Empower Innovation, Shape the Future, and Engage with the Next Generation of Tech Leaders at the Senior Design Showcase. Sponsorship Opportunities
Spring 2024 Senior Design Showcase – Friday, April 19, 2024
Location: Ocean Bank Convocation Center at 10955 SW 15th Terrace, Miami, FL 33199
Click here for the venue and parking map
Tentative Program:
- Noon: Doors Open and Early Check-in
- 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Opening Ceremony
- 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Exhibition & Networking
- 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Academic Category Judging
- 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Closing Ceremonies & Awards
Registration/RSVP: Click here for event registration.
CEC Senior Design Showcase
Employers agree: graduates with multi-disciplinary, project-based learning experiences in college are better-prepared for today’s dynamic workforce. We invite our industry partners, alumni, friends and family to join us as our engineering and computing students present their projects in eight different industry-centric pavilions. Nearly 450 seniors present their team-based projects that focus on their knowledge in several engineering and computing disciplines such as Mechanical, Computer and Electrical, Biomedical, Civil and Environmental, Interdisciplinary engineering as well as Internet of Things (IoT), Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Construction Management.
Our undergraduate students spend their last year in college cultivating original ideas, advanced designs, and innovative solutions to create practical solutions for industry problems through the course called “Senior Design Capstone”. The capstone is a culmination of all the courses the students are exposed to throughout their studies. The showcase provides a platform where the capstone projects are demonstrated to the public.
Judging Opportunity: Project judges will have a unique opportunity to network with students and assess their problem-solving skills to the situations they may encounter in their careers. Our students will benefit from presenting their work to both technical and non-technical industry experts. If you are interested in participating as an official judge, please indicate your interest in your registration or email cecshowcase@fiu.edu.
Opening Ceremony Featured Speakers
Judith Spitz, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director of Break Through Tech
Judith Spitz, Ph.D. is the Founder and Executive Director of Break Through Tech, a national initiative that propels women, non-binary students, and other underrepresented groups into higher education and careers in tech through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building. Break Through Tech’s AI program is the largest of its kind in the country; focused on preparing underrepresented undergraduates from hundreds of universities across the nation for jobs in the AI industry. She is on the Board of Directors of Noodle and is a member of the Advisory Board of an AI company called ASAPP. From 2005 to 2016, she was a Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Verizon. Forbes named her to their 2021 50 over 50 Women of Impact list. Crain’s named her to their 2019 list of Notable Women in Tech. The NY Business Journal listed her as a 2018 Woman of Influence. In 2017, she received the Above & Beyond Award for Outstanding Women in Business from City & State New York. InfoWorld named her a 2009 CTO 25 award winner. Her passion is driving programs that address the urgent need for more women in technology. She speaks frequently about this, about gender-based algorithmic bias and the future of work in an AI-enabled digital world.
Bridgette E. Cram, Ph.D.
Vice President, Academic Affairs: Student Success Operations and Integrated Planning
As Vice President of Academic Affairs: Student Success Operations and Integrated Planning at Florida International University, Dr. Cram provides leadership in aligning division goals to the university strategic plan while cultivating partnerships across various units, programs, and external partners. She has over ten years of experience in developing innovative and effective student success initiatives, using data to improve student outcomes. Dr. Cram focuses on developing programs and partnerships designed to ensure learners have the skills they need to be successful. She leads the Office of Career and Talent Development and Office of Micro-Credentials, providing strategic guidance for 21st Century Workforce Initiatives, including the development of industry partnerships and work-learn-earn models to promote career readiness. She also leads FIU’s student success initiatives, focusing on ensuring success for all FIU students. Dr. Cram serves as an Instructor in the Department of Public Policy and Affairs and has presented her research in both national and international forums, as well as published in peer-reviewed journals. She earned her BA in International Affairs and Spanish and her MS in Higher Education from Florida State University. In 2017, she earned her PhD in Public Affairs from FIU.
Inés Triay, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, College of Engineering & Computing and the Executive Director, Applied Research Center
Dr. Inés Triay is the Interim Dean of the College of Engineering of Computing and the Executive Director for the Applied Research Center. Dr. Triay has been at FIU for 12 years as ARC’s Director, and most recently served as our college’s Associate Dean for Research Innovation and Technology where she has worked closely with the Knight Foundation to maximize the impact of resources on the growth of computing and information science at FIU. She is a foremost expert on environmental management and has worked tirelessly in this area as a researcher, a visionary leader and a manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Department of Energy, and FIU. At the U.S. Department of Energy, she managed the largest, most complex nuclear environmental cleanup program in the world as Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, a Presidential appointment, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, with a budget of $6 billion per annum, and a workforce of 34,000 at 114 sites across the U.S. She has been widely recognized for her many accomplishments in science and engineering including the Los Alamos Distinguished Performance Award, Presidential Rank Award, the DOE Secretary Exceptional Service Award, the National Award for Nuclear Science, and the Dixie Lee Ray Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Closing Ceremony Featured Speakers
Kenneth Jessell, Ph.D.
President, Florida International Univeristy
Dr. Kenneth A. Jessell is the president of Florida International University. He was unanimously approved by the FIU Board of Trustees as president-designate on Oct. 17, 2022, and confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors on Nov. 9, 2022, as the sixth president of FIU.Prior to his appointment as interim president in January of 2022, Dr. Jessell served as Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at FIU from 2009-2022. At this position, he was responsible for the management and administration of financial, facility and business service operations of the university. Dr. Jessell is also a professor of finance in the College of Business Administration at FIU. Prior to his time at FIU, Dr. Jessell served as the Senior Vice President for Financial Affairs at Florida Atlantic University. During his 26-year career at FAU, Dr. Jessell served in several key leadership positions, including Interim University Provost, Interim Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of the FAU Foundation, Associate University Provost and Associate Dean in the College of Business Administration.
Dr. Jessell started his employment at FAU in 1983 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Finance and Real Estate. Dr. Jessell’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of financial management and real estate finance and appraisal. He has published 16 articles and abstracts in academic journals including The Financial Review, Journal of Cash Management, The Appraisal Review, Housing Finance Review, Applied Economics and Journal of Financial Education. He has also presented several research papers in the areas of finance and real estate at professional conferences and organizations including the Oxford Roundtable in Oxford, England. Dr. Jessell received his Baccalaureate Degree in Political Science from Florida State University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration Degree and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Finance from FSU.
Jason Dettbarn
Founder and CEO, Addigy
Jason Dettbarn is the Founder and CEO of Addigy, a world-leading, cloud-based IT management platform for Apple devices. With a strong background in computer science, including a Masters in Computer Science with graduate research in Pervasive Computing & Computer Networks at MIT (Laboratory for Computer Science), he embarked on a successful career in embedded software engineering at Motorola and Raymarine. However, driven by his passion for technology and business, Jason transitioned to the IT management software industry, gaining valuable experience at CA (Computer Associates) and Kaseya. In 2014, Jason founded Addigy with the vision of providing organizations with a centralized software platform for efficient Apple device management. Under his visionary leadership, Addigy has become a global leader in the field, serving thousands of organizations across education, enterprise, & MSP sectors. Jason’s dedication to innovation, coupled with his expertise in technology and business, continues to drive Addigy’s growth and revolutionize the management of Apple devices in today’s digital landscape