The 2024 Bucknell College of Engineering Senior Design Expo is Friday, April 26, in Gerhard Fieldhouse. Below is a layout and listing of student teams participating in the Expo. You’re invited to scroll down this page to read more about the projects.
Projects marked with *** are confidential. There is no photography of confidential projects. Access is restricted to those who have signed a non-disclosure agreement. Please sign the form at the registration table upon entering the Expo.
Biomedical Engineering Projects | Chemical Engineering Projects | Civil and Environmental Engineering Projects | Electrical and Computer Engineering Projects | Computer Science Projects | Interdisciplinary Projects | Mechanical Engineering Projects | Nifty Idea Fund
Biomedical Engineering
BMEG300 Posters
Junior Biomedical Engineering students from BMEG 300 present posters of their final projects. Each student has independently developed a computational fluid dynamics model of a medically-relevant flow. The models represent a wide range of flows in the body and in medical devices, including some developed from CT scans.
David Bedetti
Tyler Burrows
Juliana Capizzi
Norah Crowley
Michael Daanen
Hope Davis
Olivia DeConinck
Timothy Dillon
Lindsey Gaare
Kim Hergenhan
Teddy Lubash
Naomi Malone
George Nikolakopoulos
Somtochi Ojiaku
Ellie Okonak
Enzo Ottaviani
Anna Posh
Mary Robinson
Karin Squilanti
Keeler Thomas
Tamirat Tomlinson
Minh Tran
Sophia Walker
Lauren Wenzl
Mathew Zilberman
Adjustable Clubfoot Ankle Foot Orthotic (AC-AFO)***
Kelsey Boyle, Ally Clarke, Lauren Lukachek, Anneliese Smith
Clubfoot is an inward and downward twisting of the foot that poses significant mobility challenges for growing children. The AC-AFO is a cost-effective, non-invasive, and customizable bracing alternative for children to prevent or treat recurrent clubfoot.
Modular Assist Device for Bariatric Patient Transport***
Emily Baird, Liz Croci, Jake Douglas, Damien Mahanama
The physical exertion required to transport bariatric patients accounts for 30% of staff injuries in hospitals. A modular assist device for bariatric patient transport has been developed that is low cost, compatible with multiple gurney types, and easily attachable.
Silicone Thyroid Ultrasound Biopsy Simulator (STUBS)***
Jack Huang, Xander Tucci, Marianne Voigt
Our team has created an affordable and anatomically accurate simulator for a thyroid biopsy that allows medical residents and students to perfect this common, yet under practiced medical procedure.
Jugular/Subclavian ECMO Support Device***
Collin Murphy, Jackson Weeks, Gerardo Medellin Lugo
Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is a life-saving therapy for severe respiratory failure that involves inserting specialized catheters into the patient’s jugular or subclavian veins. The lack of dedicated products for securing these catheters in the American market has led to the use of makeshift solutions, causing discomfort and complications for patients. We developed a device to securely stabilize ECMO neck catheters in order to improve patient comfort, reduce complications, and enhance the effectiveness of VV-ECMO therapy.
Neotrode: EKG Electrode Specifically Designed for Fragile Neonatal Skin***
Abby Eisold, Brooke Ewer, Lily Implicito, Jackie Zak
Neotrode aims to solve electrode-related skin tearing and infection, a frequent and potentially severe problem within the NICU. This innovative solution reduces adhesive injuries through its newly developed material and design.
Chemical Engineering
Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste Feasibility Study
Sponsor: Weis
Blair Echnat, John Piorkowski, Kaitlyn Walter
In an effort to be more sustainable, our client is looking to digest food waste to lower their landfill usage and produce energy.
Exterior Cleaning Surfactant
Sponsor: Evergreen Cleaning Co.
Gabe Willman, Alexander Kremer, Joshua Semken
Several chemicals were explored for potential use in a surfactant solution that is used in tandem with a bleach solution to clean the exterior surfaces of buildings. A two-step testing methodology enabled the group to simulate cleaning dirt/grime and organic matter that is commonly present on exterior surfaces.
