On October 2 more than 30 Armour College of Engineering students participated in the 2014 Armour R&D Expo for Summer Participants. During the event, students who participated in Armour R&D over the summer presented posters detailing the work they had completed.

Armour R&D is part of the Armour College of Engineering Distinctive Education Program. The goal of the program is to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among undergraduate engineering students. Armour R&D consists of two programs, PURE and MIND. Students selected to participate in PURE (Program for Undergraduate Research Education) have the opportunity to gain valuable research experience working with an IIT faculty member. Those selected under the MIND (Mentored INovation and Development) program develop new technology based on research findings.

Winners were selected by a panel of judges that included faculty members as well as Ph.D. students from all engineering departments. The judges rated projects based on context, clarity, and overall visual presentation, with a possible high score of 30. One presenter was awarded the highest rank overall with six awards going to runners-up.

An awards ceremony will be planned within the next couple of weeks to honor the students and faculty who won awards.

Watch the recap video here.

The team of Aparna Singh (BME 4th year) and and BME Assistant Professor Kenneth Tichauer received the Highest Rank Overall with a score of 25.87 for their project titled, Mapping molecular heterogeneity in tumors for advanced personalized cancer therapy. This was the first semester the team has worked on the Health themed project.

The team of Jihad Zeid (ChBE 4th year) and CAEE Assistant Professor Brent Stephens received the 1st runner-up position with a score of 25.11 for their Health-themed PURE project titled, Transport of Outdoor Air Pollutants into the Indoor Environment. Zeid has participated in Armour R&D program for three semesters.

The team of Yusra Sarhan (BME 2nd year) and BME Professor David Mogul, received the 2nd runner-up position with a score of 23.81 for their Health-themed PURE project titled, Finding Improved Protocols for Using Deep-Brain Stimulation for Treating Epileptic Seizures in Rats. This was the team’s first semester working on the project.

The team of Uguumur Burentugs (BME 5th year) and BME Assistant Professor Georgia Papavasiliou received the 3rd runner-up position with a score of 22.88 for their Health-themed PURE project titled, Investigation of Maleimide Crosslinking for incorporation of multiple biofunctional Cues Into PEG hydrogels. This was the team’s first semester working on the project.

The team of Mark Ito (MMAE 3rd year), Johnson Leung (MMAE 3rd year), Heewoong Yang (MMAE, 3rd year), and MMAE Associate Professor Francisco Ruiz received the 4th runner-up position with a score of 22.81 for their Energy-themed MIND project, Design, Analysis, and Testing of Human Powered Commuting Vehicle. This was the team’s first semester working on the project.

The team of Joaquin Lares (ME 4th year) and MMAE Associate Professor Matthew Spenko received the 5th runner-up position with a score of 22.09 for their Security-themed PURE project, Vehicle-Terrain Interaction Modeling. This was the first semester that the team has worked on the project.

The team of Sylwia Odrzwolska (ChBE 5th year) and CAEE Associate Professor Paul Anderson received the 6th runner-up position with a score of 22.09 for their Water-themed MIND project, Open-Source Water Quality Monitoring Sensors. Odrzwolska has participated in the Armour R&D program for three semesters.

Click here to learn more about each student’s project.