On May 2, 76 student teams from Cal State Fullerton’s College of Engineering and Computer Science competed at the annual ECS Student Project Innovation Expo in the Titan Student Union. Projects were displayed from all disciplines of engineering and demonstrated students’ problem-solving skills, technical acumen and creativity.
These projects were largely sourced from the four department senior design capstone courses. Over the academic year, student teams worked tirelessly to produce a prototype that represented their proposed solution to an engineering or computer science problem. A number of these student teams are supported via ECS Corporate Project Partners. These partners, which include such companies as Disneyland, Edwards Lifesciences, Oceanbiotics, Raytheon and Southern California Edison, pitch projects to student teams in the early fall and provide mentors to guide them through the project lifecycle. This project-based learning experience provides valuable exposure to the industry and critical skills such as collaboration, communication, teamwork, project management and more. Corporate financial support is accessible to all teams in the college.
Of the115 projects that were submitted with abstracts in early spring, 76 projects were selected by departments for the final, juried round in May. This was a significant change from years past and was made possible by the participation of 30 industry and faculty judges who helped assess a large volume of projects. During the competition, judges interacted with student teams who presented their designs and results and fielded questions. Judges conferred before determining 11 projects worthy of prize designation.
The event was open to the public as the CSUF community, corporate partners, alumni and other supporters walked the expo floor and spoke with the project teams. To close out the day, a program took place announcing the award winners. The program included Sagil James, chair and professor of mechanical engineering; Ankita Mohapatra, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Susan Barua, dean emeritus of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
A very successful crowdfunding campaign during the 2025 Titans Give day of giving saw 27 donors support the $9,000 in student awards that were given out.
“I am so impressed by the caliber of projects our students put forth,” said Barua. “It is a real testament to their ingenuity and hard work, supported by faculty and corporate mentorship. We are particularly grateful for the donors who helped make the student awards possible.”
The winning teams are:
- Overall Best Project, $2,000: CatNap: Smart Circadian Sleep Aid
- Overall 1st Runner-Up, $1,500: Rosecrans Marquardt Grade Separation
- Overall 2nd Runner-Up, $1,000: Formula SAE
- Honorable Mention, $500: Underwater ROV
- Best Project in Civil Engineering $500: Desert Well Site
- Best Project in Electrical and Computer Engineering, $500: AudioLink
- Best Project in Computer Science, $500: Task Adventure
- Best Project in Mechanical Engineering, $500: Arboretum Interactive Device
- Best Legacy Project, $500: Titan Aero
- Most Innovative Project of the Year, $750: CogniSphere
- Best Corporate-Sponsored Team, $750: Edwards Lifesciences, Modular Film Embossing System
CatNap: Smart Circadian Sleep Aid
Submission track: Electrical and computer engineering
Faculty adviser: John Faller, professor of electrical and computer engineering
Project background: According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep is essential for mental and physical well-being. Approximately 40% of adults experience sleep deprivation, often leading to unintended daytime drowsiness.
Project goals: CatNap’s objective is to improve an individual’s sleep schedule by implementing a smart sleep system that guides the user’s sleeping habits with their circadian rhythm by replicating the ideal sleep conditions to align the user’s internal clock with their desired schedule while ensuring quality sleep. Environmental sensors track temperature, light and motion. The design goal is to develop a system that is capable of processing environmental data, adjusting a smart light bulb to match the user’s circadian rhythm, outputting comforting sounds through a directional speaker and displaying a user-friendly graphical user interface, in which the user can modify their sleep schedule settings and view sleep data.
Rosecrans Marquardt Grade Separation
Submission track: Civil and environmental engineering
Faculty adviser: Melad Hanna, lecturer in civil and environmental engineering
Project background: The Rosecrans-Marquardt Grade Separation Project addresses critical safety and traffic flow issues at one of California’s most hazardous railroads crossing in Santa Fe Springs, which is 33.903 degrees north and 118.068 degrees west. This intersection experiences approximately 45,000 vehicles and 140 train passings daily, leading to significant delays and a history of accidents.
Project goals: The primary goal is to enhance safety by eliminating the existing at grade crossing. The main objective is to design an overpass bridge, supported by Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Walls, to carry Rosecrans Avenue over the BNSF railway. The design incorporates a realigned roadway and dedicated bike lanes with overhead covers to minimize intersections. This project seeks to decrease traffic delays and congestion, improve emergency response times, and contribute to a more efficient transportation network.
Formula SAE
Submission track: Mechanical engineering
Faculty adviser: Salvador Mayoral, associate professor of mechanical engineering
Project background: The Society of Automotive Engineers is an international association that provides experience and guidance for the next generation of engineers. For those currently pursuing their degree, the Formula SAE project and competition provides the best practical application and real-world experience for students looking to apply the engineering principles they learn. Within a year, students create a scale Formula 1-style car and compete against hundreds of other teams from around the world.
Project goals: This year’s team plans to increase documentation of the whole design process and simplify the design changes made to the car to provide ample time to test the vehicle’s performance. This will increase the static event scores that have hindered previous teams. Secondly, the goal weight for the whole vehicle is 450 pounds, down almost 40 pounds from last year’s team.
College of Engineering and Computer Science faculty members James and Mohapatra organized the competition, supported by key staff from the dean’s office.
“It is exciting to see this culmination of effort come to life,” said James. “We are excited to celebrate all the hard work of these students and their mentors. I am personally grateful for the work of our faculty and industry judges in helping to judge so many projects and determine the student awards.”