Low-Cost Continuous Flow Turbidimeter Testing with Alternative Standards
Client: Alan Marchiori
Griffin Schlegel, Will Strickler, Trey Trejo
This project developed a continuous flow setup to model and test turbidity using non-toxic standards. This setup was used to evaluate the accuracy of a low-cost turbidimeter in comparison to a high cost known turbidimeter instrument.
Gas Scrubbing Spray Formulation for poultry industry
Sponsor: Keystone Ag Spraying
Duncan Hill, Matthew Otto, Spencer Stockhammer
We aim to formulate a cheaper and more effective ammonia scrubbing spray for our client Keystone AG spraying.
Preventing Scale For Next Gen Unreleased Product***
Sponsor: Keurig Dr. Pepper (KDP)
Chi Nguyen, Hannah Shank, and Kayla Yi
KDP has tasked us with finding an additive solution that will prevent tap water scale build up in an aluminum heat exchanger.
Recovery and Concentration of VFAs from Fermentate
Halle Spataro, Rachael Hiltz, Mark Dunckle
Design and develop a separation and purification process to recover volatile fatty acids (VFAs), specifically acetic acid, from the anaerobic digestion of organic wastes. This will be done at lab scale using a 1% acetic acid solution by volume and two different types of membrane separation processes.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Stream Improvement in Turtle Creek Park, Lewisburg
Mackenzie Ferguson, Caleb Gillen, Emma Olsen
Assessment of three alternatives for the restoration of Turtle Creek within the bounds of Turtle Creek Park in the Lewisburg area through modeling of 2-year up to 100-year flows for three scenarios (existing conditions, extensive lowering of the flood plain, and introduction of a side channel). Plans for the chosen alternative will be further developed.
South Carolina Route 160 Widening
Cindy Cortez Cu, Noah Basista, Nathaniel Carson
The goal of the project is the development of construction plans to widen an existing 2-lane section of SR 160. The project includes verification of the existing alignment, pavement design, drainage considerations, as well as a construction estimate and schedule.
Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage in the Shamokin Creek Watershed
Luke Van Dyke, Leann Michael, Kayla Lincalis
The goal of this project is to develop passive and active treatment systems to remediate several of the acid mine drainage discharges in the watershed and improve water quality in the creek.
Beneficial Usage of Bucknell Food Waste
Caden Schell, Patrick McMurray, Will Hollnsteiner
This project is designing an anaerobic treatment process to treat the Bucknell Campus food waste and produce renewable energy as well as a soil amendment greatly reducing the carbon footprint of Bucknell’s food waste.
Critical Element Recovery from Acid Mine Drainage
Hannah Barnum, Mary Kate Dick, Melanie Gamboa
The goal of this project is to develop a process to recover several critical value elements including cobalt, nickel, and zinc that exist at relatively high concentrations within acid mine drainage to make acid mine drainage treatment profitable.
Davis Ave Ped/Bike Bridge
Brennan Smith, Andrew Viola, Jake Fowler
Design of the superstructure and foundations for a bicycle and pedestrian bridge at Davis Avenue in Pittsburgh. After consideration of multiple alternatives, the final design is for a 400-foot span, trussed steel arch with a concrete deck.
Seattle Building Design
Gugu Sibanda, Michael Von Rohr, Jason Beck, Sophia Goldin, Reanne Burgess, Reilly Almgren, Michael Krajniczyn
Design of a 20-story, mixed-use (commercial and residential) building with subgrade parking in downtown Seattle. Structural design includes a steel gravity system, and steel and concrete lateral system for seismic loads. Construction planning includes cost estimate, schedule, site layout, and logistics. Construction of balsa wood scale model as part of the EERI Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition.
