On Wednesday October 12, selected members of the Indiana Bicentennial Torch design team were privileged to carry the torch on the Boilermaker Special along with astronaut Dr. David Wolf and College of Engineering Dean Leah Jamieson. Representing ECE were student Gabriel (Gabe) Martini, Industry Design Projects Manager Todd Wild, and Director of Instructional Laboratories, Dr. Mark C. Johnson. They were three out of 16 ECE students and staff who contributed to the design and construction of the electronics and software for the unusually high-tech torch.

The bicentennial torch was the result of an effort of more than two years involving several schools and departments within the College of Engineering including Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Engineering Education, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The Indiana bicentennial commission wanted a torch like none before including GPS tracking, built-in photo and video capture, and WiFi connectivity. As a result, ECE had a prominent role to play throughout the project. ECE students designed and implemented three different prototypes for the torch electronics leading to the final design which was integrated into the torch. Close collaboration with other disciplines was required to negotiate part selections, power requirements, electronic packaging dimensions, etc. The collaboration continued into the relay itself as the ECE team provided technical support for operation of the torch and maintaining internet connectivity of the torches so that GPS locations, pictures, and videos from the torches would be continually accessible to the public.

Previous article on ECE's contribution to the Indiana Bicentennial Torch