The Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK), Rice University’s signature hub for undergraduate engineering innovation, will hold its annual Huff OEDK Engineering Design Showcase and competition April 17 at the Ion.
The event, which is open to the public, is an opportunity to experience the creativity and dedication of Rice undergraduate engineering students whose projects translate classroom knowledge into functional engineering designs with a real-world purpose. More than $14,000 will be awarded in prizes.
Visitors will have the opportunity to view and be inspired by more than 80 innovative prototypes, including a lunar rescue concept for incapacitated extravehicular activity crew developed in preparation for NASA’s Artemis III lunar mission in 2027; an affordable baby bottle mouthpiece designed for infants with a cleft lip or palate; a continuous coagulation monitoring device for extracorporeal membranous oxygenation, enabling early clot detection and faster intervention to improve patient safety and provider workflow; a robotic system capable of planting, maintaining and harvesting multiple agricultural crops in a shared growing space; a semiautomated, desktop-sized machine for screen printing electrodes in laboratory settings; a haptic bracelet that delivers vibrational and squeeze-based feedback for enhanced virtual reality/augmented reality experiences; and a therapeutic glove designed to assist in treating Parkinson’s disease.
A list of the projects competing in the showcase can be found here.
What: Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen Showcase and competition
When: Thursday, April 17, 4:30-7 p.m.
Where: The Ion, 4201 Main St.
The OEDK is a dedicated space where Rice undergraduate engineering students bring ideas to life. Students from across engineering disciplines design, prototype and deploy solutions to real-world challenges. A signature element of the Rice engineering experience, capstone design projects developed at the OEDK tackle pressing problems faced by industry and community partners — turning classroom learning into tangible impact.
Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Alex Becker, media relations specialist, at alex.becker@rice.edu or 713-348-6794.
Media should park in the Red Parking Lot across the street from the Ion. To access, enter 4203 Fannin St. into your GPS for directions directly to the lot. This lot is for guest and event parking. Parking is free for the first three hours. For further directions and parking information, see https://iondistrict.com/visit/getting-here.