Current Projects

Fall 2023 Projects

Check majors below to filter projects by those majors only:

 

Legend: 1 = Primary Discipline | 2 = Secondary Discipline | 3 = Optional Discipline(s)

Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Aimloxy, LLC Green sterlization of hospital spaces Pacey, Mark 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Aimloxy, LLC is developing patent-cleared technology application for disinfection/sterilization of hospital spaces. Every patient deserves a clean hospital room. We recognize the significance of prioritizing patient safety and implementing eco-friendly technology for sustainable practices. By embracing non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning technology, we can effectively minimize the potential hazards associated with harmful chemicals, benefiting both patients and healthcare workers. Additionally, this approach contributes to the reduction of toxic chemical emissions into the environment. As per Future Market Insights (FMI), the hospital disinfectant products & services market is projected to reach USD 58,388.4 Mn by 2029.

One of the key advantages of our sterilization system is its effectiveness in eliminating pathogens, while also being environmentally conscious. The process generates only oxygen and water as end-products, minimizing any adverse impact on the environment. Additionally, the system operates at a low temperature, which greatly reduces the risk of accidental burns or staff exposure during its operation. This ensures a safer working environment for the personnel involved in operating the system.

The assigned team will be responsible for developing the functional unit which can be automated to function remotely in a room. Produce the necessary quantity of ozone required to sterilize the space, validate sterilization and then disintegrate ozone prior to opening the space for the next patient. The developed system should be uses friendly being deployed by hospital cleaning team, intuitive, cost efficient, time efficient and safe.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) 1 Aluminum Extrusion Kit and Playbook for STEM Education - Team 1 Mittan, Paul 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Aluminum extrusions provide unmatched design solutions, and the PSU team will develop a technical kit and training aids for educational use. The ultimate goal is to establish an easily scalable method of delivering fun, technical training using a comprehensive kit and playbook. The project team will advance the work completed by the Spring 2023 PSU Graduate Engineering Leadership and Innovation Program project team. The team will work together to develop proposed aluminum extrusion kits with associated educational "playbooks" to guide educators in High School science, technical and STEM/STEAM, Vo-Tech and eventually introductory undergraduate technical colleges and universities. The student team will conduct on-site testing of the aluminum extrusion kits and educational materials in local schools, refining and customizing them to establish an engaging and adaptable platform for enhancing technical, scientific, and other educational pursuits. The kits will leverage the versatile design capabilities of aluminum extrusions, offering a unique learning experience for students.
This effort will be supported by several North American leading aluminum extruders directly, working together as part of the trade association "AEC" - Aluminum Extruders Council, which has supported aluminum extrusion development, training, and implementation for over 75 years. The final deliverable will be a completed kit and playbook appropriate to pique the interest and help advance students' technical prowess through using the aluminum extrusion kits, guided by the educator's playbook, in their curriculum. By developing both a fundamental, beginner-friendly kit/playbook and more advanced versions, the AEC and its members can effectively engage with local high schools, Vo-Techs, colleges, and universities. This outreach will enable them to provide comprehensive training on the material, process, and design potential of this crucial material/process.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) 2 Aluminum Extrusion Kit and Playbook for STEM Education - Team 2 Mongeau, Jean-Michel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Aluminum extrusions provide unmatched design solutions, and the PSU team will develop a technical kit and training aids for educational use. The ultimate goal is to establish an easily scalable method of delivering fun, technical training using a comprehensive kit and playbook. The project team will advance the work completed by the Spring 2023 PSU Graduate Engineering Leadership and Innovation Program project team. The team will work together to develop proposed aluminum extrusion kits with associated educational "playbooks" to guide educators in High School science, technical and STEM/STEAM, Vo-Tech and eventually introductory undergraduate technical colleges and universities. The student team will conduct on-site testing of the aluminum extrusion kits and educational materials in local schools, refining and customizing them to establish an engaging and adaptable platform for enhancing technical, scientific, and other educational pursuits. The kits will leverage the versatile design capabilities of aluminum extrusions, offering a unique learning experience for students.
This effort will be supported by several North American leading aluminum extruders directly, working together as part of the trade association "AEC" - Aluminum Extruders Council, which has supported aluminum extrusion development, training, and implementation for over 75 years. The final deliverable will be a completed kit and playbook appropriate to pique the interest and help advance students' technical prowess through using the aluminum extrusion kits, guided by the educator's playbook, in their curriculum. By developing both a fundamental, beginner-friendly kit/playbook and more advanced versions, the AEC and its members can effectively engage with local high schools, Vo-Techs, colleges, and universities. This outreach will enable them to provide comprehensive training on the material, process, and design potential of this crucial material/process.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Analex Corporation, DBA Arcfield Non-Carbon based Thermal Protection System for Hypersonic Movers Kimel, Allen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Hypersonic fliers require thermal protection systems (TPS) to survive their operating environments. Currently utilized TPS's are carbon-based ablative technologies and exhibit known characteristics. Non-Carbon based TPS's represent a next-generation TPS capable of enhancing the performance of hypersonic fliers.

