Radiance Technologies Announces Winner of 2024-25 Innovation Bowl

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (April 21, 2025) – The 2024-25 Radiance Technologies Innovation Bowl concluded with presentations from three university teams showcasing their innovative solutions at the company’s Huntsville headquarters on April 3, 2025.

This year’s competition challenged participants to explore parasitic energy harvesting – the capture and conversion of typically wasted energy to enhance system efficiency or power auxiliary functions. Teams developed unique designs to transform waste energy into practical applications.

The University of Maryland’s “Team Transverse Terrapins” claimed the $25,000 grand prize with their project, “Solid-State Annular Power Generators for Waste Heat Harvesting in Directed Energy Systems.” The winning team – comprising of students Kenny McAfee, Stefan Popovski, Ryan Paxson, Keegan Guyett, and faculty advisor Dr. Oded Rabin – impressed judges with their zero-mass-increase approach that transforms existing thermal management components into energy harvesting systems.

Two teams shared runner-up honors: Georgia Southern University’s “Team GATA Eagles,” represented by Daniel Meade and faculty advisor Dr. Hossain Ahmed, showcased their universal vibration monitoring system utilizing piezoelectric mechanical energy harvesting. The University of Memphis’s “Team Tiger Stripes Energy,” featuring Tepher Ward and Vik Sabapathi, demonstrated a parallel circuit powered by parasitic energy.

Original 2024-25 Innovation Bowl Challenge:

2024-25 Innovation Bowl topic focused on recovering energy from sources typically lost to the environment, including motion, vibration, heat, and radio frequency emissions. By capturing waste energy, systems can achieve greater operational efficiency or provide for auxiliary capabilities and functions. Applications range from uses in microelectronics and wearable devices to components and complete systems.

Innovation Bowl Defined:

A joint effort with the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the Radiance Technologies Innovation Bowl is an academic competition between schools and conferences affiliated with the Independence Bowl. Schools compete for a $25,000 grand prize by developing innovative approaches to a current research and development topic selected by Radiance Technologies. 

Evaluation of submissions is a two-step process where teams submit their ideas and approaches to Radiance Technologies before the end of the fall term. Scientists and researchers within Radiance Technologies pick three finalists, announced at the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. These teams then further develop their ideas in the spring semester through prototypes, models and simulation or experimentation and presented their findings in person to a panel of experts.

About Radiance Technologies: 

Radiance Technologies is an employee-owned prime contractor founded in 1999. Radiance has over 1000 employee-owners across the United States serving the Department of Defense, the national intelligence community, and other government agencies. From concepts to capabilities, Radiance leads the way in developing customer-focused solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, systems engineering, prototyping, and integration, as well as operational and strategic intelligence, including scientific and technical intelligence. For more information, please visit radiancetech.com.