Ignite Project Expo
Exhibiting Outstanding Achievements
At Clarkson, celebrating groundbreaking projects is key to fostering creativity and innovation across campus. Annual Ignite Project Expo and Research and Project Showcase (RAPS) events highlight these remarkable accomplishments in a distinct Clarkson way.
Biomedical Science
Unique investigations into vital health and life sciences.
Digital Transformation
Digital tools leveraged for driving impactful change.
Environmental Analysis
Approaches for ecological balance and conservation.
Integrated Design
Mechanical Engineering concepts taken to the next level.
Proteomics
Critical examinations into proteins and their composition.
Wargaming
Strategic simulations that explore tactics and decision-making.
Tech Tinkerer Takes Grand Prize
For Sigmond Kukla (ElecE / 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 inaugural Ignite Project Expo, Sigmond developed Ignite Pickup Boxes, a revitalization of the Dorf Makerspace’s 3D print distribution process. His project combined Electrical and Computer Engineering disciplines while significantly increasing operational efficiency in a 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.”
Clarkson Ingenuity On Display
During each Ignite Project Expo and RAPS occasion, hundreds of Clarkson students compete with unique and innovative works.
Public Presentations
Freshmen Success
Recognition & Prizes
Past Ignite Project Expo & RAPS Award Recipients
Special Award Recipients
Undergraduate Pitch-Off
First Place - Testing Mercury in Fish (Maya Kao)
Second Place - Smart Home for Alzheimer’s (Lucas Lacerda)
Third Place - App Development for Bio-Simulations (Olaolu Olugbenle)
Sustainability Award
Sustainable Seaweed Processing (Aslhy Torres)
Recycling Nutrients from Wastewater (Nora Conzemius)
Commercialization Award
Phosphate Detection in the Field (Jehad Abdelnabi & Batuhan Uzunoglu)
Smart Appliance Safety for Dementia (Adkit Modhera)
Top Scorers - Undergraduate Poster Presentations
Applied Electrochemistry
Wearable Electrochemical Sensor System (Sigmond Kukla)
Biomedical & Health Sciences
Change of FGFR Over Metamorphosis (Sadia Abakar Khatir Adam & Kayla Ellis)
Disc Injection of Particles (Austin Boie)
Biosciences
Testing Mercury in Fish (Maya Kuo)
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Modeling, and Data Analytics
Recognizing Faces Through Age (Jesse Dykes)
Thermal Effects on Nanodevices (Mihail Kazankovski & Martin Veresko)
eCAT
Indoor Autonomous Navigation (Cameron Watson & Rowan Wysocki)
Education, Psychology, and Social Sciences
Testing Human Attention (Zainab Fatmi)
Environmental Science & Engineering
Nutritional Algae from Digestate (Emilia Sabataso)
Physics, Mechatronics, and Inclusive Design
Smart Home for Alzheimer's (Lucas Lacerda)
Materials and Sensors
Bone Cement Drug Release (Saadhika Dhaniyala & Georgia Thurmond)
Reconstructing Knife-Edge Technique (Tessa Masi)
Sustainable Energy
Benefit Cost Analysis of Batteries (Adrian Torres Maginot)
Optimizing the Power Grid (Maverick Savage)
Top Scorers - Undergraduate Oral Presentations
Bio-, Environmental, and Social Sciences
App Development for Bio-Simulations (Olaolu Olugbenle)
Biomedical & Health Sciences
Possible Treatment For Neurodegenerative Diseases (Ella Martel)
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Modeling, and Data Analytics
Masking For PIV (Hailey Meagher)
Physics, Mechatronics, and Inclusive Design
Talking Robot For Dementia (Abdullah Moin)
Top Scorers - Graduate Poster Presentations
Bioscience, Environmental Science, and Sustainability
Phosphate Detection In The Field (Jehad Abdelnabi & Batuhan Uzunoglu)
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Modeling, and Data Analytics
