Hundreds of Clarkson Students Compete in Inaugural Ignite Project Expo, Winners Named
At Clarkson University, highlighting groundbreaking projects is a vital aspect of supporting the creativity and innovation occurring across campus. Sponsored by signature academic unit Clarkson Ignite, the Ignite Project Expo is a brand new showcase for student and faculty projects developed during the fall semester, regardless of discipline or background.
During the inaugural Expo, held on Nov. 22, nearly 350 students and faculty presented 93 unique projects spread across 13 distinct categories. These projects represented all aspects of Clarkson’s academic and extracurricular opportunities, with key topics including entrepreneurial endeavors, digital art creations, robotic constructions, hand-made board games, community outreach efforts, and sustainability initiatives, among others.
Following a morning presentation session open to members of the Clarkson community, a special Pitch-Off competition was held between the top scoring projects from each category. During this event, team representatives had three minutes to explain the purpose, outcomes, and key learnings from their project to a panel of non-Ignite judges from across the Clarkson campus. Among this panel was Acting President and Trustee David Heacock, who commended the innovative work of participants during the event’s awards ceremony.
The overall winner of the Expo was Ignite Pickup Boxes, a project developed by Ignite Presidential Fellow and Maker Mentor Sigmond Kukla while redesigning the Dorf Makerspace’s 3D print distribution process. Kukla, an Honors freshman majoring in Computer Engineering, was inspired to create the refined supply chain system while applying his past experience in programming, computer vision, and tech tinkering to Clarkson’s unique innovation ecosystem.
Second and third place prizes were awarded to outreach initiative Community Partnership with TAUNY (Lauren Kneer, Michele Bou Khalil, and Kelly Lahiff), and Cube student business incubator participant Nuovo Brands LLC (Ethan Flamand and Rocco Albanese), respectively. A tie for fourth place occurred between multi-functional robotic arm Holden McSqueezy III (Trevor Tamburino and Amanda Polarolo) and youth education lesson Tree-Talk for Tots (Abigail Jeffers and Nicolena Fazio).
The Expo was the outcome of numerous cross-campus collaborations, including those with the Honors Program, the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, the Shipley Center for Innovation, and student-run business CUSTOM Lab. Professors from the Reh School of Business, Coulter School of Engineering, and Department of Arts, Culture, and Technology also integrated the Expo into their courses; their support could not be appreciated enough.
“This brand-new event is a celebration of the incredible creativity and interdisciplinary spirit seen in Clarkson students and faculty. By pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, and offering fresh perspectives on complex problems, these projects exemplified the value of the hands-on approach to education that Clarkson and Ignite foster at all times,” said Ashley Sweeney, Director of Clarkson Ignite. The efforts of Sweeney and her dedicated team at Ignite, including Program Coordinator Demetrius Boone, Strategic Research Intern Kelsey Hamilton, and Executive Fellow Miles Compani, were critical to ensuring the Expo’s success.
Although the inaugural Ignite Project Expo has come to a close, teams are encouraged to continue displaying curiosity, making connections, and creating value while working on their projects in the future. Only time will tell what they create!
For a complete list of winners, visit the Clarkson Ignite Project Expo website.
For more information on the opportunities that Clarkson Ignite offers to the Clarkson community, visit clarkson.edu/ignite. Regular updates on Ignite activities can be found on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
