Burlington Standard

University Of Vermont And State Agricultural College issued the following announcement.

The sun lit up the Davis Center’s fourth floor windows on April 28, as students put the finishing touches on their displays for Engineering Design Night. The annual event, which was back in person after a two-year virtual run, necessitated by Covid-19 pandemic protocol, is the culmination of students’ work on their Senior Experience in Engineering Design (SEED) projects, undertaken as a part of a capstone course.

“It’s so great to be back in person,” said Dustin Rand, Senior Lecturer in the College of Engineering and Mathematics (CEMS) in the department of Mechanical Engineering. “The students are so happy, and it’s wonderful to see how proud they are of having worked so hard and seen their projects through.”

Rand, who teaches classes on electrical engineering concepts, renewable energy systems, and one of the capstone courses through which the students work on their projects, also organizes the event each year and ensures that students are paired with external companies on applicable projects.

In fact, many of the 35 SEED projects connected seniors to surrounding companies, organizations, and UVM-based research groups looking to solve problems or innovate materials or machines in order to serve disparate needs. The experience the students get during this year-long work is integral to CEMS’ approach to hands-on learning and professional development.

Clifford Ransom shows his team’s project, embarked upon with client GlobalFoundries, to develop a polishing fixture for semiconductor chips that will improve current manual processes. Photo by Bailey Beltramo.

From working with Global Foundries improving semiconductors to creating, with DR Power, a device that compresses yard waste into smaller volume and positively impacts sustainability to improving satellite performance with Benchmark Systems to making a portable and low-cost Lyme Disease testing device with Wylo Biosciences, these students are synthesizing the technical know-how they’ve gained through their UVM education with professional engagement. In short, they are building their skills and creating relationships that will not only help them thrive but will help them make a better world.

One of the projects, an ACL Recovery Knee Brace, paired students with M-Sense Research Group, a UVM-based collective comprised of researchers from a variety of disciplines and directed by Ryan McGinnis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering. McGinnis served as both the students’ client and mentor.

“Dr. McGinnis was incredibly helpful in all aspects of our work,” said Kylie Willis, one of the team’s members. Willis, along with teammates Yuying Zheng, Haley Kuralt, Andrew Dubreuil, and Alex West, has been focused on the project for nearly eight months. “He helped us develop our questions and approach the project with all the perspectives we needed as we refined our calculations and built our prototype.”

Andrew Dubreuil demonstrates his team’s knee brace with sensor while on a stationary bike. Photo by Geeda Searfoorce.

As Electrical Engineering major Dubreuil, wearing the brace and its attached sensor, hopped on a stationary bike, he talked about the inspiration for his participation in this particular project. “My roommate tore his ACL last year,” he said. “A lightbulb went off. I thought, ‘I want to help people in recovery.’” Kuralt, a Biomedical Engineering major, reflected on what drives her. “I want to use my knowledge and skills to help people and come up with a solution that didn’t exist before.” UVM’s Biomedical Engineering program—unique and extolled for its close proximity and affiliation with the University of Vermont’s Medical Center (UVMMC)—helps students do just that.

With the sensor up and running, Willis checked the data captured on the connected laptop. Zheng made adjustments to the display and Kuralt and West ensured the presentation table was accessible to the crowds beginning to stroll in. Their collective energy was palpable, as was their passion for the project.

Another project creates an alternative application for mechanical design and crosses disciplines. Vermont artist Sam Talbot Kelly, founder of STK Designs LLC engaged a team to improve upon a robot so it can offer and receive small wooden balls to an interactive audience. The piece will eventually be a part of an art installation that takes up sustainability as its primary theme.

One of the team’s members, Claire Smith, reflected on how she was drawn to the project because it unites her two passions—art and mechanical engineering. “The project has been the perfect joining of ‘nuts and bolts’ and design,” she said. “It felt great to work on something that helped me use my interest in art along with my engineering focus.”

Coincidentally, Sara Kinnamon Fritch, President of Schoolhouse Electric Supply Company and a CEMS alum who has built a thriving career at the intersection of art and engineering, will speak at the College’s commencement on May 22.

A student team comprised of Jipeng Chen, Cody Fisher, Luke Marcoon, Claire Smith, and Thea Steeves-Boey worked with STK Designs LLC on an interactive robot called “VANITAS.” Photo by Bailey Beltramo.

One project enabled students to essentially give a leg up to future UVM engineers. Helmed by Ricky Caron and Patrick Man, the co-presidents of the Alternative Energy Racing Organization (AERO), the AERODynamics project team designed and improved a better nose cone for the AERO car based on wind tunnel test data. “We not only built the new model,” said Caron, “but we documented our process so next year’s AERO students can take it even further.”

The team worked tirelessly every day for months to ensure the design was just right. “We’re building our knowledge, yes,” said Man, “but we’re building for the future too. That’s why I’m in the Club. And besides, that’s what engineers do. We help build the future.”

At the beginning of the evening, Dean Linda Schadler gleefully announced the engineering honors awards, which celebrate students who are carrying their passion and knowledge with them as they become UVM alumni and ripple out to build a better world. “I can’t express how thrilled I am to be here,” she said. “I would not miss this night for anything. Our students are always—and certainly tonight—the stars of the show.”

A complete list of projects and award winners can be viewed at www.uvm.edu/cems/seed.

Original source can be found here.