UTC mini-grants pushing research from concept to creation

Not every great idea makes it out of the lab.

Some stall on paper. Others get bogged down by process or lack funding.

At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, targeted seed funding is helping change that by giving early-stage research the support it needs to move from concept to creation.

MOCS Innovate! mini-grants—funded by the Gary W. Rollins College of Business’ Clarence E. Harris Chair endowment with support from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research—help both established and emerging researchers at UTC build, test and refine their concepts.

“We’re not just investing in ideas. We’re investing in researchers who are ready to engage the world,” said Dr. Thomas Lyons, Clarence E. Harris Chair of Excellence in Entrepreneurship in the business college and executive director of UTC’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

All MOCS Innovate! grant recipients will present their work at the inaugural MOCS Innovate! UTC Innovators Showcase during the Spring Research and Arts Conference on Wednesday, April 9. They’ll be joined by Fly for Researchers pitch competition participants and other UTC innovators showcasing demos, prototypes and early-stage breakthroughs.

The Spring Research and Arts Conference is an annual campuswide event showcasing original work by students, faculty, staff and community partners. Hosted by the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor, the conference is free and open to the public.

The 2025 mini-grant lineup spans health care tech, smart city tools and solutions to UTC-specific challenges.

Featured researcher Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, a mechatronics professor and head of the Department of Engineering Management and Technology, previously earned a MOCS Innovate! mini-grant and placed third in the UTC Fly! Pitch competition. It deepened his understanding of market needs and strengthened his ability to communicate technical ideas with broader impact, he said.

“It pushed me to think about how to present my work in plain language for non-engineers and has helped shape how I approach research and how I coach others,” he said.

Since arriving at UTC in 2019, Kaplanoglu has championed collaborative, industry-focused research, tapping into UTC’s commercialization resources, the UT Research Foundation and a network of colleagues across disciplines—from physical therapy to math and even art.

He also founded and directs the UTC Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab, where a team of undergraduate and graduate students design adaptive health care technologies for people with neurological and muscular conditions.

His work has already led to a design patent for a pneumatic balance board developed with UTC Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Max Jordon.

“The goal isn’t just to invent something cool in the lab,” Kaplanoglu said. “It’s to make something useful. Something that helps people. And that’s where collaboration and support make a big difference.”

This year, Kaplanoglu mentored the team that earned a 2025 MOCS Innovate! grant for an adaptive smart insole designed to prevent diabetic foot ulcers—a leading cause of hospitalization among diabetic patients.

Other standout 2025 projects include The Brooks Band, a wearable voice modulation device created by Megan Cales in the Rollins College of Business to help neurodiverse children self-regulate; an AI-powered predictive driver-monitoring system led by Dr. Maged Shoman to reduce distracted driving accidents; and a Google Maps-based landscaping management tool by graduate student Cecily Holland and landscaping crew foreman Chance Scrimshire.

“When a university puts real support behind early ideas, it changes how researchers think about what’s possible,” Kaplanoglu said.

Jennifer Skjellum, UTC’s commercialization counselor, emphasizes the importance of supporting researchers beyond the lab.

“Researchers know how to build incredible things,” Skjellum said. “Our role is to help them think through the next steps like how to reach customers, navigating the market and just generally how to move ideas forward.”

Since 2020, Skjellum has been pivotal in shaping UTC’s innovation culture, including building grant programs, launching pitch competitions and growing the University’s partnership with the UT Research Foundation.

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Supporting self-regulation through wearable tech

The Brooks Band, a wearable voice modulation aid

Researcher: Megan Cales, coordinator of career engagement, Gary W. Rollins College of Business. The project was developed independently. Cales is also the founder and CEO of Sensory Bridges, LLC.

It started with a question at the Thanksgiving table. Megan Cales was watching her partner’s 5-year-old son, who is autistic, struggle to control his voice in a room full of family and noise. She searched for a solution online but couldn’t find anything discreet, wearable and designed with kids in mind.

So she built it.

The Brooks Band is a wearable wristband that vibrates when a child’s voice exceeds a preset threshold. A companion app allows caregivers to customize feedback settings and track progress, helping neurodiverse children self-regulate without stigma or interruption.

“A lot of kids just need a gentle cue to help with voice control—especially when they’re excited or overwhelmed,” Cales said. “This gives them that support without interrupting or calling them out.”