Biomarkers for Cancer Detection - Pragyan Kadel
Materials and Sensors
Solving Real-World Data Challenges in EdTech (Nomagugu T. Ndlovu)
Top Scorers - Graduate Oral Presentations
Biomedical & Health Sciences
AI-Powered 3D-Printed Uric Acid Patch (Aqsa Khan)
Bioscience, Environmental Science, and Sustainability
Environmental Non-Profit Public Communication (Evelyn Laferriere)
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Modeling, and Data Analytics
Transformer-Based Biometric Authentication (Arfina Rahman)
STEM QuESTS
Grand-Prize Winner
StemTronics (Justin Bouchard & Olaolu Olugbenle)
Winning Finalists
Archimedes' Armada (Michael Juriga II)
Theme Park Engineering Group (Salwa Omar, Jayda Lundy, & Juan Pablo Sola-Thomas)
RAPS Student Award Recipients
Graduate Pitch-Off
First Place - Biometric Signals for Authentication (Arfina Rahman)
Second Place - Smartphone-Based Fluorescent Sensor for Phosphate Detection (Jehad Abdelnabi)
Third Place - Turbulence Measurement in Aircraft Aerosol Inlets (Nagarajan Radhakrishnan)
Undergraduate Pitch-Off
First Place - CU Pantry Smart Lockers (Johannes Richter)
Second Place - Using Virtual Reality to Train Balance (Alexa Madrid)
Third Place - Improving Stair-Climbing Robot Stability for Assistive Applications (Edina Jan)
Graduate Sustainability Award
Phosphates Recovery from Tiled Drained Water Using Biochar Adsorbent (Trynos Mukwarami, Kelechi Okere, Ulfet Erdogan, & Jehad Abdelnabi)
Hands-On Sustainable Waste Management Training (Nomagugu T. Ndlovu)
Undergraduate Sustainability Award
Reducing Methane Emissions with Seaweed (Ella Weldy, Seamus McGovern-Lind, & Jason Hofmann)
Aquatic Nutrient Loading Study Proposal (Grace Mundinger)
Graduate Commercialization Award
Smarter HVAC Clean & Fresh Air (Shorab Hossain)
Undergraduate Commercialization Award
Students Designed Prosthetic for Kids (Samuel Hilderbran, Matt Whispell, Benjamin LeBlanc, Ryder Leckie, Sean Gray, & Ryan Sepe)
Improving Stair-Climbing Robot Stability for Assistive Applications (Edina Jan)
Graduate People’s Choice Award
How EMS Delays Affect Life-Saving Treatments for Cardiac Arrest Patients (Manpreet Kaur & Chaitanya Pammi)
Undergraduate People’s Choice Award
Ultrasound Detection to Identify Internal Bleeding (Gabe Adamson, Daniel Wilson, Lucas Lasher, & Tyler Nickels)
Top Scorers - Undergraduate Poster Research
Biomedical & Health Sciences
Using Virtual Reality to Train Balance (Alexa Madrid)
Biosciences & Biochemistry
Targeting Myeloperoxidase to Improve Mitochondrial Health in NPC (Sadia Abakar Khatir Adam)
Water Knotweed, Hybrid Plants, Hybrid Swarm, Genetic Markers (Aiden Gardiner & Dylan Yeung)
Electric, Connected, and Autonomous Technologies (eCAT)
Autonomous Robotics Navigation via LiDAR (Lindsey Hassett & Elizabeth Swartz)
Energy, Electricity, & Environmental Science and Engineering
Reducing Methane Emissions with Seaweed (Ella Weldy, Seamus McGovern-Lind, & Jason Hofmann)
Materials Science
Zinc-Doped Hydroxyapatite for Bone Regeneration (Hope Garramone)
Proteomics
Proteomics Study for Breast Cancer Biomarkers (Peter Biggers, Taniya Jayaweera, Madhuri Jayathita, & Danielle Whitham)
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences
Climate Failure Outrage (Naana Eyikuma Hutchful & Anna Van Amburgh)
Robots, Space, Science, & Data
Improving Stair-Climbing Robot Stability for Assistive Applications (Edina Jan)
Sensors & Signals
Fluorescent Probes for Chloride Detection (Matthias Schmidt)
Top Scorers - Undergraduate Poster Projects
Aircraft Design
Accessible Regional Aircraft Taxi (Megan Michaud, Kasey Billert, Joe Gromlowicz, Ryan King, Aidan Sullivan, & Kaura Chahal)
Architectonics & Mechatronics
