Two teams of UTSA engineering students are building new interactive exhibits that will engage local children in the mysteries of sight and sound at The DoSeum. Their projects will be on display at the university this month along with the innovative work of 91 other student teams at the UTSA College of Engineering Technology Symposium.

The DoSeum projects are among five EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service) that will be on display at the Tech Symposium, one of Texas’ largest university engineering accelerators, a showcase of innovative projects developed by UTSA students in civil, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering. EPICS is a service-learning design program, where teams of students partner with local and global community organization to address human, community and environmental needs.

EPICS is a student-led, faculty-advised service learning effort that enhances the students’ professional preparation and strengthens their multidisciplinary design skills. Each student team has a project manager and design lead. The EPICS experience runs over the course of the entire four years of a student’s undergraduate experience, allowing for project timelines to be realistic and continuing, involving the community in positive ways and providing opportunities for mentoring and leadership experiences.

“My overall experience with EPICS has been tremendously rewarding,” says Helena Oxendine, a post-baccalaureate studying electrical engineering. “This program continues to teach me valuable skills in business and professional communication, project planning and management, documentation and collaboration, customer relations, and data collection. I’ve been given the opportunity to lead and mentor a group of underclassmen and be a part of something bigger with a greater impact than a traditional senior design project. The striking aspects of EPICS is the ability to provide positive impacts throughout the San Antonio community through engineering.”

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