Capstone Showcase
NMSU · College of Engineering
Interdisciplinary Capstone · 2026

Industry.
Innovation.
Impact.

Thirty-six senior engineering teams. One ballroom. A year of industry, national lab, and entrepreneurial projects — distilled into a single afternoon of posters and an evening of recognition.

Date
May 1, 2026
Friday
Showcase
1:30 – 4:00 PM
Poster exhibition
Banquet
4:30 – 8:30 PM
Awards & dinner
Venue
Las Cruces Convention Center
Southwest Ballrooms
11days until the showcase
— A year of work

From AFRL turbojets to Lockheed Martin satellites, Honeywell pressure vessels to student-founded startups — every project begins with a real-world problem.

Program

The day, in order

The day begins with an open poster showcase, continues into a reception, and closes with a banquet and awards ceremony presented by distinguished speakers from across New Mexico.
Note

Banquet seating is prepared for RSVPs but open to walk-ups as capacity allows. The showcase portion is open to the public.

✦ Afternoon · Poster Showcase
1:00
Doors open
Check-in, name tags, judge code cards
1:30
Poster Showcase begins
36 teams present across the Southwest Ballrooms
4:00
Judging closes
Score tabulation and award finalization
✦ Evening · Banquet & Awards
4:30
Reception & poster viewing
5:00
Buffet service
5:30
Welcome & opening remarks
Brooke Montgomery, Program Lead
5:35
President's welcome
Dr. Valerio Ferme, NMSU President
5:50
Title Sponsor remarks
El Paso Electric · EPE Competition Winner
6:10
Remarks
Ikani Taumoepeau, Las Cruces City Manager
6:20
Remarks
John P. Munoz, Las Cruces Mayor Pro Tem
6:35
Remarks
Nathan Small, NM State Representative
6:50
Remarks
Bill Soules, NM State Senator
7:05
Lockheed Martin Competition
Winner announcement
7:10
Faculty Favorite awards
3rd, 2nd, 1st place · presented by Dénise Rodriguez-Strawn
7:20
Student Favorite awards
3rd, 2nd, 1st place · presented by Tori Crichton, Virgin Galactic
7:30
Closing remarks
Brooke Montgomery
7:30
Celebration & networking
Group photos and conversation until 8:30 PM
The work

Thirty-six projects, a year of labor

№ 01 — 36

Each team was paired with a real sponsor — a federal lab, a defense contractor, an industry partner, or a student-led startup — and spent the academic year building something that works.