CU Pantry Smart Lockers (Johannes Richter)
Engineering & Society
Prosthetic Arm for Child (Will Douglass, Nicholas Smith, Kori Thomas, & Kevin Lovett)
Environmental Science
Using eDNA to monitor fishes (Elizabeth Chase, Johanna Tupper, Sam Carusone, David Selner, & Frederick Minda)
Mechanical Engineering
Shock Dynamometer (Damon Allen Brownell, R. J. Jacobson, James Patrick Keach, Linus Kemper, Luke Matthew Owens, Clay Dalton Reagon, & Aspyn Tripp)
Lacrosse Shaft Improvements (Riley Kuczma, Molly DiCaprio, Rachel Williams, Kristen Bill, & Grace Smith)
Wargaming
Wargame Through Centuries (Kaura Chahal, Stephen Konopko, Dylan White, Olivia Michalski, Chase Koopman, & Sean Butler)
Top Scorers - Undergraduate Oral Research
Mathematical Modeling & Materials Science
Force to See New Reactions (Robert Davis)
Proteomics
Proteomics for Breast Milk Biomarkers (Hailey Morrissiey)
Psychology, Behavioral Sciences, & Health Sciences
Motivation to be Non-Prejudiced (Jordan Summerfield)
Top Scorers - Undergraduate Oral Projects
Civil Engineering & Environmental Science
Recreational Access Improvements to Lake Placid (Michael Moriarty, Sean Butler, Michael Giovino, Ethan Bailey, Anthony DeRosa, Aaron Dunn, Angelina Zeoli, Matthew Ducharme, & Tyler Combes)
Trigger monitoring with VOC emissions (Mairead Coyne)
Solinsky and Science Center Capital Project (Aria Garceau, Allison Diver, Allison Charles, Paige Cutler, Maria Suffredini, Christopher Griggs, Christian Hilton, Anthony Borelli, & Ethan Desko)
Engineering & Society
Designing a Prosthetic Arm (Tim Wilson, Luis Molinar Sanchez, Nicholas DiMichele, Ryan Johnson, & Nathaniel Button)
Modular Pediatric Transradial Prosthetic Arm (Amanda Corrice, David Van Ginhoven, Szymon Koc, Jacob Crawford, & Samuel Garcia)
TE Labs (Brian Nordman, Marjani August, Zachary Henderson, Martha Kitui, & Marcello Vona)
Software Design
Ice Rink Scheduler (Emma Fish, Satya Sai Deepak Velagapudi, Natalie Wesseldine, Claudia LaPlant, & Bhawana Khatri)
ID Scanner (Nicholas Sheldon, Soliat Adeboye, Hunter Smith, Samantha Sikora, & Delara Panahi)
Top Scorers - Graduate Poster Research
Biomedical & Health Sciences
Respiratory Disease, Chi Squared Test, Lifestyle Factor, Demographic Factor, Logistic Models (Ching-Wen Shih, Kuan-Cheng Ko, Thevasha Sathiyakumar, & Naveen Reddy)
Biosciences, Chemistry, & Biochemistry
Quantitative Cellular Chloride Reporter (Prasanna Ganesh, Carolyn Colosi, & KaHo Leung)
Electric, Connected, and Autonomous Technologies (eCAT)
Regenerative Braking Control System (Sean Willis & Thomas Bondaruk)
Manufacturing & Materials
Electrodeposition of Zn-Mn (Nishat Tasnim Nimmu)
Sensors, Signals, & AI
Biometric Signals for Authentication (Arfina Rahman)
Sustainability, Energy, & Environmental Science and Engineering
Mechanochemical PFAS destruction (Jinyuan Zhu)
Pollution in National Park Fish (Tinovimba Hove, Bernard Crimmins, & Sujan Fernando)
Top Scorers - Graduate Poster Projects
Applied Optimization
Optimizing Appointment Delay in Healthcare System (Uresha Dias, Harsha Iduruwage, & Shaira Torsa)
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy in Cancer Care (Hailee Farrand)
Physician Assistant Studies
Obesity in St. Lawrence County (Liam Cummings & Rachel Bradley)
Top Scorers - Graduate Oral Research
Biomedical & Health Sciences
Drug Uptake in Cervical Cancer (Norman Haaker)
Biometrics
Synthetic Fingerprint Generation Using Artificial Intelligence (Syed Konain Abbas)
Biosciences, Chemistry, & Biochemistry
Recovering Mitochondrial Health in NPC cells (Gabriella Ballestas)
Secondary dsDNA Structure Inhibits cGAS (Colby Hladun)
Materials Science, Sensors, & Signals
Smartphone-Based Fluorescent Sensor for Phosphate Detection (Jehad Abdelnabi)
