2026 Capstone Expo Recap: Where Talent, Industry, and Opportunity Converge

For one day each spring, the future of engineering fills every corner of the Lola and Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center gymnasium. Prototypes move from sketches to demonstrations. Ideas become solutions. And students who arrived at CU Denver with curiosity leave prepared to lead industries, launch careers, and solve problems that matter.

The Capstone Design Expo is a defining moment for seniors in CU Denver’s College of Engineering, Design and Computing (CEDC). It marks the culmination of a student journey that begins early with the First-year Design Expo and develops into something tangible, applied and impactful by the time they present senior year.

It is powerful testimony for why studying engineering at CU Denver is so special: hands-on learning from day one, close collaboration with industry, and the opportunity to work on projects with real-world impact long before graduation.

A Culmination of Purpose-Driven Learning

The Capstone experience represents the final step in a rigorous, hands-on engineering education. Across all departments, students work in small teams alongside faculty mentors and industry sponsors to complete design and innovation process using agile, sprint-based development cycles that mirror professional practice.

Each project represents nearly a year of engineering work shaped by current industry needs and supported by professional partners. Teams are challenged to define problems, navigate technical constraints, collaborate with stakeholders, and develop solutions that address real societal and market demands.

At the Expo, that work comes to life.

“I think engineering is one of the most important fields that somebody could get into, right now, because you’re a problem solver for a living,” says Greg Carstens, a graduating senior in Electrical Engineering and a project manager on the AI Arcade project. “That’s what engineering is, you find a problem and you figure out how to solve it. I think that’s one of the most important skills anybody can have in life.”

That combination of technical skill, critical thinking and purpose-driven innovation is a hallmark of the CEDC experience. Students can recognize opportunities to improve the world around them with the technical skill they have.

Work That Reflects the Real World

The breadth of projects presented during this year’s Expo reinforced how closely student work aligns with real-world challenges and emerging industry demands.

Across disciplines, teams tackled problems involving accessibility, sustainability, automation, healthcare innovation, data systems, robotics, infrastructure resilience, and advanced manufacturing. Their solutions reflected not only technical skill, but adaptability, creativity, and an understanding of the broader impact engineering and computing can have on society.

“My team is building bridges and beyond and we participate in the ASC Steel Bridge student competition, a nationally ranked competition where teams get together, compete regionally to see who has who can build, design and compete and assemble the best steel bridge.” Says Jesus Gonzales, graduating senior in Civil Engineering. “The competition is, is scaled on real world problems. This year’s challenge involved designing a pedestrian bridge over the Rio Grande as part of a trail system in El Paso, Texas. So we took that problem and we built a one-tenth scale model to it.”

Just as important as the projects themselves was the way students communicated their work. Teams articulated not only what they built, but why it mattered, who it served and how their solutions could create measurable impact. That ability to connect technical execution with human-centered thinking is foundational at CEDC and continues to distinguish CU Denver graduates.

From their first year, students are immersed in design-based learning that reflects how engineering actually works. This approach produces engineers who beyond being  technically capable are intentional in how they think, build and lead. They graduate prepared to deliver solutions that work in practice, not just in theory.

“I started here as a freshman, and you get to do Intro to Design early on. Ultimately, [Capstone]  is in a sense a big science fair, but so much cooler than that,” said Lonnie Gambrell-Potts. “The class is a whole year, and you get to meet with sponsors and industry leaders and pick a challenge that interests you … I love design. That’s always been the passion and being able to do that into my board was awesome and amazing.”

But perhaps the most compelling part of the Capstone Expo was seeing what happens when students are trusted to take ownership of ambitious work. Seniors rose to the occasion, clearly demonstrating that the projects on display were developed by students encouraged to think bigger, ask harder questions, and push beyond what they believed possible. The result was a showcase filled not only with technical achievement, but with creativity, purpose, and momentum.

This is engineering education at CU Denver: collaborative, applied, industry-connected and student-centered. It is grounded in the belief that students learn best by building, testing and doing.

2026 Capstone Award Winners

The Expo culminated in recognizing standout teams whose work demonstrated exceptional innovation, execution, and impact.

Multi-Disciplinary Capstone Winner
Experimental Launch Module (E.L.Mo)

Samuel Post and Tyler Stanley, winners of the Capstone Expo 2026 for Experimental Launch Module (ELMo). You can read more about Sam’s experience working on his Capstone Project here: CU Denver Engineering Student Joins International Space Research Mission in Sweden

Electrical Engineering Winner
the C.O.R.E Jet

Winners for the C.O.R.E Jet: Matthew Mata, Liam Gonzalez, Jacquie Sammel, Payton Kallaher, Derek Knauf, Daniel Uribe, Anthony Giattini

Mechanical Engineering Winner
Herban Warfare

Winners for Herban Warfare: Adam Cate​, Breanna Herrera, ​ Cameron Bain-Faus, Cash Stephens​, Ethan Le

Computer Science Winner
Clara

Winners for Clara: Todd Cresswell, Marlon Williams, Joseph Milliken, Abigail Easterly
https://issuu.com/cudenvercapstone/docs/cedc_capstone_program_2026/32

Biomedical Engineering Winner
CathMatch

Winners for Cathmatch: Caden Baugus, Annie Dinh, Brooke Hagan, Saron Solomon

Civil Engineering Winner
SC Risk Reduction

Team Members for winning SC Risk Reduction Project: Login Alali, Ahmed Alazemi, Hams Albuloushi, Hailie Connell, Warsame Egal

Construction Management Winner
Lynx Construction

Team Members for winning Lynx Construction project: Jose J Gonzalez Vidal, James Holland, Natalia Perez Martinez

A Defining Student Experience

For many students, the Capstone Design Expo is a turning point. It represents the moment where years of effort, collaboration, setbacks, and growth evolve into professional confidence. It marks the transition from student to professional and validates years of growth by gifting our graduates with a space to be seen, heard, and recognized by the people who can shape what comes next.

The Capstone Design Expo reflects what CEDC does best: creating transformative opportunities that combines applied experience and industry connections to prepare students to lead immediately after graduation.

As the program continues evolving alongside the rapidly changing needs of industry and society, one thing remains constant: Capstone is signature CEDC experience where learning, innovation, networking, and career acceleration converge. Capstone is where engineering students meet their moment and what comes next truly begins.

Explore CEDC programs, connect with faculty and see how you can build what’s next at CU Denver.