Students threw their ideas into the ring to name the ECE building’s café. Out of the hundreds of creative ideas that poured in during the contest, a winner has emerged.

This fall, students and faculty will refresh themselves with a cup of coffee and a snack from Daily Byte.

The name “Daily Byte” is a creation of student Raj Vinjamuri, a junior in electrical engineering. Vinjamuri was inspired by the word “daily” encouraging frequent visits to the café and “byte” associating the café with information.

Vinjamuri, who participated in this year’s HackIllinois event and has previously been part of the Illinois Formula SAE team, decided to try his hand at naming the ECE café when he saw fliers for the contest posted around campus.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the ECE building and experience it a little bit more intimately now, since I only have one year to get out of it, as a junior. I’m excited,” Vinjamuri said.

For winning the contest, Vinjamuri earned a $100 gift card for the Illini Union Bookstore, which can be used at the Tech Zone.

Raj Vinjamuri’s café name entry “Daily Byte” was announced as the contest winner at the May 7 ECESAC social.

Daily Byte will be centrally located beside the main lobby. And like the lobby, Daily Byte will be one of many new spaces in the ECE building where students can gather to socialize and relax. The café will include several tables and chairs, and there will be more seating available in the lobby for students who want to sit down with their beverages and snacks.

Beverages at Daily Byte will include espresso drinks, with other possibilities being considered. Of course, Daily Byte will also offer bites to eat, such as pastries, bagels, muffins, and fruit cups.

“Since the department is running the café, we can better adapt to what the students and faculty want,” said Jeannette Beck, assistant to the head of ECE.

To that end, the café plans to take input from student groups. Requests for new beverages and food items will be taken into consideration. Student creativity has given the ECE café its name, and student feedback will continue to play an integral role in the evolution of this new ECE social space, Daily Byte.