Soren Marius and Michael Kenny presenting their GCI project.

Soren Marius and Michael Kenny presenting their GCI project.

Grand Challenges Initiative Showcase: Celebrating Innovation and Collaboration

On Friday, December 5, 2025, the Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI) hosted its semi-annual Showcase the close of the fall semester. This event marked the culmination of three semesters of hard work for four student teams — though one team impressively completed their project in just a single semester! Each group presented innovative solutions to real-world problems, blending creativity, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

FETCH: A Synthesizing Smart Dog Collar

Inspired by the benefits of wearable technology, FETCH aims to help pet owners monitor their dog’s emotional health. The team consulted with a researchers at the Animal Welfare Education Centre to design a smart collar that synthesizes data to detect potential health issues early.

Team FETCH, GCI Program Directors, and GCI 250 instructor

Left to right: Dr. Gabriela Shirkey, Dr. Tom Piechota, Torki Alghamdi, Tristan Horgan, Soren Marius, Michael Kenny, Sofia Morales Vilchis, Ben Lehrer, Dr. Javier Espeleta

PhishFighters: Educational Game about Spam Email Identification

Dr. Tom Piechota trying the PhishFighters game

Dr. Tom Piechota trying the PhishFighters game. Left to right: Thuan Luu, Naila Nurani, Dr. Tom Piechota

PhishFighters tackles the widespread issue of phishing scams through an engaging educational game. Drawing on advice from professional game designers, the team created an interactive experience that teaches users how to identify and avoid spam emails effectively.

Phishfighters team, GCI program directors, and GCI 250 instructor

Left to right: Dr. Tom Piechota, Dr. Gabriela Shirkey, Naila Nurani, Stella Erlandson, Thuan Luu, Dr. Javier Espeleta

 

Diabetes Destroyers: Question-Based App to Identify and Aid with Diabetes Risks

Dylan Massaro showing how the app works.

Dylan Massaro showing how the app works. Left to right: Andrea Sanchez, Dylan Massaro, Christy Nader

Combining their shared interests in health and technology, this team developed an app that uses a question-based approach to assess diabetes risk and provide helpful resources. Guidance from a computer science professional helped them refine the app’s functionality and user experience.

Diabetes Destroyers team

Left to right: Dr. Tom Piechota, Katia Hnatiw, Andrea Sanchez, Dylan Massaro, Christy Nader, Dr. Gabriela Shirkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small Oil: New Method to Identify Car Oil Changes via Lasers and Light

Motivated by concerns about oil waste and the continued presence of gas-powered vehicles, Small Oil introduced a novel method for determining when a car needs an oil change using laser and light technology. The team collaborated with fellow Chapman students passionate about automotive innovation bring their concept to life.

Small Oil team

Left to right: Marshall Longtin, Hunter Belleville, Maks Popov, Zack Corr

Beyond GCI: Engineering Innovation Across Fowler School of Engineering

The Showcase didn’t stop with GCI projects. Several other classes from the Fowler School of Engineering also presented their work, ranging from introductory Engineering 101 projects to advanced capstone courses. These projects demonstrated the breadth of engineering creativity at Chapman, with some teams even offering live demos of devices they built, giving attendees a hand-on look at the future of technology and design.

Evan Savvas and his 3D-printed robot.

Evan Savvas and his 3D-printed robot.

"Sleigh Authorization" Engineering 101 project by Kelly Kuy and Chandrika Bakshi.

“Sleigh Authorization” Engineering 101 project by Kelly Kuy and Chandrika Bakshi.

Asher Cleary and Brandon Foley with their "Basketball Counter."

Asher Cleary and Brandon Foley with their “Basketball Counter.”

Miya Escalante and Ari Dedeoglu and their research poster on "Building Predictive Cancer Risk Models from Simulated Datasets."

Miya Escalante and Ari Dedeoglu and their research poster on “Building Predictive Cancer Risk Models from Simulated Datasets.” This is a data science project aimed at determining cancer risk for an individual based on causal data.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join Us for the Spring Showcase

If you missed this event, don’t worry — the innovation continues! Join us for the Spring GCI Showcase on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the Sandhu Conference Center, where dozens more GCI projects will be on display. It’s an incredible opportunity to see how Chapman students are tackling the world’s grand challenges with creativity and purpose.

To learn more about the Grand Challenges Initiative or support the program, visit chapman.edu/gci.