Tomato-pollinating robot wins top prize at Design Day 2026
Team 26008 took home the Craig M. Berge Dean’s Award for Most Outstanding Project and a $7,500 prize for TOMI, an autonomous greenhouse robot that pollinates tomato plants and detects harmful pests using artificial intelligence.
Thousands of community members, industry partners and judges packed the University of Arizona Student Union Ballroom and U of A Mall on May 4 for the College of Engineering’s 2026 Craig M. Berge Design Day.
Bringing two semesters of hard work to life and competing for $53,500 in cash prizes, 88 Interdisciplinary Capstone teams made up of 505 seniors presented their industry- and university-sponsored projects.
Veggie robot reimagines greenhouses
The Craig M. Berge Dean’s Award for Most Outstanding Project, with a prize of $7,500, went to Team 26008 presenting TOMI, a crop-pollinating robot.
The steel-framed autonomous robot pollinates tomato plants and detects pests inside greenhouses.
“Our goal was to automate pollination, pest identification and wrap it all up in a friendly, one-stop shop of an app,” said Estevan Aragon, team lead and mechanical engineering student.
Tomato plants require gentle agitation to pollinate and produce fruit. Manual greenhouse processes are tedious and time consuming. Whereas, TOMI travels along a predefined path and with tiny fans on board gently stimulates each plant. Built-in cameras help with navigation.
“All the user has to do is input a height window,” Aragon said. “The robot handles the rest, moving up and down so every flower gets stimulated.”
The team used images to train computer vision, an artificial intelligence model, to identify crop-destroying insects, such as whiteflies, thrips and fungus gnats.
“None of us had ever trained a computer vision model before,” Aragon said. “It took about eight months and thousands of images to get it working, but we got our accuracy up to 76%.”
Brew waste turns fashion
Another standout team transformed waste into wearable material.
Team 26085 used dried and treated SCOBY, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that turns sweet tea into kombucha, to create an alternative to leather.
Chemical engineering major Grace Anne Toftner showcases samples of her team's SCOBY-based vegan leather alternative.
“Once SCOBY is dried, it can become a leather-like material, but without treatment it’s brittle and not very useful,” said Rohini Ghosh, chemical engineering major and team lead.
Team members produced a series of prototypes until they identified a scalable process that made the material durable enough for items like wallets and purses.
Peers selected the team for the Larimore Family Student Choice Award, with a prize of $1,000.
Project sponsors Greg Lorton and the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering encouraged the team to take a practical approach.
“We assume there’s already a factory making kombucha, and we just add onto it,” Ghosh said. “That way, we can recycle what would have been a waste product and turn it into something new.”
Eyes on the skies
Another award-winning team developed a safety system to detect and locate in real time drones.
“It’s detecting unauthorized drone activity anywhere you want to protect people, whether that’s military sites, schools or hospitals,” said Ian Jensen, Team 26041 member and optical sciences and engineering student.
Team sponsor Sandia National Laboratories requested a more cost-effective and portable alternative to existing technologies for civilian and military applications. And that is what the Raytheon Best Overall Design winner, receiving a $5,000 prize, delivered.
Two camera nodes on a tripod and a machine learning model pinpoint drone locations and triangulate their positions in 3D space.
“We wanted to capture the drone from two lines of sight so we could localize it in X, Y and Z coordinates,” Jensen said. “At 100 meters, we were able to locate it within a 10-meter radius.”
See more on Design Day 2026
• project highlight video
• event booklet
Craig M. Berge Design Day Spring 2026 Winners
Craig M. Berge Dean’s Award for Most Outstanding Project – $7,500
Lightweight Yield and Crop Optimizer: Tomato Interface (LYCO: TOMI)
Estevan Avran Aragon, Walter Davenport, Roberto Enrique Diaz, Kayla Mellendorf, Tallen Monnett and Ramon Partida
Department of Biosystems Engineering
Raytheon Award for Best Overall Design – $5,000
Distributed Counter Uncrewed Aircraft System (CUAS) Development
Matthew Arcarese, Andrew Avalos, Colin Core-Altamirano, Jared Mageau, Ian Ornelas Jensen and Anthony Edward Wilson
Sandia National Laboratories
RBC Sargent Aerospace & Defense Voltaire Design Award – $3,500
Development of a Non-Balloon Internal Retention Mechanism for Gastrostomy Tubes
Dan Ellsworth-Babilonia, Ashton Lambert, Luke Mandal, Jesse Riemenschneider, Ethan Taylor and Karly Rianna Zamora
Spectrum Plastics
Bly Family Award for Innovation in Energy Production, Supply or Use 1st Prize – $2,000
Plastic Recycling, Carbon Capture and Disaster Relief through Pyrolysis (Year 2)
Max Mason Banach, Anthony Castillo, Carlos Correa, Don Kleine, Alexis Munguia, Aurora Rivera, and Zack Schiffler
PeakView Solutions
Bly Family Award for Innovation in Energy Production, Supply or Use 2nd Prize – $1,000
Hybrid Electric Drill Rig
Carson Brofft, Logan Timothy Brown, Cody Mitchell Chun, Matthew M. Minear, Dominic Morlock and Josue Valenzuela
Geomechanics Southwest, Inc.