Filter by project type
Filter by department
Showing 36 of 36 projects
01
ME/AE

AFRL Aerospace Propulsion Outreach Program

SponsorAir Force Research Laboratory
DOD
02
ME/ChE

AURUM ASTRA — Autothermal Biomass Pyrolysis Reactor

SponsorAurum Tech (Entrepreneurial)
Startup
03
ME

AURUM SHIELD — Self-Healing Composite Panels for Spacecraft

SponsorAurum Tech (Entrepreneurial)
Startup
04
CS/EE

BAE Systems AI-Assisted Satellite Health Monitoring

SponsorBAE Systems
Industry
05
ME

Cummins Engine Setup and Testing System

SponsorCummins
Industry
06
ME/EE

DOE Boost — WaveWise Wave Energy Technologies

SponsorNREL Tech Transfer
Federal
07
EE

El Paso Electric Smart Peak Shaving System — Team 1

SponsorEl Paso Electric
Industry
08
EE

El Paso Electric Smart Peak Shaving System — Team 2

SponsorEl Paso Electric
Industry
09
ME

Holloman AFB Modernized RAMS Tow Cart

SponsorUSAF 846th Test Squadron
DOD
10
ME

Honeywell KCNSC 3D Printed Polymer Welding for Pressure Vessels

SponsorHoneywell / KCNSC
DOD
11
ME

Honeywell KCNSC Impact Attenuation of 3D Printed Structures

SponsorHoneywell / KCNSC
DOD
12
ME/EE

Honeywell KCNSC Solder Dispensing Device

SponsorHoneywell / KCNSC
DOD
13
ME

Honeywell KCNSC Structure Stabilization for Electronic Enclosures

SponsorHoneywell / KCNSC
DOD
14
AE/EE

Ion Proportion Drone — Hybrid Aerial Surveillance Platform

SponsorJohn Noel (Entrepreneurial)
Startup
15
ME

LANL Blast-Resistant Smart Container for Hazardous Waste

SponsorLos Alamos National Laboratory
Federal
16
ME

LANL Bolt Release Mechanism

SponsorLos Alamos National Laboratory
Federal
17
ME/EE

LANL Instrumentation for 100k Radiation Tank Sampling

SponsorLos Alamos National Laboratory
Federal
18
CS/ME

LANL High-Performance Robotic Boxing — Speedbag Perception

SponsorLos Alamos National Laboratory
Federal
19
CS/EE

LANL Neuromorphic Pong & Air Hockey at Super-Human Speeds

SponsorLos Alamos National Laboratory
Federal
20
AE/EE

Lockheed Martin CommNET Satellite — Team 1

SponsorLockheed Martin
Industry
21
AE/EE

Lockheed Martin CommNET Satellite — Team 2

SponsorLockheed Martin
Industry
22
ME

NMSU BattleBots MechE Mayhem Team

SponsorMechE Mayhem Competition
Competition
23
ME

Hybrid Darrieus & Savonius Small-Scale Wind Turbine

SponsorNMSU Research
Research
24
ME

Raster Angle Effect on Honeycomb-Infilled 3D Prints

SponsorOak Ridge National Laboratory
Federal
25
EE

Wireless Electromagnetic EV & AMR Charging System

SponsorQKOIL (Entrepreneurial)
Startup
26
ME/EE/CS

Sandia National Labs RoboSub Nation Team

SponsorSandia National Laboratories
Competition
27
ME/ChE

Automated Brewery Cleaning Station with CIP Integration

SponsorStudent Entrepreneurship
Startup
28
ME

US SOCOM Advanced Systems Design for Extreme Environments

SponsorUS SOCOM
DOD
29
ME

Design & Performance Analysis of a Chilled Water Loop

SponsorIndustry Sponsored
Industry
30
EE/ME

Modernizing a Low-Cost Rotary Encoder for NEMA17 Steppers

SponsorURSA Science (Entrepreneurial)
Startup
31
ME/ChE

Survive the Night — Lunar Logistics Challenge

SponsorWERC Environmental Design
Competition
32
ME

3D Printing Solutions for Semiconductor Burn-in Socket

SponsorWhite Sands Missile Range
DOD
33
AE/EE

Adapt-a-Drone Radar Signature Weaver

SponsorWhite Sands Missile Range
DOD
34
ME/ChE

Reducing Emissions from Gas Turbine Power Systems

SponsorOracle
Industry
35
AE/ME

Spaceport America Launch Systems Integration

SponsorSpaceport America
Industry
36
CS/ME

AI Robotic Arm for Harvesting

SponsorNMSU Research
Research
NMSU College of Engineering · Las Cruces, New Mexico
Where the work gets made.
Recognition

Eleven awards, thirteen moments

Each award is backed by a sponsor who decided a particular kind of excellence was worth funding. Two remain open — a way for a new partner to put their name on recognition that will be presented on stage.

$3,000
Best Overall Design in Engineering
Sponsored by Jag & Linda Cheema
Confirmed
$2,000
Most Outstanding Project
Sponsored by NMSU Board of Regents
Confirmed
$2,000
Sponsorship opportunity
Claim this award →
$2,000
Sponsorship opportunity
Claim this award →
$1,000
Best Poster Presentation
Sponsored by PNM
Confirmed
$1,000
Best Use of Emerging Technology
Sponsored by City of Las Cruces
Confirmed
$1,000
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Sponsored by Workspace 141
Confirmed
$1,000
Fish Out of Water
Sponsored by Beth Williams · The Bridge of S. NM
Confirmed
$500
Most Unintuitive Design
Sponsored by Stephanie Schilling · 1881 Ventures
Confirmed
$500
Out-of-the-Box Thinking
Sponsored by Amy L. Daniels · Edward Jones
Confirmed
$500
Hidden Gem
Sponsored by Janel Carnero · Embark Beyond
Confirmed
Two awards remain open. Sponsoring an award places your name on the large presentation check, in the printed program, and in this list — in front of 500+ students, faculty, and community leaders. Email Toni to discuss.
With gratitude

Made possible by

This evening happens because two kinds of partners decided it was worth supporting: event sponsors who fund the showcase and awards, and project sponsors who mentored teams through a year of real engineering work.

✦ 2026 Title Sponsor · $15,000
El Paso
Electric
EPE's investment in the next generation of engineers — through grid modernization, renewable integration, and advanced demand response — makes this event possible. Two capstone teams are building EPE's Smart Peak Shaving System this year.
✦ 2026 Event Sponsors
Gold
$5,000
Reliable Controls Corporation
Silver
$2,500
Edward Jones
✦ 2026 Capstone Project Sponsors

These organizations provided technical mentorship, project guidance, and financial support directly to student teams across the academic year — from federal labs and defense contractors to industry partners and student-founded startups.

Federal Labs & Defense · 10
Air Force Research Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratories
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
NREL
Honeywell / Kansas City NSC
USAF 846th Test Squadron
White Sands Missile Range
US SOCOM
CREW — Classified Ready Workforce
Industry Partners · 8
BAE Systems
Lockheed Martin
Oracle
Cummins
Spaceport America
El Paso Electric
Southland
FEDTECH
Entrepreneurial Ventures · 9
Aurum Tech
WaveWise Technologies
QKOIL
Ion Proportion Drone
Space-Cryo
PortionWise
SaniBrau Labs
URSA Science
SMART Turbine Blades
Competition Pathways · 3
WERC Environmental Design Contest
RoboNation / RoboSub
BattleBots MechE Mayhem
✦Looking ahead✦

Next year's teams are
already choosing their projects.

This inaugural banquet launches what we hope will be an annual tradition. If you'd like to help fund future capstones — as a prize sponsor, a project sponsor, or a donor to the College of Engineering — we'd be glad to talk.

Become a sponsorMake a gift to the college