test and blend the efforts of your team to produce an end product that should be your proudest achievement”, said James Labelle, a UTSA senior in mechanical engineering. “You’re training for the real domain of the engineering industry.”

Notable projects at this year’s event include:

• Aquifer Filtration System – In third world countries, clean water retrieval requires multiple trips and long hours. By incorporating a manual pump, a water filter and a four-wheel cart system, communities and families can acquire and transport clean water from local streams and lakes. Team members include Wayne Walker, Kimberly Rios, Kevin Toscano and Kieleon Shaw. 

• WALB (Walking Aid for the Legally Blind) – This walking aide for the legally blind is a device that, through the use of a stereo camera, will help users detect obstacles and possibly even recognize them. Team members include Benjamin Contreras, Hector Tenorio and Eduardo Ortiz. 

• A.G.E.L. (Bluetooth, Accelerometer, and Gyroscope Entwined for Localization) – Bluetooth and IMU technology offers a localization method that is crucial for control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Team members include James Nelson, Sean Ackles and Abraham Marcos-Toache. 

In conjunction, this year’s symposium will include the CITE Big Rowdy Idea Competition, a business model competition, where five competing teams will have a chance to win cash prizes and in-kind services. The five finalists presenting at the 1 p.m. competition include: 

• C-CAM Technologies, which offers a novel oxygen-blowby intubation device that will decrease intubation failures. Team members include Albert Keam, Caleb Haeussler, Carlo Castaneda and Matthew Burgess.

• Daedalus, which offers developing a new weapon detection software system using CCTV technology that will improve security and police response time. Team members include Allen Herrera, Justice Montes, Miles Martinez and Rembrandt Bukowski.

• Jackdaw Automation, which offers a new servo motor for robots that will increase durability and usability at a competitive cost. Team members include Alexander Brown and Jose Hotema.

• Taco, which offers a new risk management system for universities to manage scooters on campus that will reduce injuries and improve user convenience. Team members include Brandon Walter and Delano Covarrubias.

“These are hands-on events where we let our students’ engineering brilliance emerge,” said JoAnn Browning, dean of the UTSA College of Engineering. “Our seniors are participating in cutting-edge work using the knowledge and skills they have acquired over their time here at UTSA. We are preparing the next leaders in the high tech industry.”

- Navarr Gonzales

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