FAMU-FSU Engineering Alum Receives 2024 BEYA Trailblazer Award

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering alum Lance Ellerbe was honored with the prestigious Science Spectrum Trailblazer award at the 38th Black Engineer Award (BEYA) STEM DTX Conference held earlier this year.

Ellerbe is an engineering & technology manager for Lockheed Martin.

The Science Spectrum Trailblazer Award recognizes individuals who significantly impact science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Professionals are celebrated for their innovative contributions and pavement of new paths in the field, reflecting their dedication and excellence.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Great Books Inspire This Undergrad’s Engineering Path

Ben Covitz is a senior at Florida State University and an electrical and computer engineering student at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

The Boca Raton native loves books and avidly trains in the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He even says it’s helped him be a better engineering student. Recently he shared some thoughts about his engineering journey so far:

In the fast-paced world of technology, people were always looking for sustainable solutions. Using batteries in Internet of Things (IoT) devices caused big environmental problems, like pollution and resource depletion. We had a new idea: a wearable device that doesn’t need batteries. Instead, it uses energy from the sun and heat from the body to work.

We wanted to make a healthcare device to be worn on the forearm. The device could monitor body temperature, heartbeat, and movement—all displayed on a phone. 

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Engineering Senior Design Team 314 members standing together on FAMU-FSU College of Engineering third floor breezeway

Our project addressed a challenge in the DEVCOM company involving a remote controlled drone. The initial interface for this drone developed in the DEVCOM lab was difficult to use and outdated. We wanted to create a simpler app using a different programming platform to produce a more user-friendly interface. We intended to achieve this goal by creating multiple web pages, each responsible for different functions of the drone. These improvements would enable easy access to essential information and allow the user to easily make software changes. 

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Engineering Senior Design Team 313 members standing together on FAMU-FSU College of Engineering third floor breezeway