The objectives of this project are to:
1) Develop Project Plan and Schedule with Proceed/Adjust Gates.
2) Research and Identify candidate non-carbon based materials capable of being deployed as a TPS for hypersonic movers.
3) Downselect (or design) and propose material candidates for non-carbon based TPS's.
4) Analyze performance of candidate non-carbon based materials and compare it to typical carbon-based TPS's.
5) Demonstrate capabilities of candidate materials via testing in hypersonic wind tunnel with a conceputal hypersonic mover geometry.
6) (Stretch Goal) Verify demonstrated perfomance to analytical performance

Deliveries for this project include:
1) Deliver Project Plan and Schedule.
2) A report summarizing all non-carbon based materials suitable for hypersonic TPSs.
3) A report discussing selection criteria with rationale, performance metrics considered and their priority, impact on selection criteria, and downselection methodology used.
4) A report detailing the analytical work performed including assumptions, mateiral properties, boundary conditions, and results.
5) A test report discussing the test setup, materials tested, tests performed, test conditions, observations, anomalies, methodologies, measurement types & location, and test results.
6) (Stretch Goal) A report discussing the comparison results between demonstrated and predicted material performance.
NOTE: A single report is acceptable with each of the above as sections within the report. Each section is expected to be completed upon completion of each task and can be used as a reference for subsequent tasks.

Cadance:
- Minimum 1 hr. Virtual Meeting Weekly with Team (Students, Professor(s), and Arcfield)
- Bi-Monthly 1 hr. Virtual Meeting between Professor/Advisor and Arcfield
- Gate Reviews scheduled by the team. Timeline for Gate Reviews are to be determined by the team and communicated via the project plan and schedule.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Andy Lavery Portable Shower Caddy. Have US Patent. Takes a full size shower caddy and folds small enough for travel. Knecht, Sean 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Looking for a new and improved prototype. One that folds small enough to fit in a shaving kit. Have original prototype that I am happy to send for a reference.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Atkore Automated Packaging Cell – Injection Molding Mittan, Paul 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

*Atkore – Plastic Pipe & Conduit Business
Founded in 1959 and becoming a publicly traded company in 2016, Atkore is a global company with over 5,000 employees and 76+ facilities located around the world. Recognized as a leading manufacturer of electrical, safety and infrastructure solutions,
our products are used every day to power and protect the world. Atkore has 8 manufacturing facilities across North America that are dedicated to the Plastic Pipe & Conduit Business Unit, ranging coast to coast from Oregon to South Carolina. With continued expansions in the building and infrastructure market nation-wide, Atkore Plastic Pipe & Conduit is always investing in innovative solutions to make our customer’s jobs easier. This is achieved through three critical pillars of our business system – people, process, and strategy. Atkore heavily invests in developing young talent like yourselves and provides an abundance of opportunities to shape the career you aspire to have.

*Capstone Project Summary
Atkore currently has nine PVC injection molding machines that create over ten different PVC pipe fitting families in all common trade sizes. This project goal is to improve safety and reduce the manual labor by designing an automated conveying and packaging layout that can sort and package these fittings to be ready to ship out the door to our customers.
Given the project constraints, such as facility space, scope for the project is to optimize the process flow. The Atkore PP&C team will provide layout, budget, part, box, and label details needed. There are no restrictions on technology and equipment
providers that can be used to automate this process within the project budget.
The university team will gain exposure to manufacturing automation technologies, lean methodology, financial modeling, and design modeling & simulation. The ideal student team will be multidisciplinary with an emphasis on industrial & mechanical
engineering. Come help Atkore make our facilities technological advanced and safer for our workforce.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
B.Braun Medical Inc. Transforming Peripheral IV Education Through XR In Healthcare Choi, Kyusun 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are the most common invasive device in hospitalized patients. PIVCs are used for the infusion of fluids, medications, nutrients, and blood products. PIVCs are most often inserted by nurses; however, the majority of nursing students do not receive formal education on PIVCs or insertion. On average it takes two attempts to successfully place a PIVC and once placed PIVCs fail up to 69% before the completion of treatment. The cost of complications related to PIVCs is astronomical with an average 250-bed hospital paying $1.5M per year.

