Faculty researcher Lin Zhang (left) with students Eric Nguyen, Jeremy Abbott, Ethan Durham, Reagan Graff and Kajsa Pruner.
Two senior design teams from the University of Central Arkansas’s engineering physics programs won first place and tied for third place in the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium’s Autonomous Vehicle Competition in April, held at the ASGC’s annual symposium.
This hands-on challenge showcases student-built autonomous vehicles navigating real-world tasks.
The first-place team was comprised of Eric Nguyen and Jeremy Abbott. Students Ethan Durham, Regan Graff and Kasja Pruner tied for third place.
Nine teams from across the state competed in the competition.
UCA’s engineering physics program is housed in the College of Science and Engineering. UCA established the college in 2024 after receiving ABET accreditation for the engineering physics program. ABET accredits college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. Two other UCA programs have received ABET accreditation. The Bachelor of Science in computer science received accreditation in 2006. The university’s cybersecurity program was the first in Arkansas to receive ABET accreditation.
