Jonsson School Recognized at Local Christmas Parade
Students and faculty from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science received a General Award from the City of Richardson’s 51st annual Christmas Parade for their float. The event, held in December 2023, was themed “Parade of Misfit Toys” and benefited local nonprofit Network of Community Ministries with more than 250 toy donations as well as other funds raised for Network to assist families during the holiday season.
Dr. William Anderson, professor of mechanical engineering and assistant dean for research in the Jonsson School, organized the group. Members from The University of Texas at Dallas’ Nova team walked alongside their autonomous vehicle dubbed “Hail Bopp” with a few bells and whistles including screens flashing holiday greetings. An interactive robot greeted children fro m the Humanoid, Biorobotics and Smart Systems (HBS) Lab that was sponsored by Dr. Yonas Tadesse, associate professor of mechanical engineering. The Society of Automotive Engineers brought a new showstopper, the Formula racecar, which was built by a student team.
Parade participants note that the event provides a unique opportunity to connect with the surrounding community.
“It’s always a pleasure to participate in the Richardson holiday parade and represent UTD,” said Daniel Vayman, computer science junior. “Every year I see so many kids pointing and asking about our team, curious about our work. I’d like to think we inspire some of them, showing off all these cool projects that are developed right here in Richardson.”
Additionally, group leaders envision new, creative ways to engage the audience of K-12 students and young children and share their latest innovations.
“The Richardson Holiday Parade is a wonderful way to bring in the holiday season,” said Nova sponsor Dr. Justin Ruths, associate professor of mechanical engineering and systems engineering. “As our technology matures, we’re excited to work with the organizers to start to not only show the hardware but also to demonstrate those capabilities during the parade.”