The purpose of this project is to use virtual/augmented reality to transform PIVC education in healthcare. Currently today PIVC education is not modernized. The most advanced training includes simulation rubber-like pads for nurses to practice insertion. There is a great opportunity to advance PIVC insertion education by creating a realistic experience that includes haptic feedback focused on improving insertion success and therefore reducing additional complications and cost to the healthcare system. Additionally, there is an opportunity to revolutionize PIVC through the utilization of XR technology to better serve the diverse healthcare providers and the diverse patients they serve. These tools will be incorporated into healthcare school training and hospitals.

Deliverables:
1. A preliminary proposal for a PIVC education model using XR venue considering diverse patient populations.
2. A functioning immersive PIVC training experience in a XR venue for diverse scenarios.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Boeing UAV Object Detection and Avoidance using Machine Learning – Phase 2 and Flight Demonstration Cubanski, Dave 0 0 2 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The aerospace environment is continuing to evolve with the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles for package delivery and electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing air taxis to provide fast, efficient, and clean transportation within a local area. Boeing is also researching areas to implement autonomous solutions that further enhance the safety, predictability, and reliability of our products. This project will focus on a technology demonstration for a UAV that uses a camera-based object detection system to detect and avoid air-born obstacles. This project will be a continuation of a Spring 2023 project to further enhance the vision system, improve obstacle detection and range estimation, integrate obstacle avoidance capability into the flight control algorithms, and conduct a flight demonstration of the UAV capabilities as a complete system.

Students interested in this awesome project: If you have experience with AI/ML, please indicate in the Optional comments section.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
bp Corporation BP WIND WAKE OPTIMIZATION Shaffer, Steve 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

bp is one of the leading wind farm companies in the energy industry. As such, we are always looking to optimize the power generated at our onshore wind farms. One way is to manage the dynamic positioning of individual wind turbines to minimize the impact of “wake” distribution between wind turbines.

Leveraging the last two semesters of the Learning Factory, bp is seeking to have this semester’s team develop a wake optimization model utilizing the open source, Python-based software – Floris.

The team will use the model, previously developed using PyWake, to build a similar one in Floris. In addition to the wake optimization model, previous teams developed a graphic user interface (GUI) using the open source software, Streamlit.

Objectives:
1. Floris (Python-based modeling and optimization of wind farms) (Priority 1)
a. Transition PyWake Wind Farm models into Floris.
b. Confirm the prediction errors are in the range of the PyWake models.
c. Develop optimization in Floris.
d. Generate optimal wind turbine offsets for all wind turbines in the farm.
e. Visualize the optimized yaw offsets.
f. Extend to cover all 9 BP assets (PyWake is currently mapped for 4 of bp’s farms).
g. Utilize a set interval of data to see the delta on annual energy produced (AEP) between unoptimized vs optimized.
h. Run the optimization at different intervals to generate the % AEP increase vs Optimization Interval.

2. Streamlit (Simulator and Optimizer GUI) (Priority 2)
a. As the GUI has already been developed for use in PyWake, the team will develop a new user interface as the front end of Floris (i.e., connect the dots between Streamlit and Floris) to change inputs to the wind farm simulator such as:
i. Start/stop
ii. Wind speed
iii. Wind direction
b. Use the stream lit interface to visualize the model and optimizer outputs mentioned in 1.

