Two UALR students earned a second-place award during the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Region 5 Annual Conference in New Orleans April 17-18.

Out of 22 teams, the UALR team of John Kline and John McNeill of the UALR Department of Engineering Technology placed second in the circuit design competition.

The day-long contest required integration of knowledge from various areas of electronics.

Kline and McNeill were given a blind engineering challenge requiring them to design on paper a project they then had to build, write a report on, and later deliver a presentation for judges.

This year’s project involved designing a communication system with digital processing. The UALR team finished second only to University of Missouri, Kansas City.

They received a cash award of $250 for their effort.

UALR students have the highest record of winning in design contests in Region 5, according to Professor and Advisor Hirak Patangia. He said the high ranking is a testament to the strong emphasis of the UALR program on both design and practical implementation.

Kline is a traditional student from Conway with a knack for electronics since grade school.

“He is a student who would build circuitry at home to explore concepts taught in class not covered in the lab,” said Patangia.

Kline has accepted an offer with an engineering firm upon graduation in May.

McNeil is a non-traditional, full-time student with a family and a full-time job with Kohler company in Sheridan.

“He was honored to represent UALR at the conference, even though he works the night shift and the van to New Orleans had to pick him up in Sheridan,” said Patangia.

A total of 12 students, half from systems engineering and the other half from electronics and computer engineering technology, joined Patangia for the trip to New Orleans.