DRS Technologies Inc. today announced the winners of its second annual Student Infrared Imaging Competition. Held at the DRS facilities in Melbourne, Fla., the contest allows students to showcase their innovative ideas using thermal imaging technologies.
The winners for the “Best Overall Project” were University of California San Diego students Will Warren, Daniel Yang and Yuncong Chen, for their “3D Thermal RGB Mapping for Firefighting Robots” project. Their team received the $10,000 grand prize for its winning project.
Students from the University of Memphis took second place and $2,000 for their project, “Forgery-proof Identification Using Sweat Gland Distribution.” Third place and a grand prize of $1,000 went to a team from the Missouri University of Science and Technology for its entry of a “New Method to Identify Counterfeit Products Using Infrared Cameras.”
A new category of competition, the “Most Viral Video,” was introduced and the winner of that category was awarded to “Infrared Flows” from Max Junda of the University of Toledo. Junda’s video was a cinematic adaptation of the Tamarisk 320 thermal imaging camera as an artistic medium, capturing unique heat signatures of fluids as they passed through a hand-carved sculpture. The team was also awarded the $5,000 grand prize.
Select students from participating universities were provided with Tamarisk 320 thermal imaging cameras, from the Network and Imaging Systems division of DRS. The objective of providing the cameras was to develop projects that portray the most innovative use of infrared imaging.
“We are encouraged by the growth of this competition. From an engineering perspective, we’ve seen progressively advanced applications of infrared imaging,” said Terry Murphy, COO of DRS Technologies, reflecting on the momentum of the program as he presided over the awards ceremony.
He added, “The technical caliber of the entries for ‘Best Overall Project’ was remarkable. However, we are also enthusiastic about the addition of the ‘Most Viral Video’ category to the competition that inspired an artistic adaptation of thermal sensing and imaging technology. These new interpretations should serve to further extend the knowledge base for infrared applications to a larger audience.”
Mike Sarrica, President of the firm’s Network and Imaging System’s unit, said in a statement, “We are most grateful to all of this year’s Student Infrared Imaging Competition participants. Their hard work and ingenuity made SIIC 2013 a tremendous success.” Sarrica presented each of the winning teams with their awards and prize money.
“DRS Network and Imaging Systems Principal Scientist, Dr. George Skidmore has done an excellent job of engaging faculty advisors and department heads from universities across the nation with the objective to excite young minds about the possibilities of thermal imaging and their role in its development. We at DRS are extremely proud to offer recognition to these students and we look forward to the evolution of these ideas and concepts in the coming years,” Sarrica continued.