Math, Modeling, & Mathematical Modeling
Theoretical existence of Dirichlet MLEs (Sucharitha Dodamgodage)
Turbulence Measurement in Aircraft Aerosol Inlets (Nagarajan Radhakrishnan)
Sustainability & Environmental Science and Engineering
Iridium Supported Catalyst for Hydrogen Production (Maira Amjad)
A Wash-Treat-Reuse Process for PFAS Investigation Derived Waste (Nicholas Multari)
Population Ecology of Mooneye (David Selner)
RAPS Faculty Award Recipients
The Clarkson Distinction in Faculty Mentoring in Research & Scholarship Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to faculty mentoring in research and scholarship by actively assisting pre-tenure and mid-career faculty in developing their careers. The 2025 recipient is Farzad Mahmoodi.
The Clarkson Excellence in Research & Scholarship Award is granted to a mid-career tenured faculty member that has had a significant impact on their chosen field of study. The 2025 awardee is Andrea Ferro.
The winner of the inaugural RAPS Faculty Research and Project Spotlight, a special Pitch-Off competition held between nine Clarkson faculty across all disciplines and schools, is Damien Samways.
First-time grant recipients for fiscal year 2024 are:
Kwadwo Appiah-Kubi
Emmanual Asante-Asamani
Leigha Gagner
Petra Kraus
Stephanie Kring
Benjamin Roulston
Siwen Wang
Suguang Xiao
Clarkson’s Million Dollar Club recognizes researchers who have been supported with $1 million or more in external sponsored research. The 2025 inductees are:
Michael Bazzocchi
Jan DeWaters
Leo Jiang
Jihoon Seo
The Multi-Million Dollar Club includes researchers who have received $5 million or more in external funding. The two 2025 inductees are Erik Bollt and Suresh Dhaniyala.
Ignite Project Expo Winners
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)
Special Award Recipients
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)
Category Top Scorers
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)
Student Spotlight
A signature element of each Spring RAPS event is STEM QuESTS, a challenge sponsored by the Institute for STEM Education where Clarkson students design and deliver hands-on educational experiences for regional K-12 classrooms.
When Michael Juriga II (AeroE '28) entered the challenge, his vision was clear: engage local middle and high school students with Archimedes' Principle and buoyancy through the creation of aluminum foil boats optimized for maximum weight capacity within specific constraints, a key engineering design task.
By promoting inquiry-based learning and connecting applied engineering techniques to core classroom concepts, Michael’s Archimedes’ Armada project was a standout presentation during RAPS. It’s no surprise that he was deemed a STEM QuESTS finalist, receiving recognition and a $1,000 cash prize.
As an Eagle Scout, Ignite Presidential Fellow, and member of the Formula SAE SPEED Team, Michael’s exciting adventures at Clarkson have only just begun. Looking back, he says, “I’m honored to have presented at RAPS & STEM QuESTS. I appreciate that Clarkson offers opportunities that let students turn classroom ideas into tangible experiences, and I’m excited to continue building on them.”
Have An Innovative Idea You’d Like To Show Off?
Then the Ignite Project Expo and RAPS are for you! We can’t wait to see you take part.
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.
These events aren’t just for students - faculty spotlights are a key part of the day, too!
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.
Learn More About Ignite
What’s next for Ignite? A bright future filled with innovation, entrepreneurship, and all things creativity. Stay tuned!