Innovation meets Wonder: Iowa State University students help illuminate Winter Wonderscape

A new attraction at Reiman Gardens’ Winter Wonderscape in December showcased the creativity and technical skills of Iowa State University’s College of Engineering students. A senior class team in Design Computer Electrical Engineering spent the past two semesters creating an interactive light display that merged engineering ingenuity with artistic flair. The team included students Nicholas Vazquez, Christy Mettry, Kevin Dickey, Nicholas Toothaker, and Eleen Mohd.

“I’ve always been fascinated by interactive design and lighting,” said Nick Vazquez, a senior in software engineering from Davenport, Iowa. “The idea stemmed from a technical writing class project where we were tasked with proposing ways to improve Ames. We envisioned an immersive, touch-responsive exhibit that interacts with visitors and adapts to their actions.”

The result was a stunning installation featuring 2,400 LED lights spread across 20 panels, each measuring 20 pixels wide and arranged in a 24 x 100-pixel grid. The system, powered by five 400-watt supplies, can produce up to 16 million color combinations, enabling mesmerizing displays of logos, themed images, ripple effects, and more. A custom-built web app allows the light show to be programmed, offering endless possibilities for future designs. It’s meant to eventually be an immersive and interactive display where people can touch the exhibit, make it do different things, and respond to their actions.

Despite their success, the team faced significant challenges. “Most of us had little experience with graphics or large-scale hardware,” Vazquez said. “It was also important to make the system expandable, which added complexity. The sheer physical size of the project alone was a huge undertaking.”

Guided by faculty advisor Dr. Joseph Zambreno, Vazquez and his team pushed through technical hurdles to bring their vision to life. Their work aligns perfectly with Iowa State’s “Innovate at Iowa State” theme, as the interactive features set this project apart. Vazquez envisions expanding the technology to include 3D mapping and motion sensing someday.

After graduating this semester, Vazquez will start as an application developer at Buildertrend in Omaha, Nebraska, where he interned for the past two summers. However, his aspirations for the light display are far from over. “In the next five years, I hope this evolves into an immersive tunnel experience that fully engages visitors,” he shared.

The project is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of Iowa State University engineering students. The fruits of their labors will be enjoyed by visitors to Winter Wonderscape and other events for years to come as Reiman Gardens explores other ways to incorporate the display.

"The students put in a lot of effort and worked really well with us," said Reiman Gardens Entomology Director Nathan Brockman, who collaborated with the group. "They came in and worked on the project in the cold and dark evenings of November and December. We look forward to working with future student groups."