Mississippi State University Bagley College of Engineering to host inaugural Spring 2026 Bagley College Design Convention
April 16, 2026
STARKVILLE, Miss.— The Mississippi State University Bagley College of Engineering will host its inaugural Spring 2026 Bagley College Design Convention on April 28 in the McCool Hall Atrium, showcasing senior capstone projects from mechanical and electrical engineering students.
Created to highlight the depth and impact of student design work, the convention will feature approximately 50 projects representing more than 200 students. Displays will be open at 9 am Tuesday morning, with formal judging starting at 10 a.m.
"This event was put together out of a desire from multiple engineering departments to provide added visibility and excitement about senior students' design projects,” said Aidan Duncan, instructor in the Michael W. Hall School of Mechanical Engineering. “Creating a public showcase for everyone to see the great work and exciting projects that MSU students get to participate in is the main goal—with added benefit from MSU’s Entrepreneurship Center and the BCoE Dean's Office of cash prizes for winning teams.”
Duncan explained that in addition to showing off their designs, students will gain experience in condensing their research into easily understandable language. A skill that will help them in their future careers.
“Students also must learn to practice their 3-minute elevator pitches when discussing their projects with the judges—something that engineers typically don't get much experience in prior to graduation."
Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate as judges, evaluating projects across multiple categories, including innovation, commercial potential and overall engineering impact. Student attendees will also have the opportunity to vote for a “Student’s Choice” award.
Awards will be announced at 1:30 p.m. in the atrium, with the top overall team presenting their project following the ceremony.
Those interested in participating as a judge for the event can do so at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=sNtR7YavokWcl3P7OTXfFx5bQzI6K0pKi4yJ_tT4VcZUMjlSUUM3N1g3N0tCRU1GVlMxSkFEUDVEMC4u&route=shorturl.