Frank Batten College of Engineering & Technology

05/27/2026

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵: 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗢𝗥

Hometown: Crozet, Virginia

Degree: Taylor graduated in Spring 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in aerospace engineering, with a concentration in mechanical systems/design.

During his time at ODU, Brandon worked with Dr. Colin Britcher on NASA’s Mars Electric Reusable Flyer (MERF) project, helping design a propeller system for a Mars aircraft concept built to operate in the planet’s extremely thin atmosphere and transition between vertical takeoff and forward flight.

The MERF project is an initiative designed to develop a viable prototype for a small fleet of identical aircraft, each equipped with its own set of measurement instruments, that can effectively scout the Martian surface. The objective is to create a fixed-wing design that has significantly greater range, endurance, and terrain navigation capabilities than previous Martian rovers or helicopters.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 1% 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩'𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥.”

Throughout the project, Brandon gained hands-on experience in wind tunnel testing, experiment setup, and data analysis — skills he also applied to his senior capstone project, the AIAA Design, Build, Fly Competition.

In support of his MERF research, Brandon was awarded an undergraduate scholarship from VVirginia Space Grant Consortium He presented the research at the Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa).

This summer, he will work as an OSTEM intern at NASA Langley Research Center, supporting entry vehicle dynamic stability analysis for NASA’s DAVINCI Venus mission.

05/26/2026

05/21/2026

The Batten College of Engineering and Technology recently hosted the IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensor Environments (ROSE 2026), bringing together researchers, industry professionals, and innovators from around the world to share ideas and advances in robotics, sensing, and intelligent systems.

Chaired by Hicham Chaoui, Ph.D., the Batten Endowed Chair and Inaugural Director of the Institute for Autonomous and Connected Systems at Old Dominion University, the two-day symposium featured keynote presentations and technical sessions focused on autonomous systems, reinforcement learning, sensor fusion, human-robot collaboration, cybersecurity, virtual reality, and robotics applications.

Presentations highlighted a wide range of research, including flood modeling, autonomous agriculture, underwater robotics, AI-based systems, and human-robot collaboration. Sessions also covered virtual reality training, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, and advanced sensing technologies.

Keynote speakers included Gregory Hager, Ph.D., the Mandell Bellmore Professor of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, and Kyriakos Vamvoudakis, Ph.D., the Dutton-Ducoffe Endowed Professor at the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Thank you to the speakers, presenters, volunteers, and attendees who helped make ROSE 2026 a successful and engaging event!

05/20/2026

Congratulations, graduates!
More photos from the celebration can be found on ODU’s Flickr site: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCRybQ

05/20/2026

Students from the Batten College of Engineering and Technology were among those recognized at Monarch Milestones, a university-wide celebration honoring graduating seniors and student leaders across disciplines.

Raphael Kesse Afrim, a computer engineering major, received the Kaufman Award, the University’s highest honor for a graduating senior. Afrim recognized Dr. Jiang Li as his most influential faculty mentor.

Other Batten College honorees included:
• Ellen Neufeldt Leader of the Year (Graduate): Abed Khosrojerdi
• Ellen Neufeldt Leader of the Year (Undergraduate): Ivy Edwards
• ODU Alumni Association Outstanding Scholar (Batten College): Daniel Letter
• Kaufman Award finalist: Jonathan Guthrie

Several student organizations from the Batten College were also nominated for recognition.

Read more about the event here: Monarch Milestones celebration: https://www.odu.edu/article/exceptional-seniors-honored-at-monarch-milestones-a-celebration-of-student-awards-honors

05/14/2026

Growing up in Campostella, Khamal Fisher saw firsthand how flooding impacts his community. Now, the ODU civil engineering senior is helping design flood resilience solutions for the same neighborhoods he once walked through as a kid.

After graduation, Khamal will begin his engineering career with McLean Contracting — while continuing to dream about investing back into the neighborhood that shaped him.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦: https://www.odu.edu/article/class-of-2026-engineering-community-mind

𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰: https://bit.ly/4uSwJJE

05/13/2026

See how Old Dominion University engineering students built a concrete canoe for the ASCE Virginias’ Concrete Canoe Competition. Read the story and watch the video to learn more about the project and the teamwork behind it.

𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIK5Zo-epG8&t=52s

𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦: https://www.odu.edu/article/engineering-students-put-to-the-test-concrete-canoe-competition

"The goal wasn't to win, it was just to make it to the water."Follow the Old Dominion Civil Engineering team as they take on the ASCE Concrete Canoe competit...

05/06/2026

𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵
A packed crowd attended the latest Faculty Forum on AI in Research, hosted by the College of Sciences and the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology.

Held monthly, the forum brings together faculty to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, research and innovation.

This session, “Human–AI Teaming in Scientific Inquiry: Advancing Knowledge with Gemini,” was led by Charles Elliott, Head of Industry at Google Cloud and a researcher working on the Gemini platform.

Elliott shared insights on how advanced AI systems like Gemini, Deep Research and co-scientist multi-agent AI system can enhance research workflows—from generating hypotheses to accelerating data analysis and strengthening knowledge synthesis across disciplines. He also discussed opportunities and challenges in integrating AI into the research process, with a focus on practical applications for faculty.

The forums provide a space for faculty to engage with cutting-edge AI developments and explore how these tools can support research across disciplines at ODU.

ODU College of Sciences
Old Dominion University - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

05/05/2026

Batten College of Engineering and Technology seniors presented more than 50 capstone projects at ESPEX 2026 on Friday at the Webb Center.

Projects covered areas such as AI, robotics, biomedical engineering, aerospace and infrastructure, highlighting hands-on learning and real-world problem-solving.

View the full project list: https://adobe.ly/4tTKF63

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵s 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥:
• Artificial intelligence and smart systems
o An intelligent tutoring system designed to adapt to individual student learning needs.
• Robotics and space systems
o A prototype swarm of autonomous robots designed to collaborate on building structures in space environments such as the Moon.
• Biomedical engineering
o A magnetophoretic T-cell isolation device that uses magnetic forces to separate specific immune cells from blood samples, tested through simulation and real-world samples.
• Aerospace and energy systems
o A hybrid-propellant rocket engine using paraffin-based fuel and nitrous oxide.
• Infrastructure and environmental monitoring
o Drone- and sensor-based systems designed to detect corrosion in ship tanks more quickly and safely.
• Civil engineering and campus projects
o Designs for a 7,000-square-foot Powell Valley Bank facility in Newport News, Virginia, renovations to Rogers and Gresham Halls, and work related to the new Arts and Engineering Building at Old Dominion University.
• National competitions
o Student teams participating in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design/Build/Fly challenge and the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition.
• Community impact projects
o Accessibility solutions developed with Project S.E.R.V.E., including a custom stool for a veteran beekeeper and a modified stroller attachment for a wheelchair-using mother.

05/01/2026

𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡 𝗨𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗫 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬!!
𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗫 𝗜𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: 50+ Engineering Capstone Projects on Display

Join us from 12–3 PM in Webb Center (North Café) to see ODU engineering seniors present more than 50 capstone projects.

📸 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵: 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯-𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘶 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. This team built a group of small autonomous robots that can work together to build structures in space, like on the Moon—showing how robots could take on complex construction tasks where humans can’t easily go.

You’ll also see projects like AI-powered tutoring tools, a hybrid rocket engine, drone systems for ship inspection, and hands-on solutions designed to help people in the community.

Free and open to the public. Stop by!