Stevens Students Celebrated as Champions of Port Authority Robotics Challenge

A team of Stevens Institute of Technology students has been named one of two champions of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s College Challenge: Vehicular Tunnel Catwalk Robotics — earning recognition for an innovative robot designed to make the Lincoln Tunnel safer. 

The students’ winning prototype, L.I.N.C. (Lincoln Investigation and Navigation Cadet) is an autonomous mobile sensing platform designed to patrol the narrow catwalks alongside the Lincoln Tunnel’s vehicular lanes, helping tunnel operators monitor conditions and respond quickly to emergencies. 

The winning Stevens team includes Noah Golan ’27, Christian Osowski ’27, Dominic Souza ’27 and Adrien Susino ’27, (mechanical engineering) and Jared Surajballi ’27, (computer engineering). The students worked under the guidance of faculty advisor Anthony Shupenko, Jr., PE, teaching associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering.  

The competition challenged college students to develop robotic solutions capable of operating on the Lincoln Tunnel’s catwalks, which were once patrolled by manned electric vehicles but have been dormant for more than two decades. Today, roughly 120,000 vehicles travel through the tunnel each day, making the ability to monitor its infrastructure and respond to emergencies a critical safety concern. 

Built for the Job 

Equipped with six cameras, artificial intelligence, thermal imaging and other onboard sensors, L.I.N.C. is designed to detect vehicles, pedestrians, flooding and potential fires while navigating the tunnel's narrow catwalk. 

A high-speed processor analyzes the data in real time, and the system is built to transmit critical information to tunnel operators while enabling direct communication between tunnel occupants and Port Authority staff — helping cut response times in areas that are difficult for first responders to reach quickly. 

Overnight in the Lincoln Tunnel 

To put the robots through a real-world trial, the Port Authority closed a tube of the Lincoln Tunnel overnight, granting the two winning teams with rare access to test the prototypes directly on the catwalks they were built to patrol. The students spent the night maneuvering the robot up and down the narrow catwalk, checking its obstacle avoidance, thermal imaging and autonomous navigation systems under live conditions. 

“We had to continually adapt the robot and change it as we went,” said Golan. “This team was amazing with problem-solving and changes. In the tunnel, there are things you don't expect, and we would grab a wrench and fix it on the fly.” 

Celebrating at Port Authority Headquarters 

The Port Authority marked the students' achievement with its inaugural Prototype Exhibition, held at the agency's New York City offices, where the teams showcased their full-scale, fully operational prototypes. 

"Two years ago, the Port Authority solicited designs from undergraduate students across the New York and New Jersey region for an innovative solution to help improve emergency response in our tunnel facilities," said Ann Jenica Jose, program coordinator for the Office of The Chief Operating Officer at the Port Authority, reflecting on the students' journey from concept to robot. She noted that both teams "consistently demonstrated that they are indeed young professionals with extremely bright futures who are more than deserving to be named the champions of the College Robotics Challenge.” 

Port Authority Chief Engineer Rizwan Baig emphasized the real-world value of the experience. “It’s just not doing academia,” he said. “You’re bridging the gap from academia and getting into the real world.” 

Stevens Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Kevin Lu called the win a milestone for the university. "This is an honor for Stevens — and it's a great experiential learning opportunity for our students." 

Learn more about L.I.N.C. and the College Robotics Challenge through PIX11 News’ coverage of the event.