3. Other scopes if/as time allows
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
CNH Industrial Deck Plate Mechanism Improvement for Folding Corn Headers Neal, Gary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

A corn head is used to harvest corn for animal feed. The objective of the header is to leave most of the stalk in the field and bring the ears of corn along with small amounts of husk and stalk to the combine for threshing and cleaning. A critical part of this process is the deck plates on the corn head that can be adjusted in width to allow the stalk to exit but snaps the ear off from the stalk to feed to the combine. These are typically adjusted by a single hydraulic cylinder and a rod the width of the header with a mechanism to each row. A folding corn head breaks this rod into 3 pieces so the head can fold. In some conditions the wing sections of the deck plates get stuck and don’t move with the center section. This results in extra losses of corn while harvesting and reduced yields for the customer. This project will investigate the potential root causes of these issues, propose solutions, and provide some testing of the proposed solution to verify the root cause is addressed.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Constellation Energy Generation LLC Human Performance Simulator Upgrade Choi, Kyusun 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Overview:
The Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station uses equipment to train technicians and operators that simulate plant conditions and scenarios. This subject project focusses on a hardware and software system that trains a specific human performance task, STAR (Stop, Think, Act, Review) that is critical for safe nuclear power operations.

The existing equipment consists of a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and a "Logic Controller". The Logic Controller is a 20+ year old PC which cannot be operated or updated any longer. Penn State Learning Factory is requested to develop a new Logic Controller that can interface with the current HMI.

Deliverables:
A new software/ firmware system to execute the Logic as described in the technical manual.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Covestro LLC Solid Polymer Additive for improving Portland Cement Concrete Wang, Donghai 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The objective of this proposed project is to determine if solid polymer additive (SPA) from Covestro may be used in admixtures of Portland cement concrete. This project has an important environmental driver: SPA is an industrial material with a significant volume which is currently employed as a fuel source; as such, though it contributes an energy value, such action also results in GHG emissions. If the SPA can be qualified for a material use, the eventual implementation would have the effect of sequestering the carbon and avoiding the GHG emissions. But this is not likely unless there are benefits to be realized in the material use. The central task of this project is to formulate concrete with a powderized, flowable form of SPA, and test cured specimens to determine mechanical properties of the concrete. (Such concrete specimens may also be of reduced weight per unit volume, an advantage if cast parts need to be shipped from a factory to point of use.) The challenge of this project is that the level of the SPA and trade-offs which make the concrete high performing are not known and must be determined. This project may contribute to the field of using waste plastic admixtures in Portland-cement concrete. The project may also be related to the general topic of high-performance concrete. The powderized SPA would be supplied by the project sponsor. The team would be responsible for concrete mix design and procurement of Portland cement, aggregates and all other constituents of the concrete formulations. The team would prepare and cure concrete specimens and subject them to testing by standardized methods. The team would analyze the results and make recommendations about the utility of SPA admixtures in concrete and identify promising applications.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Danger Fit Lateral Sliding Grips on a Barbell Knecht, Sean 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Objective: This product combines multiple exercise movements into one which will help the user generate muscle development unlike any other exercise. The objective of this project is to create two grips that can attach and detach from a barbell. These grips must be able to slide smoothly and simultaneously to the left and right on the barbell. These grips must be able to be locked onto the bar and still slide on the bar. With these sliding grips, the user will be able to widen and retract the grip on the barbell. The grips will need to have adjustable tension so the user can decide how difficult they want the sliding motion to be. Use of the design should be assessed in appropriate ways, including using Electromyography (EMG) on the muscles to determine how the movement affects them [Note that this will require IRB approval]. The grips must be made out of durable but cost-efficient material.

Sliding Motion: These grips will be able to slide left and right in an easy smooth motion such as a smith machine. For example, when bench pressing, the movement of the grips will make it act as if the user is doing a press, pec fly, and close grip press. These grips can be used for other exercises such as rows, shoulders press, lateral raises, etc.

Deliverables: The student's final project must be a sellable product. This product must have the following:
1. Attachable and detachable grips that slide on the barbell simultaneously with adjustable tension
2. Use a material that is durable but lightweight and cost-efficient
3. Test the product, including with EMGs
4. Create a carry bag for the grips
5. Have the company's logo/name on the grips

