WEATHERFORD, Okla. — Students from Southwestern Oklahoma State University presented projects to members of U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s innovations team, showcasing the work they have accomplished during the fall semester.
The partnership between SWOSU and USACE began in 2017, when one of the innovations team members began looking for help in bringing their projects to life. That partnership has grown into the university hosting an innovations workshop annually, bringing the teams together in a central location.
“The innovations team focuses on planning and developing technological innovations which benefit USACE personnel in their daily duties as well as the recreating public which visits our parks,” said Jason Knight, Operations Division natural resource management. “The innovative ideas put together by the team are presented to the capstone students each year in January and students join teams based on the project in which they have interest.”
The projects on which the students worked this semester were a sign interpreter tool, Corps Catch game, augmented reality life stream floor and a continuation of the augmented reality/virtual reality 360 app.
By the end of the semester, the sign interpreter tool had a working prototype. The finished project will allow the diverse recreating public to scan a QR code, helping non-English speakers to translate the verbiage into over 130 languages. Teams working on the other projects made great progress, leaving the incoming students in a strong place as they continue the work.
“I really enjoyed working on this project,” said SWOSU student Lizabeth Garcia. “This experience taught me a lot that I will carry with me into the future. I learned how to delegate, how important communication is, and what is means to be part of a team.”
The teamwork needed to bring these projects to life is something the students will utilize in their work life after leaving college. Working on this program with USACE also gives them an addition to their resumes as they begin looking for a job following graduation.
“As an advisor, I get direct feedback from our students who say these projects always come up in job interviews,” said Dr. Jeremy Evert assistant professor for the department of computer science. “I believe this has been a key point in the interview process that helps SWOSU students get hired.”
Students keep track of the hours spent on the project during the course of the semester. Tracking the hours ensures USACE is able to show the volunteer value of the student’s hours. In this semester alone the students spent 1,892 hours on the project. To date, the university has volunteered 136 students, worked on 27 innovations donating 23,424 hours of service for a volunteer value of $702,000.
The next scheduled workshop will be held the first week of classes in January. Holding the workshop on campus allows USACE team members to collaborate with students face to face about upcoming projects for the upcoming semesters.
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