Attendees walking by booths at the 2025 CEAS Expo. Photo/Mary Dwyer

CEAS Expo unveils inaugural innovation awards – discover the winners

Forward-thinking designs dominated at the 2025 CEAS Expo

By Stephen Kenney Email Stephen

9 minute read April 11, 2025

Innovation reigned supreme, from firefighting rovers to automated smoothie makers, during the 2025 CEAS Expo.

The event unveiled capstone projects from seniors at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science, showcasing the groundbreaking designs crafted by graduating Bearcats.

As Cincinnati’s entrepreneurial and inventive powerhouse, UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub partnered with CEAS for this year’s event. That led to the 1819 Innovation Awards, recognizing five teams with especially transformative and beneficial capstone designs.

Introducing the winners

There was no lack of innovative projects during the CEAS Expo, making it challenging for the judges to select winners. Student entries were scored on their performance across eight categories:

Creativity
Impact
Feasibility
Sustainability
Collaboration
Adaptability
Scalability
Innovative

Meet the inaugural 1819 Innovation Award winners who scored high on in each category based on their cutting-edge capstone projects.

QL+ lower-limb amputee cooling liner

Team: George Kote, Ethan Laake, Riley Lohman, Drew Sivon and Jacob Yanasak

Prosthetic legs are designed to support active lifestyles for amputees, but heat and excessive sweat buildup can introduce new challenges. In fact, many lower-limb amputees experience skin irritation and reduced stability when using their leg prosthetics in warm or physically demanding conditions.

QL+ team holding their award at the 2025 CEAS Expo. Photo/Mary Dwyer

The QL+ amputee cooling liner was developed to empower leg amputees by addressing this issue of heat and moisture buildup. Created by a team of CEAS seniors, the innovative prosthetic liner and socket system passively regulates temperature and moisture, offering a solution not currently on the market.

Kendra Herber, a paratriathlete and advocate for those with disabilities, is grateful that QL+ is breaking boundaries as it addresses a critical issue. “What I wish prosthetic companies knew is that they … can be more innovative, they can take more risks,” Herber says.

QL+ isn’t waiting for current prosthetic cooling liner companies to design more thoughtful models. Instead, the team is moving forward with an innovative design to let leg amputees move effectively, safely and without the hassle that plagues many current models.

The 1819 Innovation Hub played a significant role in the development of QL+ technology. “1819 being a one-stop shop was pretty crucial to me being able to rip out prototypes and come up with solutions for projects that are tangible,” says Ethan Laake of QL+.

Grip strength assistive glove

Team: Jack Blaurock, James Senick and Jakob West

Innovation can transform lives, as painter Rebecca Rozales discovered firsthand after she tried a grip-strength assistive glove developed by three CEAS students. Living with rheumatoid arthritis, Rozales had gradually lost the ability to fully close her hand and hold a paintbrush — until the glove helped restore that function.

Rozales using the grip strength assistive glove. Photo/Mary Dwyer

These Bearcats were determined to help her, leading them to develop a glove with contracting cables that hold fingers in a gripping position. This allows Rozales to painlessly hold onto a paintbrush without using any of the force in her hand.

With Rozales living 17 hours away in Colorado, the team needed plenty of resources to move forward with a precise, functional model. They found the tools they needed at 1819. Team members especially appreciated 1819’s classes on 3D scanning and modeling, sewing and how to make the most of the makerspace’s workshop.

This glove’s position at the intersection of invention and altruism has the potential to change Rozales’ life, allowing her to continue painting. Having traveled all the way from Denver to try on her new grip strength assistive glove, Rozales was overjoyed: “It’s wonderful!”

Forest fire fighting rover and robot

Team: Cara Baah-Binney, Jamie Brandewie and Megan Sheth

What was initially built as an educational tool for high school students at the CEAS Robotics Competition transformed over time into a rover that can safely, affordably and effectively fight forest fires.

Forest fire fighting rover close-up shot

Team members explaining the forest fire fighting rover. Photo/Mary Dwyer

The CEAS students’ design includes a fully functional rover that can spray fire extinguishing powder as it drives along, lessening the risks to firefighters following behind. The robot also features a camera, allowing those working on the scene to learn what threats lie ahead.

While the robot offers clear benefits to firefighters, it has also become a valuable learning tool for high schoolers. “We wanted to help students understand that robotics are here to help solve issues that they’re seeing occur in real time,” Cara Baah-Binney says. “If they were to become engineers, they could be part of the people helping to fix the issues they’re seeing occur today.”

1819 played a pivotal role in the rover’s design, with the shell and electrical components built entirely in the Ground Floor Makerspace and final assembly completed onsite. The team also praised how approachable and helpful the 1819 employees were. Baah-Binney mentions, “When I went [to 1819], there were a lot of employees who helped me work through the process … and if they saw me making any mistakes they stopped and walked me through it so I could fix it.”

Smoothie Express

Team: Michael Bruggeman, Christopher Georgiades, Farhan Khan, Laxmi Khatiwada and Tyler Strand-Fox

The concept for Smoothie Express was sparked during a frustrating 40-minute wait for a smoothie order, which the team endured. Convinced there must be a better way, a group of CEAS students designed an automated system that streamlines the process – taking orders, assembling smoothies, and serving them with minimal human intervention.

Team member standing in front of Smoothie Express. Photo/Mary Dwyer

The result was an advanced smoothie machine capable of quickly and effectively serving drinks, eliminating long wait times and reducing operational overhead. The smoothie maker can serve multiple types of smoothies and add various ingredients depending on customer choice, using a robotic arm in the process.

The Smoothie Express team worked to design and develop its technology and needed access to a state-of-the-art fabrication facility. That’s why the Ground Floor Makerspace at the 1819 Innovation Hub became an essential resource for these CEAS students.

“If you look at this system, I’d say probably 70% was manufactured at 1819,” says Tyler Strand-Fox of Smoothie Express. “It has been an incredible resource for senior design students. We wouldn’t have access to any of these high-tech tools … without 1819.”

CurvAlign Spine magnetic scoliosis implant

Team: Landon Dull, Teresa Hawk and Noah Reitz

Scoliosis, a condition characterized by an abnormal curvature of the spine, can lead to severe pain and serious health complications if left untreated. It impacts an estimated 6 to 9 million people in the United States, roughly 2 to 3% of the country’s population.

The team behind CurvAlign Spine created a segmented magnetic implant that offers patients an innovative approach to spine straightening. Due to its segmented design, CurvAlign provides enough flexibility to help patients make various movements without putting pressure on the implant.

CurvAlign Spine team winning its award. Photo/Mary Dwyer

Current scoliosis treatments are often prohibitively expensive or require invasive surgeries every six months. CurvAlign offers a more affordable, long-term solution, allowing patients to manage their condition and enjoy life without dealing with the ongoing physical and financial burdens of scoliosis.

Machining, prototyping and enhancements to the project’s design all occurred at the 1819 Innovation Hub. The building’s makerspace – and its employees’ insights – allowed these students to develop a workable model and win awards at the CEAS Expo.

The CurvAlign team is thrilled to bring patients a more cost-effective and helpful treatment. “Scoliosis affects so many people,” Teresa Hawk says. “We feel motivated every day to continue to work on it since we know it can have real-life patient impacts.”

Featured image at top: Attendees walking by booths at the 2025 CEAS Expo. Photo/Mary Dwyer

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