MELBOURNE, FLA. — Worms and Martian regolith. Spent brewer’s yeast and proteins. Coronal mass ejections and seagrass.
Answers from a really challenging trivia night? Contents of the world’s most interesting medicine cabinet? Possibly. But in fact, those odds and ends are just a few of the unique elements associated with Best-in-Show-winning projects at the 2026 Northrop Grumman Engineering & Science Student Design Showcase.
Florida Tech’s just-concluded annual presentation of jaw-dropping scholarship, from a brick-baking lunar rover to a colorful poster exploring whether adverse childhood experiences may erode trust in the U.S. court system, featured 232 projects: 120 from the College of Engineering and Science; 103 from the College of Aeronautics; and nine from the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts.
In their entirety, Florida President John Nicklow said, the projects comprised one of the best showcases the school has held.
“This day makes me so proud of this institution and all of you,” Nicklow said ahead of the awards presentations. “The showcase really does embody the essence of Florida Tech’s educational mission. Our students engage in project-based learning, gaining important insights into their disciplines.”
They also, President Nicklow noted, engage with an All-Star team of industry leaders serving as judges, including 20 from longtime showcase supporter Northrop Grumman who all are Florida Tech alumni with a whopping 41 degrees among them. In was 2009 when Northrop Grumman provided a $1 million endowment gift for the annual event, and the company has been there every year since.
Here are the projects recognized by judges, starting with the three top categories: President’s Cup, Northrop Grumman Best in Show and Honors College Best in Show. Individual category winners follow. Team members’ names are included when available.
President’s Cup
Engineering: “CALI – Cobot Autonomous Living Interface,” Nicholas Santamaria, Heber Lopez, Berke Dogan (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Science: “Conservation of Stress and Immune Gene Families Across Major Aquaculture Fish Species,” Julia Pearson, Rana Alghorir, Maryam Young, Abby Briggs, Sonia Peters (Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences)
Northrop Grumman Best in Show
Engineering: “A.S.T.R.A – Atmospheric-Satellite-Trajectory-Repositioning-Attachment,” Liam Pettit, Morgan Lee, Nathan Mulford, Alvaro Cameo, Cole Schumacher, Nathan Stephens, Jimmy Maskill, Titus Mills, Clayton Cannella, Evan Thompson (Aerospace Engineering)
Science: “Studies of a Mitigation Strategy for Carrington Class Superflares,” José Fuentes, Camilla Wright (Space Sciences)
Honors College Best in Show
Engineering: “A.S.T.R.A – Atmospheric-Satellite-Trajectory-Repositioning-Attachment,” Liam Pettit, Morgan Lee, Nathan Mulford, Alvaro Cameo, Cole Schumacher, Nathan Stephens, Jimmy Maskill, Titus Mills, Clayton Cannella, Evan Thompson (Aerospace Engineering)
Psychological Sciences: “Knowledge and Decision-Making in Mandated Reporting: Assessing Non-Professionals’ Capacity Through CAST and Non-CAST Students in a Universal Reporting Context,” Sophia Weathers (Non-COES Majors)
Science: “Dual-Lev: A Dual-Axis Ultrasonic Acoustic Levitator,” Trevor Hennington, Alyx Mason (Physics)
Best in Show Category Winners
Aerospace Engineering: “ARGOS – Advanced Robotic Gimbal and Orbital Simulator,” Sophia Cherry, Tyler Davis, Seth Busche, DJ Benefield, Priyansh Dholakia, Nathan Scott, Jonathan Feliz
Astrobiology: “Exploring the Viability of PGPBs in Martian Regolith Agriculture,” Nathan Kawalski
Biological Sciences: “Role of RPM-1 in a C.elegans APOE4 Alzheimer’s Disease Model”
Biomedical Engineering: “Vitasense,” Ava Dorow, Ashley Schindler, Justin McParland
Chemical Engineering and Chemistry: “Large-Scale Production of Polyethylene Furanoate from Algae-Derived Feedstocks,” Anjolaoluwa Buraima, Anjolaoluwa Buraima, Brianna Oropeza, Christain Jung, Jasmine Gordon
Civil Engineering and Construction Management: “College of Business Relocation Project,” Genevieve Spitaletto, Nicky Vreeland, Matthew Loudon, Chris Fox
Electrical Engineering: “Rapid Reach.” Peyton Hay, Ryan Matthews, Rishi Ammanabrolu, Alex Dumbell, Ashley Hurtado, Mac McHale, Sean Miller, Dan Zschau
Environmental Science and Sustainability: “Recycling Spent Brewery Yeast as Supplement for Commercial Fish Feed,” John Denvir
Marine Science: “Conservation of Stress and Immune Gene Families Across Major Aquaculture Fish Species,” Julia Pearson, Rana Alghorir, Maryam Young, Abby Briggs, Sonia Peters
Mathematical Sciences: “The Invisible Shield: Why Our Stomach Doesn’t Digest Itself,” Kevon Findley
Mechanical Engineering: “LMCO/Navy Air Pallet for Materials Handling,” Samantha Ryan, Ryan Zerneke, Joshua Bible, Justin Conner, Brycen Haner, Nevan Juteram, Alexander Lacy, Gavin Lanka, Henry Lewis
Meteorology: “The Forecasting Challenge of Snow Cover Induced Temperature Depressions”
Ocean Engineering: “ReefStarter Deployment System,” Dylan Alvarez, Jacob Elston, Alex Ketchen, Jaidyn Lodens
Oceanography: “Tiny Engineers: How Polycheate Worms Can Extend Sedimentary Oxic Layers and Create Better Seagrass Habitats”
Physics: “Studies of a Mitigation Strategy for Carrington Class CMEs,” José Fuentes, Camilla Wright
Software Engineering and Computer Science: “Skin Cancer Detection”
