Each year, the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) holds the National IISE Innovative Design Competition. The competition aims to showcase the creativity of ISE design by having students work in multi-university teams to develop a conceptual design for a new product in order to satisfy a need in the global marketplace.

After the 4.5-hour design competition, held during the 2017 IISE National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, UF ISE’s undergraduate students, Taner Telci and Summer Provance placed, respectively, first and second.

The teams created a five-minute concept pitch to be presented in front of a panel of judges and a live audience.  The pitches displayed the concept design, target market, and a demonstration of how the innovation is profitable and improves existing designs.  Each team was judged on five criteria; innovation, market, competitive advantage, presentation quality, and response to questions. The first-place award was $1,500, second was $750, and third was $500.

The first-place team included Daniel Castillo (Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia), Colleen Ferlotti (Virginia Tech), Bohan Gao (Harvey Mudd College), George Gerges (University of Texas at Arlington), Ashkan Mirzaee (University of Minnesota), and Taner Telci (University of Florida). They developed a conceptual design of a breathalyzer that eliminates unnecessary lab culture for lung and throat diagnoses.

The second-place team included Daniel Baller (Georgia Tech), Claudia Desimone (Virginia Tech), Nicole Niemer (University of North Carolina), Summer Provance (University of Florida), and Hannah Sligar (University of Texas at Arlington.) Their team developed a conceptual design of a lightweight, piezoelectric flooring for trucks to power refrigeration during transport, ultimately, sustaining energy and reducing fuel consumption.

Join UF ISE in congratulating both Summer Provance and Taner Telci in their success at the competition.