Ignite Project Expo
At Clarkson, celebrating groundbreaking projects is key to fostering creativity and innovation across campus. Launched in 2024, the annual Ignite Project Expo highlights these remarkable accomplishments in a distinctly Clarkson way.
During the inaugural Expo, nearly 350 students presented 93 unique projects across a diverse range of categories and topics.
Exhibiting Outstanding Achievements
Digital & Physical Arts
Creative blends of technology, design, and traditional media.
Digital Transformation
Digital tools leveraged for driving impactful change.
Mechatronics
Intelligent systems formed from combined tech disciplines.
New Product Idea
Innovative concepts developed by freshmen E&M students.
Sustainability
Approaches for ecological balance and conservation.
Wargaming
Strategic simulations that explore tactics and decision-making.
Tech Tinkerer Takes Grand Prize
For Sigmond Kukla (CompE ‘28), an Ignite Presidential Fellow and member of the Honors Program, attending Clarkson wasn’t a decision made lightly; it was a matter of finding a community that would foster an innovative culture revolving around programming, computer vision, and tech tinkering.
In the leadup to the Expo, Sigmond developed Ignite Pickup Boxes, a complete revitalization of the Dorf Makerspace’s 3D print distribution process. His project combined Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering disciplines while significantly increasing operational efficiency in a quick and cost-effective manner.
Following live demonstrations throughout the Expo’s presentation session, and a spontaneous explanation during the Pitch-Off competition, Ignite Pickup Boxes was declared the inaugural grand prize-winning project. With this outstanding performance, Sigmond received acclaim and funding for his future endeavors.
Alongside his coursework, Sigmond is a Research Assistant within Clarkson’s Center for Advanced PCB Design and Manufacturing, a Maker Mentor at the Makerspace, a Teaching Assistant for Electrical Engineering course Embedded Systems, and a member of Clarkson Combat Robotics. In his free time, he creates innovative VR games through his entrepreneurial venture PicoPlanet Developing.
Sigmond’s advice for fellow tech tinkerers interested in Clarkson? “Always ask yourself - what if? Then figure out what you need to pursue your innovation. By immersing yourself in topics you are passionate about, and by being surrounded with supportive faculty and friends, anything is possible.”
They Came, They Saw, They Wowed
First Place Prize
Ignite Pickup Boxes (Sigmond Kukla)
Second Place Prize
Community Partnership with TAUNY (Lauren Kneer, Michele Bou Khalil, Kelly Lahiff)
Third Place Prize
Nuovo Brands LLC (Ethan Flamand, Rocco Albanese)
Fourth Place Prize
Holden McSqueezy III (Trevor Tamburino, Amanda Polarolo)
Tree-Talk for Tots (Abigail Jeffers, Nicolena Fazio)
Undergraduate Sustainability Award (Sponsored by the Institute For a Sustainable Environment)
Clarkson Arboretum (Lauren Pawlika, Carley McGrath, Lexi Keller, Alexcis Rydelek, Trey Naselli, Evan Corey)
Graduate Sustainability Award (Sponsored by the Institute For a Sustainable Environment)
LCA of Catered Meal Events (Aslhy Torres, Nick Multari, Gloria Popoola, Razieh Analouei)
Commercialization Award (Sponsored by the Shipley Center for Innovation)
Forward Bound (Bailey Sweeney, Sean Boyle, Mason Gault, Riya Mistry)
Self Dispensing Hair Brush (Liam Quick, Jackson Waters, Maddie Alfieri, Riley Cullen, Kirsten Iles)
Community Outreach Award
Community Partnership with TAUNY (Lauren Kneer, Michele Bou Khalil, Kelly Lahiff)
Food Insecurity in Potsdam (Clare Tucker, Zachary Boeck, Oberon Dickinson, Becca Lomas)
People’s Choice Award
Apple iSole (Sydney Sandroni, Alexandra Brenton, Brady Hall, Brady Zych, Markus Kuhnel)
American History
Music History (Jade Stevenson, Lillianna King, Ethan Rak, Graham Zarriello, Hope Hill, Eniya Eudell, Ngaio Hawkins, Ginikachukwu Okoli, Aaron Reck)
Architecture
Native American Multicultural Learning Center (João Victor França Nunes)
Community Engagement
Tree-Talk for Tots (Abigail Jeffers, Nicolena Fazio)
Community Partnership with TAUNY (Lauren Kneer, Michele Bou Khalil, Kelly Lahiff)
Digital & Physical Arts
Stained Glass (Lindsay McCarthy)
Digital Transformation
PTZ Camera for Child Face-Capture (Md Abdul Baset Sarker)
Engineering & Society
Sequestration Nation (Anthony Phaneuf, Cazian Comeau-Elman, Chase Fisher, Elijah McIlrath)
Entrepreneurship
Nuovo Brands LLC (Ethan Flamand, Rocco Albanese)
Industrial Ecology
Ice Rink Industrial Ecology (Avery Hilderbran, Will Dumont, Elizabeth Greco, Evan Bokelberg)
Heating Riverside Apartments (Carson Bruening, Mark Ramsperger, Justin Pettica, Robert Greenberg)
Innovation Development
Apple iSole (Sydney Sandroni, Alexandra Brenton, Brady Hall, Brady Zych, Markus Kuhnel)
Mechatronics
Holden McSqueezy III (Trevor Tamburino, Amanda Polarolo)
Ignite Pickup Boxes (Sigmond Kukla)
New Product Idea
Forward Bound (Bailey Sweeney, Sean Boyle, Mason Gault, Riya Mistry)
EV Battery Temperature Regulation (Peter Siracuse, Benjamin Lambert, Sean Finnerty)
Sustainability
Waterfowl Environmental DNA Biomonitoring (Elizabeth Chase, Catherine Benson)
Wargaming
Supply Chain of Russo-Ukrainian Conflict Wargame (Hannah Reed, Owen Danke, Ethan Spinner)
Route 11 Rivalries (Harry Rodriguez, Daniel Wilson, Joe Gromlowicz, Matthew Colpitts, Morgan Mitskovski)
Battlesburgh (James Molinski, Devin Fitzpatrick, John Purdy, Zachary Lutzke)
Get your cameras ready! The Expo is a prime occasion for pictures with friends and family.
Before winners are declared, top- scoring projects from each category compete in an exciting Pitch-Off exhibition.
Do you want the chance to showcase your hard work with the world? If so, the Expo is for you.
Addresses from notable Clarkson alumni and Trustees help make the Expo a great opportunity to network.
The most innovative projects seen during the Expo are often the ones that are the most cool!
For many freshmen, the Expo is their first time receiving recognition at Clarkson. But it certainly won’t be their last.
The second Ignite Project Expo is scheduled for November 14, 2025.
See you later this year!