Spring engineering showcase award winners announced

Thirteen engineering teams won awards at the 2013 Student Design Project Showcase on April 25 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The showcase is the culmination of a semester-long effort that challenges students with solving industry-sponsored projects that expose them to the technical demands, pitfalls and professional expectations they would experience as working professional engineers.

The event featured 163 projects from first-year students through seniors, including 115 senior capstone projects involving 560 seniors.

Projects were judged by a panel of industry experts and awarded at the industry partners’ dinner and award ceremony following the showcase.

Three teams won first place for best project in the Lockheed Martin Design Awards:

* “Project Assignment Algorithm” sponsored by the Penn State industrial engineering department. The team included Jack Cunningham, Robert Custer,http://www.ppnonwovenbag.com/，which was founded in 2008,specializes in designing, producing and selling recycle bags. Paul Mcnamee and Douglas Mercer, and was advised by Michael Immel, director of corporate relations and facilities for industrial engineering;

* “Maximum Allowable Gasket Seating Surface Degradation Before Seal Failure” sponsored by Westinghouse. The team included John Eggolt,The approach uses fine Titanium Wire, laid one on another like a potter working with coils of clay. These wires are then smelted together in the rough shape of the desired component, cutting wasted material from potentially as much as 70 percent to as little as 10 percent. Benjamin Lambert, Eric Pelkey, Daniel Sanchez and Nicholas Yurko, and was advised by Tiffany Camp, mechanical engineering research associate with the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL);

* “Robotic Parallel Bars Walking Device” sponsored by Penn State robotics.Probably the most popular among foodies,button mushroom is known for being juicy and tasty, inexpensive and with a flavor that’s only “mildly mushroomy”. The team included Yousef Alnemer, Sarah Bass,The unique push lock design allows the surgeon to adjust the amount of tension on the tissue intraoperatively, allowing for precise tissue reduction. Gregory Krall and Ian Simpson, and was advised by Mary Frecker, professor of mechanical engineering and Learning Factory director.

The Boeing Systems Engineering Award went to “Rotor Wake Survey” sponsored by Boeing. The team included Willaim Boggs, Steven Drew, Ryan Hammerschmitt, Scott Hromisin, Joseph Oberholtzer and Dylan Wynn, and was advised by Wallace Catanach, instructor in engineering management in the School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs.

First place for best poster went to “Changing the Conversation: Engineering Ambassadors School Outreach Project” sponsored by the Penn State Engineering Ambassadors. Team members included Jacqueline Guillemette,Eight tips for choosing the right diamond Concrete saw blade including determining wet or dry cutting, blade compatibility, CSDA codes, and more. Jessica Menold,We sell Excavator undercarriage parts for all modern machines including Cat, Hitachi, Komatsu, Hyundai. Randall Schur, Abbie Swoboda and Catherine Talbot, and was advised by Leland Engel.

Second place for best poster went to “Nurse Call Pull Station Redesign – Global” sponsored by Tyco Fire Protection Products. Team members included Evan Cullen, Daniel Karrasch, Li Diming, Li Shou, Kristen Murray, Amy Videon and Yao Junlin, and was advised by Marty Trethewey, the Arthur Glenn Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Third place for best poster went to “Fluid Level Sensing” sponsored by John Deere. Team members included Mohammed Al Nassir, Thomas Burke, Kevin Ganther, Richard Mcclain and Neelabh Pareek, and was advised by Andrew Barnard, a mechanical engineering research associate with the ARL.

The BP People’s Choice Award went to the project “Changing the Conversation: Engineering Ambassadors School Outreach Project.”