2015–16 WWU senior engineering projects

Senior engineering capstone projects draw on experience, creativity, and learning

From hay barn design in Montana to a controlled perfusion bioreactor that can culture cells without an incubator, here is a complete list of 2015-16 senior engineering projects.

Filament feeder design
Kendall Heinrich, mechanical engineer
Design and prototype development of a miniature filament feeder for desktop 3D printers

Thermal soaring UAV/Power glider UAV
Garrett Wilson, computer engineer
David Egolf, electrical engineer
Zachary Arnott, mechanical engineer
Krystal Loop, mechanical engineer
Brendon McNally, mechanical engineer
Ashley Wragg, mechanical engineer
Travis Crumley, computer engineer

Linear motor and controller/Linear motor assembly line
Nathan Yan, computer engineer
Sharla Chang, electrical engineer
Rodrigo Alvares, mechanical engineer
Landon Mellor, mechanical engineer
Noe Ramirez, mechanical engineer
Development of a mechanism to move carts in a controlled fashion between stations of a modular manufacturing assembly system that uses computer-controlled electric coils to “drive” carts on a track

Five-axis machining
Trei Decker, mechanical engineer
Design of process and workflow for making intricate parts that require five axis movements on the Mori Seiki NVX machining center

Bicycle shifter retrofit
Nathan Loewen, mechanical engineer
Development of a road bicycle gear shifter retrofit to permit use with a variety of derailleurs in order to allow for drive train upgrades without purchasing new shifters

Controlled perfusion bioreactor
Cinthia Ramirez, bioengineer
Development of a stand-alone bioreactor for cell culture that doesn’t require an incubator

2G bioprinter
Kyle Kruger, mechanical engineer
Jonathan Pestes, mechanical engineer
Combining an original bioprinter design with electrospin machine design to create better structures for growing cells

Extruder control circuit
Todd deFluiter, mechanical engineer
Development of an improved control circuit for temperature control in a new type of desktop 3D printer extruder heater

Saipan two-story building
Weiss Skey, civil engineer

Argentina vocational school bridge
Brennan Stanyer, civil engineer

Tanzania water system
Tony Culler, civil engineer

Riverside bridge stairs
Trent Larson, civil engineer

Gravity-fed decontamination shower enclosure
Brandon McNeil, mechanical engineer
Andrew Wood, mechanical engineer

Outdoor portable cooler
Moses Arevalo, mechanical engineer
Karl Pomare, mechanical engineer

CFD analysis of a dimpled flap
Ian Cooke, mechanical engineer

Zeolite steam valve
Drake Byrkit, mechanical engineer

Paddleboat self-draining mechanism
Andrew Donesky, mechanical engineer

Riverside Adventist Academy school building
Earl Roberts, civil engineer
Joey Williams, civil engineer
Feasibility and preliminary design study focused on slabs, beams, columns, and shear walls for a proposed three-story concrete building at a school in India

Kauai SDA School bridge
Sharon Baragona, civil engineer
Christopher Maxwell, civil engineer
Design study including feasibility, efficiency, cost consideration, and aesthetics for corrugated metal arch bridge with fill and roadway on top to cross a stream near a proposed new school

Horse/hay barn
Jonathan Lehman, civil engineer
Design of a timber construction barn considering vertical loads, wind loads, and snow loads to improve storage and space for horses on a farm in Montana

Pedestrian bridge for India
Kathrin Klemm, civil engineer
Study of reinforced concrete bridge design including superstructure, columns, foundations, and seismic loading for a footbridge that students must use to cross a river on their way to school

Milton Church gazebo design
Marco Martinez, civil engineer
Study of gazebo design that includes wind loads, truss connections, foundations, and floor and railing design

3D printable prototype prosthetic hand
Michael Moores, electrical engineer
David Garcia, mechanical engineer
Lauren Pernu, mechanical engineer
Design and development of an inexpensive prosthetic hand that senses muscle activation without invasive surgical procedures and that incorporates a microprocessor and motor

Rosario ROV
Austin Beckner, mechanical engineer
Joshua Craig Denney, mechanical engineer
Justin Dietel, mechanical engineer
Kendrick Rady, mechanical engineer
Richard Arkusinski, electrical engineer
Cody Wilson, electrical engineer
Design and development of a tethered underwater vehicle that can travel to depths of 1000 feet and provide livestream video in order to observe sea animals and measure environmental variables

Railroad temperature detector calibration
Chris Anderson, mechanical engineer
TJ McKinney, mechanical engineer
Design and development of a more accurate and mobile calibration system for temperature sensors used in railway system safety procedures

Simple gas turbine
Chris Ghazal, mechanical engineer
Adam Kinney, mechanical engineer
Development of a gas turbine, including choosing materials, construction, and dimensions of the combustion chamber, as well as measurement instrumentation of temperature, pressure, power output, and possibly thrust.

HMI software for PLC
Blake Kruppa, computer engineer

Automated cell counter
Michael Behrens, electrical engineer
Development of a tool using a camera, machine-learning algorithms, and heuristics to count the number of cells on a microscope slide

Maintenance platform design
Connor Jones, mechanical engineer

Lion’s Park pond
Alex Yanez, civil engineer
Design of a system to improve fish habitat by collecting sediment before it goes into a pond in College Place

Hydropower plant penstock for Camp Polaris
Travis Holm, mechanical engineer
Analysis of system viability and design of a water collection system for a small hydropower plant at a summer camp in Alaska

Multiuse path design
Erica Aamodt, civil engineer
Design of a bike and walking path to improve safety between College Place and Whitman Monument

Posted June 24, 2016

Michael Moores, senior electrical engineering major; David Garcia, senior mechanical engineering major; and Lauren Pernu, senior mechanical engineering major, made a breakthrough this year on their 3-D printable prosthetic hand prototype project by controlling the arm with a Myo gesture armband.