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Helping diabetics stay on their feet

Adaptive insole for diabetic neuropathy patients

Department of Engineering Management and Technology research team:

• Dr. Gazi Akgun, visiting assistant professor
• Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu, department head
• Ali Abuelgasim, graduate student

Research home: UTC Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab, College of Engineering and Computer Science

For people with diabetes, a simple blister can turn into a life-altering complication. Diabetic foot ulcers are the leading cause of hospitalization and non-traumatic lower-limb amputations, yet traditional insoles offer only passive support.

At the UTC Biomechatronics and Assistive Technology Lab, researchers are developing a smart insole that monitors, adapts and protects against diabetic foot ulcers. Using real‑time sensors, it adjusts pressure, cushioning and cooling to provide personalized support based on a patient’s needs—leveraging innovations like thermoelectric cooling and pressure-redistribution layers.

The project is led by Dr. Gazi Akgun, a visiting professor from Marmara University in Turkey, with graduate student Ali Abuelgasim and faculty mentor Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu—founder and director of the lab as well as a mechatronics professor and head of the Department of Engineering Management and Technology.

“Diabetic foot ulcers are a common complication of diabetes,” Akgun said, “and many people don’t even feel them until they become dangerous. Our goal is to make prevention easier and more effective.”

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Stopping accidents before they happen

AI-powered predictive driver-monitoring system

Research team:

• Dr. Maged Shoman, research assistant professor, UT–Oak Ridge Innovation Institute
• Sima Ashayer, UTC graduate student, computational science

Research Home: UTC Center for Urban Informatics and Progress, UTC Research Institute

Every year, distracted driving causes thousands of preventable accidents. Even brief moments of distraction—like checking a phone or fatigue—can have devastating consequences.

That’s why Dr. Maged Shoman is working with UTC researchers to develop an AI-powered system to monitor and alert drivers before danger strikes. The tool combines real-time data from in-cabin cameras, steering patterns and wearable eye-tracking glasses to detect distraction, fatigue or stress—and warn drivers when their focus slips.

The goal is to prevent collisions before they happen, especially in high-risk or fleet-based driving environments.

“A few seconds of inattention can lead to catastrophe,” Shoman said. “Our goal is to catch that dangerous moment early, giving drivers a split‑second advantage to correct their course.”

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Leveraging traffic cameras to make cities smarter

AI-powered vehicle tracking system

Research Team:

• Dr. Hoang H. Nguyen, UTC postdoctoral researcher
• Dr. Tuan T. Nguyen, UTC postdoctoral researcher

Research Home: UTC Center for Urban Informatics and Progress, UTC Research Institute

Modern cities need smarter ways to manage traffic, respond to emergencies and improve safety—without spending millions on new infrastructure.

It’s what inspired this scalable AI system that transforms existing traffic cameras into a real-time vehicle tracking network. The researchers’ platform connects isolated feeds into a unified data stream that delivers actionable insights that help cities reduce congestion, speed up emergency response and improve long-term infrastructure planning.

“Rather than investing millions in new hardware, we’re unlocking the hidden potential of what cities already own,” Dr. Hoang H. Nguyen said. “Our approach creates a cohesive, data-driven network that helps officials tackle real urban challenges.”

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Putting every UTC tree on the map

Real‑time landscaping management tool

Researcher: Cecily Holland, graduate student, College of Engineering and Computer Science. The project was developed independently. Holland is also a freelance software developer.

UTC is home to more than 1,000 trees, and now—thanks to graduate student Cecily Holland—there’s a smarter, more connected way to care for them all.

Holland, a December 2024 graduate of the UTC Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Technology in Cybersecurity program, developed a Google Maps–based tool called Pathway that helps UTC’s landscaping crew manage tree care, foliage and outdoor maintenance in real time by combining plant data, work order updates and area statuses into one easy-to-use digital map.

Inspired by her husband’s role in campus facilities, Holland set out to solve the challenges of managing a dynamic outdoor environment and created a system that makes sustainability smarter, more efficient and more accessible.

“The people doing the work every day should have clear, accessible information at their fingertips,” Holland said. “This gives them a real-time view of what’s needed, where.”

Learn more

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UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference webpage

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference schedule

MOCS Innovate! UTC Innovators Showcase

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