Innovation Lives Here: SIP in Tempe

At UAT in Tempe, Arizona, the Student Innovation Project (SIP) Showcase isn’t about final exams — it’s about prototypes that work. Students spend months designing, building, and refining technology that challenges industries from cybersecurity to robotics, game design, and AI. The Summer 2025 Showcase proved one thing: on-campus students are shaping the future right here in Arizona.

On-Campus Highlights

UATf – Mitchell Moss & Andrew Barkan (Network Security)
A Capture the Flag platform designed by hackers, for hackers. Affordable, addictive, and made to replace overpriced subscriptions. “I wanted to build a platform that would make it easier for UAT students to host, play, and learn from CTF challenges — made by students, for students.”

Shield of Dawood – Mahmoud Hamadah (Network Security)
A cultural and technical leap in cybersecurity — designed to protect users from Man-in-the-Middle attacks. “My purpose is to protect the user in the digital world,” Hamadah said.

Fusion Storytelling Format – Daniel Villa (Advertising Art)
Comics, novels, and graphic storytelling collide in a single hybrid format. A new language for content creators and advertisers.

Unprocessed – Ryan Canepa (Advertising Art)
Raw, unpolished media that critiques consumer culture. One instructor called it “an anti-advertisement that makes you rethink what you buy.”

VR/AR Asymmetric Multiplayer – Alexander Caraway (Game Programming)
In this VR/AR prototype, imbalance isn’t a flaw — it’s the feature. A rebellion against the obsession with fair play.

Animation App Improvements – Faith Morales (Game Art & Animation)
Smoother animation tools, stripping away workflow frustrations so animators can focus on creativity.

Into Each Situation – Jay Jorgensen (Game Art & Animation)
Interactive cartoons that teach life lessons without sacrificing fun. “I am practicing to bring cartoons to life,” Jorgensen said.

ReBa.Moco – Mykaela Ali (Game Design)
Reading-Based Motion Commands: a system where gameplay and story move forward in sync.

Lore Byte – Jordan Burke (Game Design)
A web tool solving the “where was I?” problem in games. Gamers finally get a memory checkpoint outside the console.

Koipond’s Finest: Freelancers – Luke Thomajan (Game Design/Art/Programming)
A simulation of the gig economy, equal parts brutal and brilliant. Thomajan joked: “I like creating things, but there’s one thing I like more — destroying stuff.”

Resonate – Samantha Bryant (Game Design)
A point-and-click story where interpretation drives outcomes. Narrative design that respects player agency.

G.E.S.T.U.R.E – Curran Rose (Robotics)
Robots that read gestures instead of keyboards. A glimpse of how natural control will replace controllers.

CoPay – Dylan Maxwell (Advancing Computer Science)
Fintech stripped down and reimagined by students. Proof that banks aren’t the only ones who can innovate in payments.

Fate Finder – Zyriyah Stoker (Advancing Computer Science)
Predictive storytelling where algorithms guide destiny. A marriage of narrative and data science.

A.I.M.D. – Adam Warren (AI/Robotics)
An AI-powered detection system that automates dangerous, repetitive measurement tasks.

Why Tempe? Why UAT?

In Tempe, UAT students aren’t waiting to join the tech industry — they’re rewriting it. The SIP Showcase proves that innovation isn’t confined to Silicon Valley; it’s alive in Arizona’s desert labs.

📍 FAQs

What is SIP at UAT?
A student innovation expo where undergraduates present working prototypes as their capstone projects.

Where is UAT?
UAT
is in Tempe, Arizona, near Phoenix.

Who attends SIP Showcases?
Students, faculty, alumni, industry partners, and the public.

What fields are represented?
Cybersecurity, robotics, AI, digital media, advertising art, and game design.

Turn Ideas Into Innovation

🔥 Curious what’s next? Check out the Online SIP Showcase projects to see how remote UAT students innovate worldwide. Or better yet, learn more about UAT and start building your own future.