Acron Aviation Award for Most Robust Systems Engineering – $2,500
Spectral Person Characterization & Target Recognition (SPECTR) System
Zane Qassim Al-Qattan, Rayce Bacchus, Andrew Black, Eli Jordan, Denly W. Lindeman and Sutton Thomas
BAE Systems
BAE Systems Award for Best System Software Design – $2,500
Automated Dispense Volume Calibrator
Tatum Abbruscato, Leo D. Dickinson, Ian Gold, Colton Crook Hackenyos, Adiba Haque and Michael Jones
Roche
Honeywell Award for Excellence in Aerospace System Design – $2,000
Emergency Signal Relay Drone
Cole Colton Cartier, Wyatt Dougherty, Dara Franklin, Alexia Segarra, Ana Tuba and Konray Yuan
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Greg Lorton Award for Practical Process Design – $1,500
Helium Recovery from Natural Gas
Hannah G. Golden, Lindsey Anne Lambert, Sofia Grace Morand and Siena Elizabeth Roberts
Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
Roche Tissue Diagnostics Award for Most Innovative Engineering Design – $1,500
Pathology Lab Dispenser Disassembler
Luis Camacho, Jaiden Ditto-Piccolo, Carolina Ferreira Silva, Somto Brian Ike, Liliana Suarez and Adnan Yousef
Roche
Lundin Award for Innovation in Mining – $1,500
Sierrita Mine Expansion
Nathan James Ball, Max Hasbrouck Bevier, Wyatt Busby, Euan Presley Greenwood, Alex Michael Ignat and Jorge L. Ochoa
Freeport McMoRan and School of Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources
Lowell Award for Interdisciplinary Solutions for Mining – $1,500
Optimization of Hydrometallurgy in Mining through Automation
Xavier Jose Carrasco, Everett Cota, Rajy A. Elkanany, Jonah Fergusson, Daniel Gallardo, James Arjun Singh Moore and Jack Tews
Freeport McMoRan
Rincon Research Award for Best Presentation – $1,500
Development of a Non-Balloon Internal Retention Mechanism for Gastrostomy Tubes
Dan Ellsworth-Babilonia, Ashton Lambert, Luke Mandal, Jesse Riemenschneider, Ethan Taylor and Karly Rianna Zamora
Spectrum Plastics
Attalon Award for Best Optical Systems Design – $1,500
Vacuum-Compatible Imaging System with Variable Working Distances
John Cobes, Noah Jared Cornaby, Colby Lee Donner, Payton Lammert, Aviana Caprice Sorich and Louden Sundling
ASML US, Inc.
W.L. Gore and Associates Award for Lifelong Innovation – $1,250
Water Economy – A Water Sparing and Dialysate Recycling System Complimenting Hemodialysis for End-Stage Kidney Failure Patients
Lily Sarah Greenberger, Sebastian Kristopher Mares, Abigail McDermott, Boston McGarrahan, Bella Raguse and Conner Smith
Kidney ADVANCE Project, NIH and Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation
Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies Award for Best Use of Prototyping – $1,250
MediBrick: Dissemination and Expansion
Mohammed T. Altekreeti, Brady McKinnis Bell, Shafayet Ahmed Khan, Sebastian Pojman-Malo and Jiahe Xu
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Frank L Broyles & GRADD Co. Award for Best UAS Design – $1,250
Hypersonic Projectile
John Aaron Bruchhagen, Ella Carreno, Briana Curley, Enzo Remolar Jabel, Emily Schorr, Ethan Valentine, Carson Mathias White and Logan Wilke
Northrop Grumman
The Larimore Family Student’s Choice Award – $1,000
Production of Vegan Leather from Kombucha
Rohini Ghosh, Zoe Elizabeth Johnson, Samantha Mikaela Provenzano and Grace Ann Toftner
Greg Lorton and the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
Sharon ONeal Award for Software Development with Emerging Technologies – $1,000
Automated Dispense Volume Calibrator
Tatum Abbruscato, Leo D. Dickinson, Ian Gold, Colton Crook Hackenyos, Adiba Haque and Michael Jones
Roche
The Newman Family Award for Perseverance and Recovery – $1,000
Engineering a High-Fidelity Environment Chamber for Planetary Landscape Terraformation Research