Greensboro Greenway
Vince Colalillo, Ryan Daly, Ryan Mallea, Dylan Matase
Plan for the construction operations for a 1.1 mile extension of a greenway in downtown Greensboro, NC. The project requires an estimate, a schedule, the planning for all project logistics, the design of a pedestrian bridge, and all the other temporary structures and work that is required to complete the project.
5-Story Hotel at Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Zach Hagerup, Kurt Phipps, Jameson Rulon
A 5-story hotel in Chicago designed using AISC’s LRFD design requirements. The design consists of all structural elements including beams, columns, girders, decking, roofing, and lateral system to resist all expected structural loads.
Aluminum Dome on a Petroleum Tank
Kevin Carney, Alek Delev, Ethan Wolford-Tuffy
Our team has been tasked with designing an aluminum dome to be paced at the top of a petroleum tank in Woodbridge, NJ. We will be designing all of the connections and members to be able to withstand the forces that the structure might face during its construction and operation.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
ECEG 201 – Introduction to ECE Design
Yali Amsili, William Crosswhite, James Giffen, Rachel Griffin, Brennah Kennedy, Trevor Lamb, Evelyn Lennon, David Sorrells, Davidson Theosmy, Josh Wickert
This introductory ECE design course covers the basics of electronic design focusing on fabrication, measurement, and professional communication. Students will design, fabricate, and test electronic circuits and learn standards for manufacturability and professional communication.
ECEG 301 – Introduction to ECE Design
David Berry, Vy Dao, Ruitong Jiang, Taylor LaMantia, Shane Lyons, Yuhe Zhang
The project focused on addressing the UNSDG 6 which is providing clear water and sanitation for all. Our semi-automated water quality analysis system helps water treatment facilities in low-income countries who want to increase efficiency and decrease the effort required to monitor water quality by providing a simplified procedure of pulling, processing, predicting and presenting water quality data to the public better than manual methods.
Making Sure Effluent is Spektacular
Kerri Piper, Aidan Shetterly, Elif Tuncel
We have worked towards the development of a system to establish the quality of wastewater effluent before release. This system would monitor and alert for dangerous levels of contaminants, ensuring a safe disposal.
Charged Harvest-Smart Irrigation System
Kevin Duong, James Powick, Nathaniel Samuels
A smart irrigation system that uses a microcontroller to maintain a constant optimal soil moisture level with minimal human involvement.
Fighting Eutrophication for Cheap
Aaron Maldonado, Andrew Zhang, and John Klopcic
Our project is a system to detect excess fertilizer runoff from farms and agriculture. This enables people to reduce their fertilizer to a safer level.
Water Project Sensing for Rural Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa
Maddy Kalaigian, Ray Russell, David Youn
Our system tests the functionality of handpumps created by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the quality of the dispensed water. This time-stamped data is stored on a SD card for NGOs to review and is displayed on a screen to pump users, allowing them to evaluate whether they want to use the pump.
Smart Traffic Cones***
David Berry, Vy Dao, Ruitong Jiang, Taylor LaMantia, Shane Lyons, Yuhe Zhang
Sponsor: Pi Variables, Inc.
Our project focuses on developing smart traffic cones utilizing RTK correction and LoRa technology to provide precise decimeter-level accuracy, aiming to enhance traffic management and safety in road construction work zones.
Bridge Scour Edge Computing
Sponsor: Kyndryl
Abby Bayuk, Carina Beebe, Robbie James, Ben Ma, Ahmad Rehman and Chris Toomey
We are working with Kyndryl to solve a problem in the realm of public infrastructure with the use of edge computing. Specifically, a problem that is either challenging to solve or unsolvable without the use of edge computing. The goal of our project is to gather data to provide bridge inspectors and researchers with data to then predict when severe scour will occur.
