First-year civil engineering graduate student places second in xTech competition

Lirane Mandjoupa (center) receiving her prize.

Lirane Mandjoupa, won second place and a $5000 prize in the U.S. Army xTech HBCU Student Competition finals on February 10. The competition finals were held at the 2023 Black Engineer of the Year Award Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics Conference. Mandjoupa presented her work on climate change: “Ground-based remote sensing for Airdrops precision system: A data acquisition approach to mitigate supply chain and climate change risks.” The faculty advisor was Dr. Max Denis, assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering programs. The top three winners will potentially have an opportunity to develop a prototype or seek a patent for their designed solutions.

According to U.S. Army, the xTechHBCU competition “provides a structured and focused entry path for eligible undergraduates to submit novel concepts and technology solutions directly to the U.S. Army. Participants receive detailed feedback from Army and DOD stakeholders; and will have access to training, mentorship and networking opportunities through the xTechHBCU Student Accelerator program.”

In addition, five UDC seniors were finalists in the competition. Presenting on the theme of health and wellness were Glacia Martin, Hans Matthew Baes, Jamelia Ancel and Juan Estevez. Dorian Davis presented on artificial intelligence.