Sarah Robinson, along with her team, FilaWorks, won the Fall 2018 Tech Symposium. She poses with UTSA College of Engineering Dean JoAnn Browning.
(Nov. 30, 2018) -- FilaWorks, one of 40 student-led design teams, won the top prize at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Fall 2018 Tech Symposium. The challenge, sponsored by the UTSA College of Engineering (COE) showcased innovative student projects and research across multiple engineering disciplines, preparing participants to launch scalable entrepreneurial ventures. The event also included winners from Engineering Senior Design Projects and the second annual Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CITE) Big Rowdy Idea Competition.
FilaWorks was formed by UTSA students Sarah Robinson, Roberto Orrostieta, Blake Walthall and Jeremy Goldstein. The group created an extruder that turns plastic pellets into various types of filament for 3D printing applications. The team will receive $4,000 in a cash prize.
The second prize at UTSA’s Tech Symposium Competition went to AMU Engineering for its Harch Environment Mass Spectrometry backpack. The product was developed by UTSA students Zachary Roussel, Diane Robertson, Nolan Erickson and Divyaansh Dandona and offers modifiable features, such as CF flanges for universal instrument mounting, portability features such as a light-weight and safety-regulated on-board power supply and an on-board touch screen for GPS location capabilities.
Third place was awarded to TNT Engineering, Chuck Norris, formed by UTSA students Craig Guttierez, Jonathan Delacruz, Eduardo Morales and Erick Rangel. This team developed a tube notching and cutting machine that can be used in the production of handrails and tubular structures.
In all, five competing teams competed in the Big Rowdy Idea competition by delivering seven-minute business pitches.
First place at UTSA’s Big Rowdy Idea OTTRS (Oil Tital Technology Retention System) formed by Nicolas Ballesteros-Velasco,Antonio Terrazas, Alex Groves and Jesus Almanza. Created an engineered mechanism that uses oil separating technology and other oil collection devices that can assist response teams when cleaning up large amount of oil spills in the ocean. Awarded $24,400 in cash, investments and services.
Second place was awarded to C-CAM Technologies for developing a novel oxygen-blowby intubation device that will decrease intubation failures. Formed by UTSA students Albert Keam, Caleb Haeussler, Carlo Castaneda and Matthew Burgess. Awarded $11,600 in cash, investments, and services.
Third place was awarded to Daedalus for developing a new weapon detection software system using CCTV technology that will improve security and police response time. Formed by UTSA students Allen Herrera, Justice Montes, Miles Martinez and Rembrandt Bukowski. Awarded $10,950 in cash, investments and services.
Established in 2007 and held annually, the competition offers UTSA undergraduates in business, science and engineering with an opportunity to build a technology, patent it, create a business around it and launch it in a rigorous incubator program. The top three teams have access to win cash prizes and in-kind services to launch their new companies.
Since the competition's inception, two winning teams from previous competitions, Leto Solutions and Invictus Medical, have demonstrated steady progress toward commercializing their products. Along with Novothelium and Vertipro are among those companies that advance further past the CITE competition. A previous winner, InfraVein, has since received a $50,000 NSF grant to commercialize their product.
The Fall 2018 Symposium also featured a poster competition for Design I students. The top three winners were Daniel Mendez, Joel Gomez, Stanley Nzeadible and Juan Garduno, Wise Guys, Roof Fastening Cart; Daniel Mancera, Javier Gonzalez, and Yenjea Jung, DYS Solutions, Short Box; and Victoria Wahlen, Sabrina Hamdan Shepard, Jordan Traxler and Karen Aradillaz, Bug Off, Insect Elimination Device. Each team will receive $1,000, respectively.
“During this semester long, experiential learning program, the students learn the process of starting a technology company following the lean startup methodology, which includes business and technical concepts,”, said Diego Capeletti, Center Coordination of UTSA College of Engineering. “The students can apply this methodology to any entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial project in the future. The students also improve their soft skills, including their ability to pitch to investors and to professionally communicate with business mentors.”
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Día en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
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Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryEach fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
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AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
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