UTDesign Teams, Physics Professor Earn Recognition

University of Texas at Dallas UTDesign Capstone teams continue to earn national honors after winning first- and second-place awards at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) annual Student Manufacturing Design Competition and placing second at the biennial Capstone Design Conference.

UTDesign teams have won 11 first-place awards at national competitions since 2014.

"I was very excited to see these teams receive this well-deserved recognition for their outstanding projects. The teams excelled in meeting the challenges they faced in solving these real-world engineering problems," said Dr. Robert Hart, professor of practice in mechanical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. "Equally important, the team members learned a lot about engineering practice from this experience. It was great to see the teams carry on the tradition of UTDesign Capstone teams receiving awards in highly competitive national competitions."

At the ASME competition in June in Knoxville, Tennessee, a senior design team won the top award for creating an automated assembly device for Allen, Texas-based sponsor Amphenol Fiber Systems International.

Members of the first-place team were Cameron Cash BS'24, Dane Chronister BS'24, Hayden Ellis BS'24, Genesis Di Mattia BS'24, Tristan Linn BS'24 and Jason Thomas BS'24. Cash and Ellis are pursuing master's degrees at UT Dallas in mechanical engineering.

"Working with the clients and other stakeholders, and doing the work required to take a project from inception to completion beyond just the design phase was invaluable," Thomas said. "Winning at the national level really validated not only what we did, but what our professors and mentors taught us during the project and throughout the degree program at UTD."

Another UTD team placed second for creating a semiautomated machine for feeding wires through a long conduit. The project was for Plano, Texas-based sponsor Cobalt Product Solutions.

Members of the second-place team were Alex Vega Arcay BS'24, Logan Bolling BS'24, Erasmo Garcia BS'24, MBA student Mitchell Mello BS'24, systems engineering and management graduate student Benjamin Sanguinetti BS'24 and Ryan Shenefelt BS'24.

"Working with such motivated individuals made my team's task a simple and enjoyable experience," said Garcia, now an engineer at Cobalt Product Solutions. "Overall, the competition was great, and to see the other projects we competed against was truly inspiring. I am just glad we were able to pull together a great presentation for the win."

At the Capstone Design Conference in June at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, another group of students designed an automatic rescue breathing unit - a nonelectronic resuscitation device for sponsor AMY Resuscitation - to place second.

"The experience was invaluable, and I never would have believed that I'd get the opportunity to work on a project like this," said Lana Vu BS'24, who is now an MBA student at UTD. "The completion of this medical device was extremely fulfilling and meaningful, as I know my contribution will serve as the foundation for something greater."

Other team members included Saad Akhtar BS'24, Jorge Castillo BS'24, mechanical engineering senior Jimmy Crisp, Michael Jost BS'24 and Nand Mehta BS'24.

Physics Professor Earns EDGE Award

Dr. David Lary, professor of physics in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been honored with an EDGE award from the Richardson Chamber of Commerce for his work in the area of smart sensing in service of society, from wearables, to autonomous robotic teams, to 24/7 sensing across cities, and to vehicles and satellites. Each of these utilizes a range of technologies, from digital manufacturing to machine learning, along with a range of high-performance computing and cloud services.

The Economic Development, Growth and Entrepreneurship (EDGE) Awards program recognizes outstanding and cutting-edge Richardson businesses, initiatives and people that create economic impact and sustain community involvement. Lary received the Technology Innovation Award.

"Dr. Lary's contributions and innovations have been instrumental in furthering the tech climate in the city of Richardson and building the image of the Richardson Innovation Quarter," said Mallory Crumb, director of engagement and business relations at the Richardson Chamber of Commerce. "We are honored to recognize his contributions with this prestigious award."

Among its numerous projects, Lary's research group has developed an autonomous robotic team of devices that can be used at hazardous or difficult-to-reach sites to make surveys and collect data, providing more and faster insights than humans can.

His group also has deployed a network of advanced sensors in the community to detect asthma-aggravating particulate matter and pollen. Data from the sensors are shared on an interactive map that can help people gauge the air quality near the meters.

Lary said he was thrilled to receive the award.

"I love Richardson and the Richardson IQ," said Lary, who directs the Multi-Scale Integrated Intelligent Interactive Sensing (MINTS) Center located at the Richardson IQ. "People from all over the world are coming to Richardson to learn and collaborate, and I'm honored to be part of that."

Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty, students and staff. To submit items for consideration, contact your school's communications manager.