TXST Innovation Lab to showcase research projects at SXSW festival

Texas State University is hosting the 2024 Innovation Lab showcase on March 10, 2024, in Austin, TX during the SXSW Interactive Festival.

Participating faculty, staff, students, and alumni will demonstrate a variety of research projects, innovative technologies, and entrepreneurial endeavors during the event. This year’s showcase features 17 collaborative teams with over 20 projects from 12 departments across campus including the McCoy College of Business, Ingram School of Engineering, and the Translational Health Research Center. 

The research projects that will be promoted this year include:

• Aerogel – A unique global solution for sustainable agriculture – developing biodegradable hydrogel for soil management.
• Ecofriendly nanocomposites for portable water purification – nanotechnology designed to remove toxic metals, industrial dyes, and destroy pathogenic bacteria in water.
• Human Digital Twin – addressing worker fatigue by collecting and displaying data to prevent injuries and improve productivity in real time.
• Smart Firefighting – leveraging autonomous technology of rover design, drone design, and AI to safeguard firefighters and expedite rescues.
• CIEDAR – exploring the latest department updates including the Smart Networks Lab and a new Solar Farm project.
• Eco-friendly Novel Concrete – showcasing the Sustainable and High-Performance Infrastructure (SHI) lab’s new concrete material prototypes. 
• Hem Support Wear – Pelvic Floor Support Underwear – showcasing artistic pelvic floor support garments for people with pelvic organ prolapse (POP).
• Creannovation – implementing solutions to improve Work in Progress (WIP) tracking, enhancing visibility and insight within any organization’s processes.
• Alcohol and Sexual Aggression Within a Dating Interaction – developing a VR simulation to study social behaviors typically unobservable in a laboratory.
• SmartTestAI – using an AI-powered platform to provide test-takers with instant, affordable feedback on tests such as the ACT and SAT.
• BeforeDuringAfter.com – an online resource with advanced tools to help Texas businesses prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.
• Smart Earthquake Protection Systems – developing a metallic energy dissipator to avoid damage to critical infrastructure such as schools and hospitals.
• Stelos Scholars – learning about the program’s mission to cultivate young leaders among TXST students.
• Beats and Lyrics to Go: Experience for Learning & Healing – exploring the positive effects of music engagement on well-being and learning.
• “Education is Boring” – finding ways to make learning more engaging and more connected to our current tech-driven, media-saturated context.
• Leveraging U.S. County Political Perception Drift for Optimized Balance Theoretic Reconstruction​ – using AI to identify spatial-temporal patterns that encourage open political discourse.
• Visualizing Mental Health – a free data visualization training for organizations to learn to track key mental health indicators.

The Texas State University Innovation Lab promotes innovative academic research by partnering students with corporate mentors and sponsors.

More information can be found on the TXST Innovation Lab website.