7th Annual Capstone Competition and Showcase

As an annual testament to the innovative spirit and ingenuity of NYU students, the Capstone Competition and Showcase has returned for its 7th year featuring capstone projects from six different departments across the Tandon School of Engineering. 

Organized by Professor Jin Kim Montclare and the Convergence of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Institute, 19 project teams convened in the MakerSpace to showcase their groundbreaking research to cutting-edge prototypes. Over 150 attendees explored the diverse array of presentations, interactive exhibits, and demonstrations which provided ample opportunities to personally meet and engage with the visionary founders/creators of these projects. 

Six semi-finalist teams were selected to deliver 10-minute mixed media pitches to a panel of industry professionals who volunteered to judge the event and select three winners who would take home the glory and a cash prize generously provided by Craig Wilson and the Institute for Invention, Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Semi-finalists

FiberPTS – Juan Diego Becerra, Nick Ferrara, Kevin Chen

A production tracking system specifically designed for clothing manufacturing companies, which struggle to track factory throughput.

New York Safe Transit – Dain Lee, Sofía Celorio, Joanna Atallah

An application that alerts its users of potential threats/dangers of negative experiences, specifically when traveling using the MTA. The app has a Reddit-like forum function where users can upload their negative experiences in real time to warn other users, organized in a thread-like format (e.g. Jay-Metrotech Station thread, C line thread). 

STEP (Stair Traversal and Exploration Platform) – Abhinav Kumar, Aditiya Tiwari, Soorya Narayanan

A small-scale humanoid bipedal robot with uniquely designed joint structures that enable human-like walking. In other words, simultaneous balance and forward movement of  the structural framework. It can walk, climb obstacles like stairs, and navigate more intelligently in a human-centric environment.

RestAssure – Zhiheng Li, Yixin Shen, Sam Cao

A wireless, wearable sleep apnea detector aimed at helping individuals keep track of their sleep quality and prevent those with severe symptoms from suffocating in sleep.

Carbon Capture to Mitigate the Effects of Ocean Acidification – Paul Calderon, Krista Xhoxhi, Jahnia Cunningham, Monika Kapoor

A chemical processing plant that will capture carbon dioxide from the ocean’s edge and efficiently convert it into valuable natural gas streams for industrial use. Ocean acidification arises from the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide into seawater, resulting in the formation of carbonic acid and a subsequent decline in oceanic pH levels. This phenomenon poses significant threats to marine ecosystems, especially when compounded by other stressors such as global warming and pollution. 

Mini Synthesizer – Neha Das, Claire Choi
An electronic musical synthesizer that allows the user to produce and manipulate different waveforms to create sound and music. 

Judging Panel

Dr. Lee Von Kraus, Founder & President, Open Minded Scientists

David G. Lefer, Industry Associate Professor, NYU Tandon

Julian Boxenbaum, Co-Founder & Executive Producer, LucidNYC

Keith Mauppa, Program Manager, NYU Entrepreneurial Institute

Andrew Silverman, Founder, Ace Angel Ventures LLC

As the event drew to a close, awards were bestowed upon the following teams whose projects demonstrated commercial potential, technical prowess, and real-world impact:

Team FiberPTS won the Highest Entrepreneurial Potential Award

Team Mini Synthesizer won the Best Technical Design Award

Team New York Safe Transit won the Greatest Social Impact Award

Subsequently, the recipient of the Students’ Choice Award was announced, honoring a team’s dedication and efforts as recognized by their peers within the Tandon community.

Team GTM Strategy for a VC-Consulting Firm took the Student’s Choice Award.

As the event concluded, attendees and participants departed with a feeling of excitement and hope for the future. Year after year, students continue to raise the standard and expectations of the capstone projects, inspiring the following year’s capstone cohort to dream big and strive for excellence in their pursuit of creating a positive societal impact. Here's to another fruitful year of capstone innovation, collaboration, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible!

Jonathan Sun
Ph.D. candidate in CBE