Design Expo Roadmap: From Registration to Event Day

Design Expo gives students an opportunity to display their hard work through videos, images, and in an in-person elevator pitch style! Not only will the students be able to facilitate conversation with industry-level sponsors and professionals (great networking!), they also get the chance to explore other students’ work. Not to mention, there is an opportunity to win resume-worthy awards and real cash prizes!  Michigan Tech’s crazy smart students produce innovative, high-quality, and impressive solutions to real-world problems. We have all been on campus until late at night, caffeinated beverage in hand, dedicating countless hours to enterprise, senior design, or end-of-the-semester projects. Your hard work deserves to be showcased!! So the real question is… why SHOULDN'T you get involved? 

• I am an Engineering Fundamentals team, what should i do?

  • First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on being selected to register for Design Expo! Although you will not be formally judged and are therefore not eligible for our awards, this will be an amazing opportunity to network and get exposed to the style of a project showcase! Filling out the registration with accurate and professional-level information is still very important. Refer to the sections below for more details.

I'm getting ready to register, what materials do I need to submit?   

• Senior Design and Engineering Fundamentals: 
  • Simple Project Details - Please include the names of your team members, your advisors, and the official name of your project (or enterprise team name). 
  • Project Overview - here you will explain the problem you are trying to solve and your proposed solution. Other elements include but are not limited to: the purpose or need of your project, the project status, any important project definitions, your mission or vision statements, etc. TIP: If you use Abbreviation, please spell them out!

  • Project Image or Team Photo - This can be but is not limited to a photo of your prototype, your team working safely in your lab/shop/work space, a screenshot of a model, or a professional-looking photo of the members on your team. Make sure to come up with a clear and helpful caption for your photo.

• Enterprise Teams:
  • Simple Project details - Please include the names of your team members, your advisors, and the official name of your project. 
  • Project Description - BROAD: Here you can explain the mission of your enterprise, any themes, or over archiving purposes in your projects, or . TIP: If you use Abbreviation, please spell them out!
  • Project Overview - NARROW: Here you can mention your sponsors, and a little more detail on the teams within your Enterprise. In other words, you can describe your projects, their purposes, problems they are addressing, and solutions that your enterprise proposes.
  • Project Image - This can be but is not limited to a photo of your prototype, your team working safely in your lab/shop/work space, or a screenshot of a model. Make sure to come up with a clear and helpful caption for your photo
  • Team Photo - This should be a professional-looking photo of the members on your team. Make sure to include the photo credits for the caption.

• REMINDER: Your team's information will be included in our public website - everyone will will see the information you include in your registration. Make sure to be accurate and informative. Be aware of your sponsor’s rules on what information you are able to include. Refer to the team resources page for more information regarding sponsor considerations.
• The project descriptions and overviews are published on the Design Expo website one day before the event and remain on the website for reference after the expo is complete. Here is the Design Expo website from 2024.

• The information you provide is the first thing the judges will encounter when they learn about your projects. This step is crucial for building your reputation! Imagine if recruiters reviewed your LinkedIn profile before meeting you at a career fair. Ask yourself, what do I want the judges to learn about our project? What do I want their initial impressions to be?

  • Interested in learning more about what the judges are looking for?  Check out our team resources for some insight.
• Ready to register? Please use the registration forms below.

Each year at the Design Expo, teams compete for various awards, including those based on video submissions and in-person presentations. For detailed information, please refer to the Awards page.

In addition to these Design Expo-based awards, there are several other opportunities to be recognized for your team’s hard work. These include the Innovation Awards, Image Contest, and the Enterprise Program Awards.

Don’t miss out on these chances to showcase your achievements and be celebrated for your efforts over the past year.

In addition to your in-person conversation and materials, each team will also be judged on their video submissions. The videos will be published on the website for the judges to view the day before the event. This gives the judges an opportunity to familiarize themselves with your team and your project.