Frank D’Urso, Justin Eckert, Will Gillespie, Mark He, Raul Hernandez and Isabelle Scott
Biosphere 2
Larry Head Award for Best Video Capturing the Project Story – $1,000
Lunar Application of Sodium Ion Battery
Keannu Gison, Lindsey Hiett, Nathan James Pocock, Necia Poulson, David Tashchyan and Charles Williams
Airtronics
The Mensch Foundation Award for Best Use of Embedded Intelligence – $1,000
Generative ATC/Pilot Conversations for NextGen Avionics Systems
Man M. Doan, Chris Kruep, Ronan Sacolick, Seti Valencia, Nomar Ivan Vazquez and Jason Michael White
Universal Avionics
IEEE Tucson Section Award for Best Use of a Sensor – $1,000
LiDAR-Camera Fusion for Telecom Infrastructure Mapping and Inspection
Jacob Greene, Jacob Thomas Grudinschi, Leif T. Hilding, Richard Peng, Lukas Vaiciunas and Nathan H. Vance
PeakView Solutions
Ana Needham Award for Best External Collaboration by a Single Discipline Team – $1,000
Bench-Scale Brewing System
Miguel Astorga, Kayla Pearl Courtright, Ahava Rose Salomon and Shayla Jane Wandrei
Nutritional Science & Wellness
Technical Documentation Consultants of Arizona Award for Best Design Documentation – $1,000
Autonomous 3D-Printed Leaf Chamber
Molly Auer, Naomi Kolodisner, Dominic Madrigal, Alec Mischke, Noah Michael Patchin and Ben J. Tung
Biosphere 2
Henry & Suzanne Morgen Award for Best Consideration of the End User – $1,000
Human Factors Optimization for Wearable Sleeve Sensor Deployment
William Lancaster, Sam Landy, Lucas Cree Mellinger, Charles N. Subong, Kyle Tucker and Julia Wozniak
Senphonix
Mark Brazier Award for Best Biomedical System Design – $1,000
Cartilage Growth System Module in Sterile Environment
Francisco Zaeed Cano, Allison Chavez Gutierrez, Ethan Lin, Jenna Mas, Katie Sweet and Pedro Sebastian Urquia
Don and Sherry McDonald Biomedical Projects
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Award for Impactful Application of Science & Technology – $900
Cartilage Growth System Module in Sterile Environment
Francisco Zaeed Cano, Allison Chavez Gutierrez, Ethan Lin, Jenna Mas, Katie Sweet and Pedro Sebastian Urquia
Don and Sherry McDonald Biomedical Projects
Attalon Fish Out of Water Award – $750
Zoe Huestis
Multi-digit Assessment of Choice Response Output (MACRO) System
PeakView Solutions Award for Best Design for Practical Maintenance & Repair – $600
Automated Coolant Monitoring and Refill System
Abdullah Mishari Alshumais, Rolando Madrid Del Castillo, Derrick Filistin, Brad Steven Koerner, Abril Torres and Isabel Wee
RBC Sargent Aerospace & Defense
AZ Technica Award for Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation – $500
Biphasic Ionic-Liquid CO2 Capture System
Jeffrey Aaron Bartholomeusz, Steven E. George, Daniel Alejandro Musquiz and Regan Elizabeth Pate
Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
Dragoon Technology Award for Most Unintuitive Design Driven by Physics – $500
Passive Energy & Thermal-Airflow Linkage for Vertical Farms (PETAL-VF)
Ray Ball, Petrea Houska, Antonet Juarez, Ethan Kroner, Karina Marcoulier and Aiden Tsingine
Department of Biosystems Engineering
AZ Technica Award for Manufacturing Readiness – $500
Pathology Lab Barcode Reader Test Bench
Colin Eufemio Benites, Cienna Charron, Naomy Da Silva, Turhan Kerem Gonul, Paulina Lujan and Lainey Wait
Roche
The Simpson Family Award for Best Simulation and Modeling – $500
Unpowered, High Lift-to-Drag Hypersonics Projectile for Low Altitude Operations (Hyper-Shot)
Edgar Aguirre Millan, Sydney Charlotte Bayliff, David Conners, Daniel Fraijo, Finn Gerber, Jenna Gray, Ahmad Sabir Qureshi and Kaden Steiner
Lockheed Martin
Honeywell Award for Team Leadership – $250
Lamar Alkaka
Naphtha Methaforming Unit
Honeywell Award for Team Leadership – $250
Anastasia Jauriqui
Bench-Scale Beer Dealcoholization