Typhoon HIL Trade-Show Demo
Sponsor Typhoon HIL
Jack Casturo, Hunter Guthrie, Abdel Abouelnagga, Jamie Miller, Zihao Cai
Our project is a trade show demonstration that helps our client, Typhoon HIL, demonstrate their Hardware-in-the-Loop technology in a short amount of time to potential customers with limited technical knowledge. The demo is a small scale microgrid with a combination of physical and simulated components, which will provide an interactive, sandbox-style environment that removes the need to have experience with Typhoon’s software.
Computer Science and Engineering
House of Meow
Alexander Luzetsky, Shianne Twoguns, Nate Ahearn, and Anushka Desai
House of Meow is a virtual reality adventure developed in Unreal Engine where you’ll be whisked away into a charming cat café filled with delightful VR felines waiting to be petted, played with, and entertained. Immerse yourself in the unique blend of technology and cuddly companionship for an unforgettable experience.
Core Business Solutions Cybersecurity Dashboard
Sponsor: Core Solutions
Connor Vucovich, Eva Frankovic, and Mohamed Elzarkouny
A dashboard to automatically update and track client compliance with NIST security protocols and make recommendations.
Using Augmented and Virtual Reality for Healthcare Training
Brad Schultes, Jaehoon Pyon, Alex Bigley, and Twity Gitonga
This project aims to develop a prototype of a collaborative healthcare training XR application for VR and MR. A student and a teacher will wear a Head Mounted Display (HMD) to offer possible apprentice-based simulation and a teaching environment designed for healthcare training.
Camera Guided Robotic Arm
Sponsor: TE Connectivity
Doruk Ozar, Andrew Passero, Warren Wang
The objective is to use a digital camera vision input to command a UR5e robotic arm with a threading end effector that will manipulate a mechanical die on a flat surface.
Core Business Solutions Document Import Tool
Sponsor: Core Solutions
Liam Stott, Sam Baldwin, Quan Zhou
The document import tool is used to automate document uploads, interact with an API to allow default values to be applied to the documents, and transfer it all to a database. The tool is intended to replace the repetitive task of manual input and automate the entire process as well as eliminate errors.
Interdisciplinary Design Team
Anchors Aweigh
Sponsor: Lewisburg Children’s Museum
Mia Fields, Nathan Herrold, Tiffany Jones, and Jake Schaefer
The Lewisburg Children’s Museum is looking to update a currently underutilized boat exhibit in order to increase engagement. Team LCM is tasked with creating activities that are both fun, safe, and durable for all parties involved.
Continuous Ceramic Particle Separation via Centrifugation
Sponsor: Corning
Colin MacKenn, Ryan Horowitz, Anthony Orlando, and Natalie Ugenti
Continuous separation of ceramic nanoparticles in a water-based slurry using centrifugal forces. Inlet slurry is separated into two outputs: one containing particles below and one containing particles above a chosen size threshold.
Implementing Machine Learning to Improve Quality Control in Manufacturing***
Sponsor: TE Connectivity
Susan Dudt, Kit Jackson, Ned Mitrovich, Quan Nguyen Tu
The objective of this senior design project is to create an innovative system or method that accurately predicts tensile test force results for ultrasonic welded parts, leveraging data analytics, machine learning, and advanced material science principles. By enabling industries to assess welded part strength non-destructively and in real-time, the project aims to revolutionize quality control practices, increase production efficiency, and foster sustainability through reduced material waste, thus elevating ultrasonic welding to new heights of precision and reliability.
Reducing PETG Extrusion Waste by re-extruding scrap material***
Sponsor: Construction Specialties
Tess Bilski, Nick DeVita, Jack Falter, Harrison Goehrig
To reduce the amount of PETG Waste that CS sends to landfill we are diverting scrap plastic to be reused in the production line. We are focusing on two ways to divert waste, co-extrusion and a mixed feed extrusion line.
Optimization of Wireless Charging for Active Implants***
Kendall Jenkins, Keira Korzeb, Bryce Reimer, Hannah Smith, and Kyle Young
Designed and built proof of concept wireless charging system for active implants. Established feasibility through optimization of system parameters via mathematic and FEA models, which were validated with empirical measurements from system prototypes.