They will be given work from the previous semester with data and research. They will also be given all current prototypes to work off of.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
DG Group Holdings Variable wing glider Mongeau, Jean-Michel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Create/model a variable wing glider that exits/launches from the back of a transport plane. The glider should have variable wing capabilities that allow for faster and longer flight but also, using the variable wing, can land safely at a slower speed. The glider should hold one pilot in horizontal position lying on top (ideally for aerodynamic purposes).
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Echogen Power Systems (DE), Inc. Development of high temperature sliding vane compressor for heat pump applications Wang, Chao-Yang 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Echogen Power Systems is developing next-generation high-temperature steam-generating heat pumps (SGHP) for industrial applications. At present, there are no viable compressor technologies at the kW (shaft power) scales to meet the operating requirements of Echogen’s SGHP. Dr. Alex Rattner has been developing sliding vane expanders technology that has the potential to be used in compression systems. The objective of this project is to investigate the feasibility of using sliding vane turbomachinery technology in small-scale (< 1 MWth) steam-generating heat pumps. During the first phase, the student group will review the design of the existing expander and make design modifications based on learnings from the previous expander tests and requirements of the compression testing. The second phase will be to execute the design modifications and run the compressor to collect performance data. Based on the data students will make recommendations for design improvements and provide validation of performance. Students will have to work with Dr. Alex Rattner and should seek him out for questions.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Eduard Kieser Block Breaker: A Community-Driven Material Testing Project for 3D Printing Wang, Donghai 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 3 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

3D printing is changing the way that companies approach prototyping. Choosing the right material and print settings is getting harder and harder, and there is very little consensus on basic topics, like "what is the toughest FDM material?" Ask YouTube, makers, or industrial printing services, and you will hear everything from ABS to PA-CF to PLA. Part of the reason is that the ever-growing list of available materials, brands, colors, and the large array of slicer options causes the solution space to become complex. Channels like CNC Kitchen have made good attempts to set up a standard testing methodology and to test different material and settings combinations. However, any system that relies on one person or group to find optimum values in this multidimensional solution space is doomed to fall short. Manufacturers cannot be trusted to do this accurately because of their incentives to overstate performance.
The Block Breaker project aims to enable a distributed approach to tackling this problem. If we are able to design a material tester that is simple and inexpensive enough to be accessible to most makers and put the designs online, we may be able to create a system that can pool the collective knowledge and experience of the entire 3D printing community to find good material and settings combinations.
A system that can enable this will have the following characteristics:
Cost less than $200
Be simple to build and set up, including software setup and operation
Be able to quantify tensile strength, impact strength, and creep. These tests do not need to be ISO-compliant, but we need to be able to guarantee consistency between devices so that comparisons between different rigs can be valid
Capture environmental conditions at which the test was executed. Material properties of thermoplastics vary significantly with temperature, so capturing this accurately is essential to contextualize the data
This should all be possible with a system with one actuator and a fast-responding load cell. Instead of using a swinging hammer, one could integrate the force over the distance to find the impact energy, with the same setup that is used to find maximum tensile strength
Data integrity and annotation are key aspects:
The purpose of this system is to collect large amounts of data to find good combinations of material and print settings. It is therefore essential that annotating and uploading this data is easy to do
Examples of metadata that we would be interested in include: Material type, brand, and color, ideally with a product link; print settings like layer height, print speed, print temperature, and many more; print orientation; image of printed specimen or of the test part printed with the same material and settings; material pre-treatment details, such as whether the filament was dry and how long and at what temperature it was dried; and information about the printer used
The cloud component (possibly a second project?) is also essential:
The purpose of Block Breaker is to collect data to make the discussion around printing materials more data-centered
An important component of this is how the data is aggregated and presented. The webpage will be somewhere between a large online dataset and a wiki
All results will not line up, and some users might get different results, so it’s crucial to preserve the provenance of every piece of data so that our citizen scientists may replicate or refute the experimental results of their peers
Claims of very strong materials will need to be verified since all filament providers will have a strong incentive to be on top of this list
Each piece of data will need to be linked to a specific user's account to make it easier to weed out deliberate misinformation
The ideal workflow will be: Setup & Annotate, Test, Upload
Data presentations should also be carefully considered, but if done correctly, this project will make many people in the 3D printing community very happy.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Exacta Global Smart Solutions Cellular based IoT using oneM2M Choi, Kyusun 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

An IOT device that operates far from power and communications infrastructure requires power efficient implementations, reduced complexity and sustainability. This can be achieved by using components that are already known and verified to work so that a developer can quickly bring a new product to market. Cellular devices are an example where the radio module components are formally certified to operate according to specific cellular radio standards. oneM2M is a global standard that serves to make developing IoT applications that can be formally certified as well. An aspect of cellular IoT devices is the likelihood that they will need SW/FW to be updated to support new features and security issues.

This project will build oneM2M compliant devices (software) using the Thingy 91. The project team will implement the oneM2M primitives for Device Management using Smart Device Template models in TS-0023.

