UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Learning Factory has announced the winners of its spring 2026 capstone project showcase. The in-person showcase took place on April 28 at the Bryce Jordan Center, while the virtual showcase took place April 29 through May 6.
Over the course of the semester, senior capstone teams partnered with industry sponsors, faculty and organizations to design innovative products, processes and services addressing real-world challenges. Student projects were evaluated by a panel of industry experts, sponsors and members of the Learning Factory’s Industry Advisory Board. In addition to recognition at the showcase, all winners received digital badges that can be shared on LinkedIn and other professional platforms. The winners are listed below.
First Place “Lockheed Martin Best Project” winners
Project: Passive Gearcase Filtration System for Locomotive Traction Motor Combinations
- Sponsor: Wabtec Corporation
- Team members: Alec Crouthamel, Maxwell Anderer, Jack Gent, Brendan Gilbert, Jabril Albane, Connor Morse
Project: TMP Manufacturing Company, Ceiling Hanger Redesign
- Sponsor: TMP Manufacturing Company
- Team members: Anthony Frank, Jesse Kitabjian, Matthew Choi, Michael Stambolis, Zachary Kisner, Ruheen Nayyar
Project: Upgraded Tracking Gimbal for Aerial Demonstrations
- Sponsor: Lockheed Martin
- Team members: Ishan Agrahar, Charles Casey, Ethan Clemetson, Chris Dembiczak, Edward Kelly, Sven Walsberg
Second Place “Best Project” Winners
Project: HINTS Exam Training Device for Atypical Stroke Detection Skills
- Sponsor: Penn State College of Medicine – Gregory Lewis and Nicolas Ellis
- Team members: Ryan Brekosky, Nicholas Smith, Sander Bertsch, Jayden Weaber-Heagle, Nathan Chin, Chon In Chan, Aniyahs Peck
Project: Risk-Informed Smart Commissioning for Resilient Building Performance
- Sponsor: Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation
- Team members: Marissa Sprouse, Marcello Mangelli, Tri Pham, Michael Gurnee
Project: Wireless Communication in High EMI Environment
- Sponsor: Wabtec Corporation
- Team members: Jocelyn Hibbard, Logan Todd, Jacob Hartness, Alia Ahmad Sauqi, Muhammad Fazili, Qays Mukaddam, Alexander Obeya
Third Place “Best Project” Winners
Project: Robotic Measurement System for Ground–Contact Forces Across Terrains for Adaptive Mobility
- Sponsor: Penn State Mechanical Engineering Department
- Team members: Nur Izzah Nabilah Binti Anuar, Lucas van Lierop, Austin Clutter, Andrew Kerr, Luke Phillips, Mitch Ratka, Joe Keaton
Project: Design of Dissolvable Bacteria Delivery Pod for Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponic Systems
- Sponsor: Bywater BioSolutions
- Team members: Lily Jetter, Noël McClellan, Benjamin Cass, Salim Bastress, Tyler Duda
Project: Shell Eco-marathon 2027 Powertrain
- Sponsor: Shell
- Team members: Armend Berisha, Matthew Staniar, Sebastian Valencia, Prajit Janardanan, Luke Gormley, Casey Hein, Jeremey Sikora
“People’s Choice” Winner
Project: Sustainable Automated Vertical Plant Factory
- Sponsor: Paul Gauthier
- Team members: Zoe McCoy, Nathan Aument, Maxwell Baldino, Jay Palla, Snigdha Subraveti, Sophia Warnock
“Best Corporate” Sponsor winners
Project: Conveyor Training Table for Novice Industrial Operators
- Sponsor: Proctor & Gamble
- Team members: Frankie Pannizzo, Alex Emmell, Stella Swanson, Seven Traczik, Joaquin Merino Puyol, Liam Cassidy
Project: Puzzle Printer Loading
- Sponsor: Matt Strouse
- Team members: Kason Patterson, Somak Roy, Juan Gonzalez, Hassan Folad, Liam McIntyre, John Yanosick
“Best K-12 Engagement” Winner
Project: Urban Heat Relief Through Green Design: Towards Climate-Resilient Cities in Tanzania
- Sponsor: Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation
- Team members: Amanda Sargen, Jaylon Flemming, Megan Zhang, Nicholas Murgia, Fletcher Port, Christen Ayodele
Project: Ex-Utero: Designing a Living System for In Vitro Tissue Engineering
- Sponsor: Cristin Millett, Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
- Team members: Ariana Morales, Ryan Baylis, Logan Altieri, Amir Kurbanov, Julia Cipolla, Emma Epiphaniou, Megan Hatcher
Project: Reengineering the Tippy Tap for Improved Hand Hygiene
- Sponsor: Penn State International Health and Nutrition Equity Lab
- Team members: Carson Knight, Riley Smith, Rylee Ritko, Luis Rafael Bosita De Guzman, Larimar Rodriguez, Andrew Sponenberg, Kristina Rezkalla
First place “Best Poster” Winner
Project: Nittany Kiln
- Sponsor: ZAP Engineering
- Team members: Saif Almarzooqi, Cross Hartman, Kieran Cox, Stephen Kozuch, Liam Barron, John Marchisotto
Second place “Best Poster” Winner
Project: Five-Hole Air Probe for Airspeed, Angle of Attack, and Sideslip
- Sponsor: Bechamo LLC
- Team members: Katya Izmalkova, Xiao Zhang, Brandon Cordrey, Liam Jackovic, Edwin Clatus, Yuzhou Yang
Third place “Best Poster” Winner
Project: Wearable Pressure Sensing Device for Residual Limbs in Amputees
- Sponsor: Penn State College of Medicine – Gregory Lewis and Prateek Grover
- Team members: Lucy Faunce, Marissa Johnson, Gavin Corley, Lukas Prepelka, Zitarra Irechukwu, Ethan Schmitt, Jacob Dourte, Daniel Carkner
First place “Best Video” Winner
Project: Sustainable Automated Vertical Plant Factory
- Sponsor: Paul Gauthier
- Team members: Zoe McCoy, Nathan Aument, Maxwell Baldino, Jay Palla, Snigdha Subraveti, Sophia Warnock
Second place “Best Video” Winner
Project: Developing an Anisotropic Muscle Tissue Phantom
- Sponsor: Mark Pacey
- Team members: Colton Crabtree, Ulani Harris, Grace Holmgren, Kayla Houck, Noa Livingstone, Lucas Macdonough, Jacob Pope, Renee Pritchard
Third place “Best Video” Winner
Project: Taproot Kitchen’s Marketing and Data Design Project
- Sponsor: Taproot Kitchen
- Team members: Regan Regina, Stevie Frisby, Hongkun He, Nick Kaleida, Sarah Mesler
The following categories have yet to announce winners: Online People’s Choice, Lamancusa/Soyster LF Mentoring Award. This article will be edited to include the winners for these categories once they are announced and published on the Learning Factory website.