COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -The Zachry Engineering Education Complex at Texas A&M University held hundreds of Capstone Projects presented by groups of students for awards ranging from $250 to $2,000. The Engineering Project Showcase was held on April 26 for all graduating students to show off the skills they’ve learned during their time as students and learn from experienced engineers.
“This is what I find exciting, what happens right now. Of course, the money is exciting for the student, but I think what happens right now is the most important thing. Networking and sharing and mentoring the young generation,” said Magda Lagoudas, Executive Director of Industry and Nonprofit Partnerships. “
The Engineering Project Showcase is an annual event for senior engineering students to show off and celebrate their accomplishments and skills in engineering. The undergraduate students create the projects to solve problems in the industry and experienced engineers in the industry will interact with the finished work.
“Many of these projects are sponsored by the industry, so they are real-world projects,” said Lagoudas. “They are providing solutions to the industry and we invite the industry to interact with our students, hear them talk about their projects and give them feedback.”
The college also hopes to invite younger students to the event to learn about different engineering positions, said Lagoudas.
“We would like to have the prospective students who are thinking about engineering to come in and see what engineering students do,” said Lagoudas. “What does a mechanical engineer and a biomedical engineer do? [We want them to] see actual projects and interact with our students.”
Awards ranging from $250 to $2,000 are given to the students after judgment, according to the Texas A&M University Engineering website. The student’s work is judged by engineers already in the field and experienced.
“Their role is to visit with each team and look at the project, the hardware, the poster, the prototype and then evaluate,” said Lagoudas. “Since they are engineers themselves, the judges, this is where we invite them to provide feedback to students about things that they may not know.”
Lagoudas said that one group’s project examined how coils used in projects wear down over time. Other groups built planes or created solutions in healthcare.
“I think what’s happening right now is my favorite. Looking at the students interacting with professional people, interacting with people who have experience and sharing,” said Lagoudas. “Being excited about what they have developed, some of them are very innovative solutions. This is what I find exciting.”
For more information on the event or the Texas A&M engineering department, click here.
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