Mechanical Engineering
MECH 222/392 Robots
Students are tasked with developing a robot to ascend a cable as rapidly as possible while carrying a 1kg load, stop at the “reactor,” acquire several seconds of temperature data, and then return home as quickly as possible. The project will draw on content from both MECH 222 and MECH 392, utilizing knowledge of sensors, control, and mechanical design.
Granular Retractor***
Sponsor: Affirm Surgical LLC
Ivan Franco, Erica Huffman, Jose Juarez, Cesar Spadea
Pressurized medical device designed to offer vital support in an operating room. The device maintains incisions open and minimizes the necessary personnel.
Foldable Modular Housing
Sponsor: Iron Valley
Michael Barker, Victor King, Brendan Coyle, Tyler Okin
Iron Valley specializes in building and shipping customizable modular housing with the designs often exceeding the size requirements of a standard truck bed shipping load. The goal is to design a compactable modular home to fit standard load size specifications for shipment by truck with the design meeting residential building codes, lowering the environmental impact of delivering modular housing, distributing dynamic loading for safe shipping, and taking a maximum of 12-hours to set up on-site.
Mechanical Testing of Additively Manufactured Parts in Expeditionary Environments***
Sponsor: NSWCCD
Sarah Ramirez, Christina DeLuca, Drew Barno, Libby Hizar
Our design is a mechanical tester for non-critical parts with the ability to fit in a small, rugged package. This tester collects tensile property data to evaluate additively manufactured material.
The Resilite Mat Welder
Sponsor: Resilite
Zach Gerhardt, Hunter Vestal, Joe Carey, Barry He
We are tasked with building a new machine for Resilite wrestling mats that can effectively and consistently weld the connecting zippers to the Lite-Weight mats by using heat and pressure. This machine will replace Resilite’s current machine which was bought from a company that is now out of business and cannot replace any broken parts.
True Places Sunshade***
Sponsor: True Places
Sean Alderson, Will Hoover, Caroline Ionata, and Harper Malesardi
This project involves making a foldable and transportable sunshade for the True Places Emmett chair.
Vargo BOT***
Sponsor: Vargo
Ruben Anderson, Graeme Carroll, Kyle Dowgin, David Hitzrot
We have added a stove to the current Vargo BOT to create the ultimate piece of multifunctional ultralight camping equipment!
Baja SAE
Sponsor: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
Mariam Abdellatief, Will Amrhein, Patrick Daley, Aidan Gallagher, Will Harrington, Seth Miller, Henry Wernikoff, Logan Wills, Ava Castronovo
The Bucknell Baja SAE team designed and built a single-seat all-terrain vehicle that serves as a dynamic, reliable, ergonomic, and economically feasible prototype for a recreational adventurer. The viability of the vehicle will be put to the test along with vehicles from 100 other colleges and universities at the Penn Tech Baja competition in mid-May.
Nifty Idea Fund
Custom Full Suspension Mountain Bike
Ryan Firko
Codenamed BIKEKHANA, this is a personal project to create a custom full suspension mountain bike from scratch. All frame components were custom manufactured from 6061-T6 aluminum for this project, welded together and then assembled with off-the-shelf parts to create a full, one-of-one mountain bike
Mechanical Midi Music
David Berry
An orchestra of self-playing midi instruments.
Redesigning Clothing
Eowyn Andres
Redesigning clothing to my personal style allows me to reflect my individuality and creativity. I am able to express myself through what I wear.
Lyric’s Lip Candy LLC
Lyric Abdul-Rasheed
Lyric’s Lip Candy LLC specializes in creating handcrafted cosmetics that utilize naturally derived ingredients to protect, promote, and sustain healthy lips. Lyric’s Lip Candy incentivizes its customers to take preventive action by creating a collection of products including SPF properties that serve as an additional layer of defense.
2023 Senior Design Expo Photo Gallery
