The showcase will feature a variety of projects, highlighting students’ skills in branding, typography, illustration and other areas. Portfolio Day provides a platform for students to present their work to potential employers, industry professionals and the public.

Senior Roann Carter emphasized the event’s importance, calling it “more important than a graduation ceremony” for students to display their work and network. Carter is particularly excited to present a packaging project created for a Japanese root vegetable company.

“The journey for this project was a long one and its evolution is probably the most satisfying of all my projects as it all came together beautifully in the end,” Carter said. “I’m also particularly proud of the way I used Illustrator to create the effects I was looking for.”

Canon, a valued UofL partner since 2018, is sponsoring the event. The company’s ongoing support provides mentorship, workshops and learning experiences for students. Canon also provided funding to enhance the graphic design program’s Digital Print Lab.

Peter P. Kowalczuk, Canon U.S.A., Inc.’s executive vice president and Client Services Group president, said the support for the program remains an important way for the next generation of designers to learn from – and connect with – members of the creative industry.

“We are pleased to again be part of Portfolio Day with the University of Louisville and its wonderful program that helps to inspire young artists and designers,” Kowalczuk said. “Providing talented students with the means to succeed in the world of design remains a worthy goal, and we appreciate all the hard work the team at the Hite Institute continues to put in to make this event so successful.”

Portfolio Day will be held at the UofL Belknap Campus, Miller IT Building, Bigelow Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

Learn more about Portfolio Day and Canon’s involvement by reading UofL News’ recap of the 2024 event.

• Shower doors made with “smart glass”
• Zero-waste systems for distilleries
• Systems to turn wastewater into purified water for brewing craft beer
• Methods to minimize plastic waste in the ocean
• Methods to prevent corrosion in concrete roads and bridges
• Products to keep children from being forgotten in hot cars

From solar batteries to building designs to a specialized Alexa product for Papa John’s franchisees, the projects and prototypes demonstrated at the first Engineering and Design Innovation Showcase showed the depth and breadth of UofL engineering students’ ingenuity and enthusiasm.

The event, held in the Student Activities Center April 18, featured teams of seniors — as well as a select group of first-years — demonstrating their capstone projects. Almost 90 teams totaling more than 350 students showed their posters and prototypes to representatives from the president’s office, members of the boards of trustees and overseers, faculty, industry professionals, administrators, fellow Speed students, K-12 students and even a few proud parents.

Fifty teams had company sponsors for a total of $168,000. Additionally, four companies sponsored coveted industry awards — DuPont, Papa John’s, Qk4 and TOPY America Inc.

One team, Saf-T Child, took home two of the four industry awards: DuPont’s Innovation to Thrive Award and the Papa John’s Most Innovative Award, each worth $1,000. The team designed a weight-sensing pad that alerts drivers if a child remains in the car after it is turned off. Team members were Clay Groeschen, Hadassah Lamppin, Michael York and Kendall Ogden.

The QK4 Engineering Award, worth $500, was given to the team Technology for People Living with Dementia, which came up with an affordable computer system that those with dementia can use when caregivers cannot help with tasks. Team members were Kody Arvin, Robert McKinney and Daniel Padgett.

The winner of the TOPY America Inc. Environmental Award, also worth $500, was Operation: Save the Turtles. The team’s goal was to protect ocean life by coming up with an alternative to recycling plastic that would convert plastic into useful products such as diesel fuel. Team members were Delaney Coovert, Allison Melvin, Miao Ting Li and Jianchao Zhao.

“I could feel the excitement and the interest of those who were attending,” said Speed School Dean Emmanuel Collins, who promised to make the showcase an annual event. 

Check out video from the event: