Senior engineering students finish their engineering education with a capstone design project that tests their engineering chops and builds on five years of classroom work and experiential learning. The experience culminates with a daylong showcase during which members from all the teams show off their projects before peers, faculty, family, and members of industry.
Engineering Design Day was held in the Student Union Ballroom on April 26. There were 387 students that presented work on 109 projects from all eight engineering disciplines, including aerospace systems, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, corrosion, electrical, and mechanical engineering.
Sample projects include the SmartBobber, a device that helps fisherman view their caught fish more easily, a plan to design a roundabout for the City of Green to address a roadway plagued by congestion and accidents, and a punching bag that records the strength of each punch.
Biomedical engineering student Mariah Costa (foreground) with Sydney Kandray and Russell Cantania in the background. Their QuickCough device is designed to improve coughing efficacy in a patient with neuromuscular disease.
Cheng Zhang, chemical engineering PhD student, presents his research on the corrosion resistance of a more environmentally friendly coating used in interior house paints.
Civil engineering students Jamison Gladden, Adam Lenemier, Gonzalo Vargas, and Zachary Taylor developed a fictitious four-story Emergency Response Center in Grand Rapids, MI.
The Mechanical Engineering Department, the largest department in the College of Engineering and home to both the mechanical engineering and aerospace systems engineering programs, provided awards to the top student teams in several categories.
Category: Automotive, Vehicular, and Aerospace System Design
First place
Custom Brake Caliper and Upright Design for Zips Baja Vehicle
Students: Anny Carrroll, Elizabeth Clifford, Katie Kise, Wade Nelson, Connor Ott
Faculty advisor: Dr. Christopher Daniels
Members of the Baja team won first prize in the Automotive, Vehicular and Aerospace System Design Category for their custom brake caliper. Left to right: Wade Nelson, Connor Ott, Anny Carroll, Katie Kise, and Liz Clifford.
Second place
Zips Baja-Vehicle Steering Design
Students: Hayden Burkholder, Devin Jackson, Janca Justin, Nathan Adkins
Faculty advisor: Dr.Christopher Daniels, Faculty co-advisor: Dr. Gopal Nadkarni
Category: Health, Environmental, Robotic, and Manufacturing System Design
First place
Autonomous Combat Robot Design
Students: Mychal Brady, Luke Schmitt, Joan Wood
Faculty advisor: Dr. Shao Wang
First place in the Health, Environmental, Robotic, and Manufacturing System Design Category for their combat robot design, mechanical engineering students Mychal A Brady, Luke A. Schmitt, and Joan Wood receive their award from Katie Deren, Senior Manager of Global Engineering at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
Second place
Pick-and-Place Robot for the ASME Student Design Competition
Students: Jeannetta Davidsaver, Riniah Foor, Daniel Mugongo, Megan Schmit, Aaron Urban
Faculty advisor: Dr. Scott Sawyer
Category: Mechanical System Design
First place
Crack Detection in Ceramic Composite Materials
Students: Hariharan Rangarajan
Faculty advisor: Dr. Gregory Morscher
First place winner in the Mechanical System Design Category, Hariharan Rangarajan, shows off his work on crack detection in ceramic composite materials.
Second place
Recoil Compensator for Modern Day Handguns
Students: Evan L. Dickerhoof, Alex L. Masters, Mark A. Mulhollen, John M. Rutan.
Faculty advisor: Dr. Scott Sawyer
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department provided the following awards to their top student senior design teams.
First place
Smart Bobber
Students: Zachary Hutson, Ryan Pascal, Zachary Pyle, and Nicholas Spoutz
First place electrical and computer engineering winners Zachary Pyle, Nicholas Spoutz, Ryan Pascal, Zachary Hutson developed a SmartBobber to help fisherman view, in real time, advance data of the environment around the bobber. It can sense tension when the line is pulled and set the hook in the fish.
Second place
Autonomous 60-lb Combat Robot
Students: Fabian Ardeljan, Christopher Heldman, Holden LeBlanc, Andrew Szabo, Tanya Tebcherani, Stephen Veillette, and Tristin Weber
Third place
Smart Fertigation System
Students: Blake Amacher, Alexander Boone, Michael Griffith, and Christopher Saunders
On behalf of the College of Engineering, congratulations to the students for their hard work leading up to this day. Go Zips!