• What should my video include? 
  • The video is not meant to be a recording of your final presentation but instead a creative way to demonstrate projects. This could include an explanation of the problem you are addressing, your solution, a progression of your design process, a movie trailer, simulations, lots of visual examples, a fun skit, a commercial advertising your project, honestly the opportunities are endless! As long as it represents the mission of the enterprise or team you are part of, it is acceptable. 

• Length -

  • Senior Design videos should be between 2½  - 4 minutes long.

  • Enterprise videos should be between 5-7 minutes long. 

• Format - MP4 is the preferred format.  AVI, WMV, MOV, MPEG (1, 2, and 4), 3gp, M2TS, OGG, OGV are acceptable alternatives.
• Ummmm Help?
  • For those who aren’t as video filming/editing inclined, please refer to our team resources for tips and tricks. 
  • The library will be holding a workshop on Thursday, March 27, 2025, 2:00-3:00 p.m., in Library 244 to help you with “Video Creating & Editing!”
• Please keep in mind the video must be captioned, you must include a transcript, and you must be careful to not use any copyrighted music or images.
• Submit Your Video - Videos need to be uploaded by Saturday, April 12 at 11:59 PM.  

Video Submission Form

Be ready! 

• Please plan to have at least two students at your booth throughout Design Expo 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Practice Your Pitch - Be sure you are prepared to pitch your project to judges and guests.

• For tips, tricks, and best practices, the library will be holding a workshop on Thursday, March 6, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm, Library 244 to help you prepare. Register here: “Explain Your Project to Anybody”

Visual Aids and Table Displays

• You are encouraged to display aspects of your project! Please bring the prototype of your design (if you have one) to show off to the judges. You may also want to include tangible pieces from your experiments or re-creation method, visual data, images, and recordings, or bench scale you can perform.
• You are welcome to make a poster to add a visual element to your booth; however, be sure your focus is on a conversation with attendees rather than attendees reading a poster. If your team chooses to produce a poster, aim for a 36" x 48" or 41.5" x 60" sized poster. If your instructor/department already requires you to create a poster for your project, you may use the same poster for Design Expo. 
• The library will be holding a workshop on Thursday, March 19, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm, Library 244 to help you prepare.  Register here: “Posters, Images, and Visualizations.”
• TIP: Make sure whatever the table display includes you are able to speak about to attendees!

Look Nice

• Smart/Business Casual Attire -  Don’t forget, you are representing yourself and your team (or enterprise) so make sure you look presentable. If you have polo shirts or other garments with your team’s logo this is always a good choice.  Another option is dressing smart/business. Ultimately, dress however you are comfortable.
  • Check out these articles from Indeed and Forbes for recommendations. 
  • If you have limited access to business casual attire please visit the Husky Closet Collective. Ultimately, dress however you are comfortable.

Design Expo Kickoff

• When: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 10 a.m. EDT
• Where: The Van Pelt Opie Library — First floor
• Hear welcoming remarks and announcements.

Design Expo Student Showcase

• When: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT
• Where: The Van Pelt Opie Library — First floor and the Memorial Union Building — Ballroom
• Get Judged!

Design Expo Reception:

• When: 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Where: Lobby, Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts (10)
• All student teams, judges, sponsors, friends, and the Michigan Tech campus community are invited to a social hour at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts with light refreshments, entertainment, and door prizes.

Awards and Closing Remarks:

• When: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT
• Where: Lobby, Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts (10)

• Finally, our Design Expo Awards Ceremony, where student teams, advisors, and sponsors will be recognized with awards and prizes for all of their hard work.  

The event may be over, but there’s still more to do! Take time to reflect on your team’s experience—what went well, what could be improved, and what you learned along the way. If you received feedback from judges or attendees, use it to refine your project or future presentations. Don’t forget to thank your sponsors, mentors, and teammates for their support.

Finally, share your success—update your resume, e-portfolio, and LinkedIn with photos, videos, and key takeaways from Design Expo to showcase your hard work and achievements!