Creative, Problem-Solving Projects Win at I2G

A semi-automated washing system for bins at a tomato-processing facility and a mobile app for hikers earned big wins at the Fall 2025 I2G, or Innovate to Grow, event at UC Merced.

I2G is a unique "experiential learning" program that engages external partner organizations with teams of students who design systems to solve real-world engineering and computer science problems.

The team "Let's Get Saucy" won the F3 Innovate Engineering Award for its project with Kagome, a Los Banos-based tomato processing and food manufacturing company.

Currently, Kagome manually washes the 300-gallon bins of tomato paste. Team members said they designed a programmable system to streamline Kagome's operations by reducing cleaning time, improving consistency and freeing staff to support higher-value tasks. The expected outcome is a safer, more efficient and more sustainable cleaning process that supports the facility's long-term operational goals.

"Trailblazers" won the F3 Innovate Computer Science and Engineering Award for their project with the nonprofit organization Mariposa Trails, which preserves and encourages outdoor recreation in the Sierra foothills. The team created a mobile application that combines text information, audio snippets, maps and images for various locations along the trails, while operating entirely offline.

Other projects featured at the event included a medical screw that expands after placement in the body, a computer vision system that uses artificial intelligence to spot and track foreign objects in carrot production, and a replacement for an underground basin for wastewater treatment for the East Bay Municipal District.

East Bay's existing wastewater facility, a 5.4-million-gallon concrete reservoir in a residential area, is falling apart, said team member Nayerli Carbajal. Refurbishing it would cost $50 million.

"Our design uses steel," Carbajal said. "It is $27 million, so they would be saving $23 million."

It's also above ground, making it easier to inspect and make repairs, said Eduardo Perez.

Working for the Bay Area Rapid Transit System, "The Wayfinders" won the Software Engineering Capstone award for their track.

The team built a navigation system without using GPS or wifi, said team member Joe Rosh.

"It's an app that works indoors." The team used phone sensor technology to give travelers a point-to-point route in a building.

"We did implement this in a UC Merced building, since we didn't have a train station," Rosh said. "It could be used for students who are lost."

The winning teams are:

• F3 Innovate Engineering Award: "Let's Get Saucy," team members Matthew Mendoza, Oliver Htway, Nicholas Panyanouvong and Salvador Maciel Rodriguez

• F3 Innovate Software Award: "Trailblazers," team members Ajay Grewal, Diego Sandoval, Kyle Gossage, Max De Ornelas

• Software Engineering Capstone (Track 5): "The Wayfinders," team members Avash Adhikari, JunZheng Lyu, Joe Samuel Rosh, Lauren Hur, Sarai Roman

• Software Engineering Capstone (Track 4): "QuoteX," team members Alex Aguilar-Miramontes, Addison Chen, Liz Ramos, Parthib Roy, Rachana Ajjarapu. The team built on the work of an earlier team that developed a web application for Rapid Prototyping Services at UC Merced's School of Engineering. "QuoteX" designed and implemented an interface that supports billing, reporting and enhanced quote management.

• Engineering Capstone Food Tech (Track 1): "Sterilite Busters," team members Jose Ramirez Enriquez, Miguel Vazquez Aguayo, Joshua Riley and Jobanpreet Singh. Working for the Morning Star Company, "Sterilight Busters" designed a vibrating delivery system that provides precise, steady control of tomato pomace as it moves into a UV sterilization chamber. This redesign ensures that the UV light effectively penetrates the pomace, achieving uniform sterilization.

• Engineering Capstone Precision (Track 2): "ωSST - Sustainable Savonius Turbines," team members Vishruth Adoni, Yael Andujar and Alexander Perez. Working for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, the team designed, modeled and tested a system to turn the airflow in BART tunnels into a clean energy generator. The system comprises a Savonius (drag type) wind turbine, a power generation, storage and distribution system that leverages the high-speed wind in the station tunnels.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Capstone Environment (Track3): "Solar Salt," team members Xavier Barajas, James Flores, AJ Heard, Ximena Martinez, Sera Riley. The team designed a process that uses solar energy to desalinate water and deliver up to 3.5 million gallons of potable water per day.