The team will learn oneM2M application development and embedded device programing using the Nordic Thingy 91 and Zephyr RTOS as well as ESP32 and Raspberry Pi. The main deliverables will be:
- Implementation of a selection of the DM modules from TS-0023 on the Thingy:91
- Using the Thingy:91 as an Interworking Proxy Entity (IPE) implement Device Management on an ESP32 and rPi4, as well as the Thingy:91
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Flowserve Corporation Cryogenic Brush Seal Research and Development for Rotating Pump Components in Cryogenic Service Wang, Chao-Yang 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Cryogenic Brush Sealing System
Flowserve Corporation aims to continuously improve its flow control portfolio and provide extraordinary solutions for its customers to make the world better for everyone. Flowserve offers a wide range of pump types that support power, oil, gas, chemical, and general industries.

Project Overview:
Develop and characterize the sealing capability of different thermoplastic/elastomeric or metallic brush seals which limit leakage in annular clearances. This sealing system will be utilized to provide controlled leakage on traditional centrifugal or positive displacement pumps when the pump is required for liquid or gaseous cryogenic pumping services. It will also provide the ability to adapt to a wide range of operating temperatures indicative of a cryogenic application. Brush seals are compliant seals that contact the rotating surface of a pump component. Understanding the effects these seals have on performance, multistage pumps, and material wear will ultimately improve the competitiveness of our engineering between cryogenic pump services &/or reduce the risk of warranty cases, especially where leakage of the process fluid could result in dangerous environment for operators, technicians, or test engineers or negatively impact pump performance.

Objectives:
o Understand the state of the art with hydrogen and cryogenic applications, including, but not limited to, materials, cost, availability, effectiveness & application limitations.
o Define & understand critical design parameters surrounding cryogenic sealing, such as materials, tolerancing, thermal expansion/contraction, wear etc.
o Research & define the physical requirements for the specific seal applications(s).
o Prepare a comprehensive test plan to determine the optimum design for the cryogenic sealing system.
o Create a CAD model of a seal and test rig.
o Conduct FEA/CFD analysis to understand design characteristics.
o Present final deliverables to Flowserve

Deliverables:
o Research report on current applications of cryogenic sealing in an industrial environment
o Summary report outlining options & proposal of the final selection of seal type.
o Final design of test rig including assembly drawings, supporting calculations & design review documentation.
o Summary report defining application requirements
o Summary report of testing and final design recommendation based on testing.
o Final report and presentation

Throughout this project students will need to exercise their engineering judgment and intuition as they investigate this technology. The students will present their study, redesign, results, and conclusions to Flowserve.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
GE HealthCare Medical Technology LLC Design of Protective Cover for Intraoperative Ultrasound Transducer Reprocessing Hylbert, Lyndsey 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

BK Medical, a GE Healthcare Company, designs and manufactures Ultrasound transducers for Surgery and Urology. After a transducer is used for a procedure, it is detached from the Ultrasound system and must be reprocessed by cleaning, disinfecting, and/or sterilizing before it is used for another procedure. Current reprocessing methods used on these transducers employ many different mechanisms, such as high vacuum, high temperature, liquid disinfectant solutions and various others. All parts of the transducer must be capable of surviving these different types of reprocessing methods, including the electrical connection to the Ultrasound system. The electrical connector must be protected in a way that allows the transducer to be successfully reprocessed in any of the approved methods without resulting in damage to the connector or to any other part of the transducer.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy LLC Level Measurement with Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) Knecht, Sean 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Water level monitoring (WLM) in the RPV is critical during normal operation to maintain the optimum water inventory for core cooling and steam generation. In addition, it is imperative to maintain WLM capability during off-normal events and accident conditions in support of automatic or operator actions to restore normal conditions, or to maintain the plant in a safe condition. The primary WLM method in the industry is differential pressure (dP) and will also be the primary method for the BWRX-300. There are known issues with dP accuracy, especially during accident conditions.

An alternate WLM method is Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) that offers some advantages over dP, especially during accident conditions. However, this method also has known issues with accuracy due to not knowing the exact electrical parameters of the steam and water. This project intends to characterize the parameters that cause inaccuracies and possibly develop correction algorithms to achieve high accuracy in
all conditions.

Test data will be obtained from the TDR test fixture This project can include analysis of the data to determine applicability and where improvements can be made. This may involve the addition of filtering, digital signal processing, and development of enhanced calibration algorithms.

