Georgia Southern graduate student selected to represent University at USG system-wide competition
Civil engineering graduate student Elsie Lappin will represent Georgia Southern at the state level in the inaugural University System of Georgia (USG) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
Lappin was selected as the top candidate following the 2026 Eagle Fast Pitch event, a University-wide competition supported by Georgia Southern University’s Business Innovation Group (BIG), Parker College of Business and student-led organization the Eagle Entrepreneurs.
“Georgia Southern plays a vital role in cultivating entrepreneurs by giving students the tools and confidence to turn ideas into action,” said Associate Vice President of Innovation Dominique Halaby, DPA. “From concept to execution, we’re preparing students not just for careers, but to lead, innovate and create meaningful impact.”
Lappin’s winning pitch, Echo Oracle, is a physics-informed AI tool for automated ultrasonic inspection and structural code-based pass/fail decisions.
“I chose this project because it addresses a critical challenge in infrastructure inspection by reducing subjectivity and improving efficiency in defect detection and evaluation,” Lappin said. “This work began during my undergraduate studies and has continued to develop through my graduate research in nondestructive testing and structural health monitoring.”
The pitch is a culmination of her passion for creating more reliable and accessible infrastructure assessment tools. She credits her mentor, Hossein Taheri, Ph.D., associate professor of manufacturing engineering, and director of the Laboratory for Advanced Nondestructive Testing and In-situ Evaluation (LANDTIE), with guiding her through the process.
By going on to the system-level contest, she now has the chance to earn a trophy, professional mentorship and $25,000 in cash prizes. The USG Innovation Competition is a two-day event taking place on April 6-7 at Kennesaw State University’s Marietta Campus.
“I’m looking forward to presenting alongside such a diverse group of student innovators and seeing how different disciplines approach problem-solving,” said Lappin. “It’s a unique opportunity to refine how I communicate a highly technical idea to a broader audience and to gain feedback that can help push the project further.”
ABOUT BUSINESS INNOVATION GROUP
The Business Innovation Group (BIG) at Georgia Southern University works to build an ecosystem throughout the State of Georgia to help entrepreneurs create, incubate and accelerate their for-profit business enterprises. BIG works to facilitate access to university resources, to create opportunities for student experiential learning, and to foster an environment that supports a growth mindset throughout the state.
As a unit of the Office of Research at Georgia Southern, BIG is committed to developing and deploying new technological platforms, innovative programs, quality services and educational events to help meet the needs of area businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators seeking to expand business operations and/or launch new business enterprises, products and services. For more information explore the Georgia Southern Business Innovation Group.