UT Dallas Engineering Students Showcase Cutting-Edge Innovation at Spring 2025 Capstone Design Expo
The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas hosted its Spring 2025 Capstone Design Expo, marking a culmination of months of hands-on innovation by graduating seniors. The event showcased over 100 student-led engineering projects developed in collaboration with industry partners, researchers, and entrepreneurial initiatives.
From advanced sensor networks to autonomous vehicles, the Expo reflected the ingenuity and technical skill of UTD’s engineering graduates. Each team applied classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, building working prototypes that caught the attention of top-tier tech firms.
“The quality of projects continues to rise every year,” said Brenda McWilliams, Judge from at Texas Instruments, Beta Processing.
“The students’ creativity and execution are impressive; it’s a joy to witness.”
Another judge, Jason Pharis from Texas Instruments, Connectivity Division said “The projects have been very creative and put in a lot of effort. It made me think of my capstone days and we didn’t have as many cool ideas as we see now.”
Industry Collaboration Powers Student Success
This semester’s expo brought together engineering talent and 20+ leading companies, including Texas Instruments, Qorvo, Cisco, IBM, Intel, Toyota North America, and Samsung Electronics, whose professionals served as judges and mentors.
One collaboration came from a team mentored by engineers from Texas Instruments. Their project developed a Wi-SUN-enabled IoT system for smart city applications like adaptive street lighting and room capacity detection. Rita and Rayju from the team said, “our industry mentors were part of our weekly meetings, they are working on a similar project in the company, and it was nice to have a frame of reference.”
Another project, guided by mentors at Qorvo, produced an RF bias tee capable of simultaneously transmitting RF signals and DC bias along a single path, essential for high-frequency testing environments. The team also built a current sensing module for transistor characterization, hitting over 90% of their project metrics.
“We got feedback directly from engineers working on similar systems in the field,” said Taylor Alan, a Computer Engineering student.“That connection made our work feel meaningful.”
Winning Teams Push the Boundaries of Engineering
Two teams earned top honors at the Expo:
UTDesign I Winner – Team 2210
Developed a bicycle-mounted blind spot monitoring system aimed at preventing collisions using rear and side-facing sensors. Team members: Alan Nam, Nicholas McDonald, Tae Hoon Kim, Hector Pena, Moses Chan.
UTDesign II Winner – Team 2055
Built an autonomous navigation and payload delivery vehicle for the 2024–2025 Raytheon Autonomous Vehicle Competition, successfully completing all required and bonus challenges to place 1st overall. Team members: Thomas Arnett, Oscar Alvardo, Juan Arreguin, Cooper Kelly, Mohana Chavan, Hannah Vo, Tommy Nguyen, Junchen Liu, Sidh Mammen, and Kevin Paul.
“This event is where classroom knowledge meets industry expectations,” said Dr. Dinesh Bhatia, Head of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, “Our students don’t just meet the challenge, they often exceed it.”
Bridging Academia and Industry
The Capstone Design Expo is more than a final presentation, it’s a launchpad. Students frequently leave the event with job interviews, internship offers, and new professional contacts. Industry partners, in turn, gain early access to rising talent and fresh ideas that often translate to cost savings and future collaborations.
Special thanks to our Spring 2025 Expo judges and mentors for their invaluable time, insights, and encouragement.
About the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
Located in Richardson, Texas, the Erik Jonsson School at UT Dallas is a nationally recognized hub for engineering and computer science education and research. The school’s mission is to develop innovators who can transform ideas into impact across disciplines and industries.