More than 150 people gathered on the second floor of Student Center South on April 28 to celebrate student success, as students participating in the Spring 2025 NAE Grand Challenges Summit and Create@UH Showcase presented their work.
The event featured a keynote address from Joseph B. Powell, Aspire Shell Endowed Chair and Executive Director for Energy Transition and a Professor in the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Seth Smith, a junior Biomedical Engineering student, was the student speaker for the event.
A photo gallery from the event is available on the College’s Flickr account.
The showcase featured groups of students presenting research posters to their peers, faculty members and staff for an “open house” hour. This group voted for an exemplary poster to take home the Audience Choice Award.
“Emissions Explorer: Develop Carbon Sequestration Method” was the winner poster display. The group members are:
- Aliza Mirza, Electrical Engineering
- Helena Guzman, Construction Engineering
- Marice Mattamana, Mechanical Engineering
- Noah Soto, Philosophy transferring to Civil Engineering
- Uriel Pulido, Electrical Engineering
- Vi Ho, Chemical Engineering
Mirza described their work as examining carbon sequestration, which is capturing excess carbon dioxide from the air and storing it to help combat global warming. Their group focused specifically on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) methods and carbon footprint awareness.
“To tackle this, we designed an app that helps users understand how CCS works, calculate their own carbon footprint (how much CO₂ they personally produce), and learn simple, actionable steps to reduce it,” she said.
The app has six buttons that users can delve into — What is CCS; CO₂ Emissions and Need for CCS; CCS Projects; Carbon Footprint Calculator; EcoTravel; and Energy and Local Emissions. It shows the users the effect of various decisions they make, and how they can make them.
Ho said that they were drawn to the topic of carbon emissions because it is one of the most urgent and visible environmental challenges of our time.
“While all 14 NAE Grand Challenges are important, we were especially drawn to this one because it ties closely to the broader goal of sustainability, which we believe is the foundation for a healthier future,” she said. “Our project combines education with interactive tools to help users better understand how carbon capture works, assess their personal impact and explore practical steps toward a more sustainable future.”
The group was advised by Gulin Aksu, Instructional Assistant Professor, with Guzman adding that she was incredibly helpful through the process.
“She answered all of our questions and provided several examples from past classes that helped guide and inspire us,” Guzman said. “As a group, we also communicated really well and collaborated effectively to contribute ideas, which allowed us to create a cohesive poster that accurately reflects our work on the app.”
Soto noted that the group was shocked — in a good way — when they learned they had won.
“We had seen many other posters and were quite impressed with the work others had put into their projects,” he said. “When it was announced that we won we were all so surprised and most of all appreciative to be given such an award that recognized all of the time and hard work we put into our project.”