Engineering students showcase final projects, inventions April 26

A highly adjustable lightweight wheelchair, advanced batteries for electric vehicles and a human-powered cell phone battery charger are just a few of projects and inventions that undergraduate engineering students will present on Tuesday, April 26, at The Ohio State University.

More than 850 students, representing 14 engineering majors and 20 non-engineering majors, will present 215 projects during the 9^th annual Engineering Capstone Design Showcase.

As part of College of Engineering’s focus on experiential learning, all undergraduate engineering students must spend one to two semesters tackling a real-world problem before graduation. Other projects on display at the event include an adaptive bicycle pedal system for amputees, a toy that could also help test kids for early indicators of certain developmental disorders, an app that tracks health and wellness of dairy calves, and a solar-energy powered heater/dehumidifier for basements and crawlspaces.

More than 70 companies sponsored engineering capstone projects at Ohio State over the past academic year, including American Electric Power, Case New Holland Industrial, Eastman Chemical Company, Ford Motor Company, Hexion, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, John Deere, Nationwide Insurance, NetJets and Worthington Industries.

Sponsored by ArcelorMittal and organized by the College of Engineering’s Department of Engineering Education, the showcase attracts several hundred visitors from industry, the general public and the university community.

Held from 12:00-3:00 p.m. the Ohio Union’s Archie Griffin Grand Ballroom, the event also includes the 13th annual Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors Research Showcase. It features lab-on-a-chip devices designed by team of first-year engineering students to detect a disease from a blood sample and solve a real-world medical problem. 

WHAT: The Engineering Capstone Design Showcase is a culmination of more than 215 senior undergraduate engineering capstone design projects. Individual students and teams present their projects and selected findings to industry representatives and the Ohio State community. 

WHEN: 12:00-3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, 2016

WHERE: Ohio Union, Archie Griffin Grand Ballroom, 1739 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43210. [Ohio Union parking information]

Editors: Students and faculty will be available for interviews. Photographers and videographers are welcome to attend the event and take photos or video. RSVP to schutte.9@osu.edu or 614-247-6445.