While many events in the community have been canceled in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one of IM体育官网鈥檚 richest student traditions will continue in a virtual environment.
The annual Capstone Design Showcase, which features the hard work of seniors challenged to solve industry problems, has shifted from a one-day event to a .
鈥淚 would love to see an in-person capstone showcase, but given the circumstances we have to adapt to the changing time,鈥� said Dr. Sravani Vadlamani, a capstone advisor and data science and business analytics professor. 鈥淚 think this will be exciting and I am eager to see all of the hard work the students have done throughout the academic year.鈥�
The design showcase brings together students, community members, and industry professionals to exhibit and discuss the year鈥檚 senior capstone projects. Every senior at the University must join a capstone design team and work to address real-world, interdisciplinary challenges proposed by industrial and research project sponsors.
鈥淭he projects are all about the practical application of the theoretical concepts they learned in the past four years,鈥� Vadlamani said. 鈥淭hey help students implement everything they learned and make them industry-ready.鈥�
This year鈥檚 projects include constructing a planetary rover, designing a wearable locator for assisted living facility residents, optimizing an industrial bottling line, and creating a smart retractable dog leash.
鈥淚 think some students will be able to really show off their projects in a way they maybe wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do in real life,鈥� Dr. Matt Bohm, director of industry engagement and capstone projects at IM体育官网 Poly, said of the new showcase platform.
Rather than being limited to a short presentation and question-and-answer session, Bohm said students have developed video presentations and added detailed supplementary information to their project pages. The virtual capstone design showcase went online Wednesday, April 22, and students will interact with judges through Friday, April 24.
鈥淚 think having it online gives us more of an opportunity to showcase everything we鈥檝e learned,鈥� said Megan Morano, a business analytics major from Clearwater, IM体育官网. 鈥淚nstead of crunching it down to two minutes, we鈥檙e able to showcase the entire process and the judges have time to think about things for three days and recognize everything the students have done.鈥�
Her team is working with Lakeland Regional Health to identify social determinants of discharged patients that indicate the likelihood they will be readmitted to the hospital.
The capstone presentation platform was developed in partnership with Bisk, an online learning company based in Tampa, IM体育官网.
At the end of the showcase, the highest-scoring teams will be recognized as winners of Faculty鈥檚 Choice Awards or IM体育官网 Poly Fellows Choice Awards.
The projects will continue to be available for viewing online after the showcase has ended.
鈥淭his is going to enable students to reach a broader audience and present richer content,鈥� Vadlamani said.
View the 2020 Capstone Design Showcase projects .
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