The RPV sketch attached illustrates the region where dP will be used to measure water level. Notice that the dP transducer pairs do not cover lower elevations such as over the core. Therefore, other supplemental methods are necessary to extend WLM coverage. TDR and/or HJTs are the likely methods that will supplement dP.

A major challenge, and the primary objective for this project, is to understand how well each the TDR method performs under abnormal conditions. One example is when a rapid depressurization event occurs and the water inventory flashes resulting in voiding and mixed phase layers or gradients.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
GTI Energy Digital Interoperability Platform Shaffer, Steve 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

GTI Energy is a leading research and training organization focused on developing, scaling, and deploying energy transition solutions. We leverage the expertise of our trusted scientists, engineers, and partners in collaborations that deliver the innovations needed for low-carbon, low-cost energy systems.

The energy industry is facing significant challenges and opportunities, including the reduction of carbon emissions, achieving net zero, transitioning to clean energy, and ensuring fairness in energy distribution. GTI Energy will help meet these opportunities by developing a digital interoperability platform that supports encoding industry subject matter expertise and knowledge and allows data assets to be easily shared, accessed, and reused. The platform should prioritize machine actionability, allowing computational systems to find, access, and use data with little to no human intervention. This will support improved findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse of digital assets in the industry. The platform would enable industry scale analysis based on data and digital products maintained by the many diverse organizations representing the industry. As an energy industry leader and subject matter expert, GTI Energy can focus on improving interoperability across many organizations. In contrast, commercial software and services providers are motivated to create interoperable value within single organizations.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Hemp Katalyst Innovation for Industrial Hemp Decortication and Cleaning Mongeau, Jean-Michel 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Determine the "hempshed" or farms and acreage to be served by the regional facility using PA Department of Agriculture online data for farms permitted to grow industrial hemp: http://cedatareporting.pa.gov/reports/powerbi/Public/AG/PI/PBI/PA%20Hemp%20Permit%20Sites (note that Hemp Katalyst will provide guidance on these criteria)
- Research the layout and equipment typical of a regional decortication facility
- Determine the decortication equipment necessary to process the forecasted yield of the hempshed
- Determine the infrastructure requirements associated with the facility, including projected energy demand of equipment
- Determine the feasibility of the farm property for site development to accommodate this facility.
- Provide a rough order of magnitude cost estimate for site development and equipment purchase
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Integrated Delivery Solutions PFAS in Drinking Water Systems Hylbert, Lyndsey 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

PFAS (polyfluorinated alkyl substances) have been found in drinking water supplies throughout the US and other countries. Municipal water utilities are exploring means for removal PFAS from their treated water supplies. Moreover, Federal and State regulators are considering new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) that would require water treatment facilities to remove PFAS to a set concentration that would be incorporated into operating permits.

The "state of the art" technologies are being explored with early application of such for communities that seek to get out ahead of the new regulations. The dilemma for communities is having a better understanding of the breadth of technologies and approaches that can be deployed cost effectively to address PFAS removal.

The project team should explore the currently available technologies and examine others as they may be in development. The outcome of the project will be a paper(s) or report that can be made available to communities and regulators exploring this problem.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
ISSIP Generative AI Playbook and Workflow Analysis Prabhu, Vittal 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Title: Generative AI Playbook and Workflow Analysis

The purpose of this project is to research, design, and develop a standard playbook and workflow analysis for prompt engineering of generative AI tools including the input and quality control of the output. Three case studies of the content generation process for historic service system innovations will be developed to drive the creation of the playbook and workflow analysis. Students will select and compare generative AI tools for creating an essay, picture, video, and web page of historic service system innovations that highlight the three key aspects of a service system innovation - access to advanced technical capability, business model for scaling benefits, and institutional arrangements for mitigating harms and improving safety. For example, automobiles improved transportation service systems, assembly lines improved production, installment payment plans improved customers ability to buy, and transportation safety organizations reduced accidents, deaths, and injuries.

The generative AI playbook should highlight the workflow as well as a final analysis of each of the three case examples. How were tools selected and compared? What productivity and quality issues arose? Were some errors and problems severe and others minor? Is there the potential to include cost and productivity study for AI vs. "traditional" content generation? Does the playbook have value for ISSIP student volunteers seeking to learn to use generative AI tools to create content for the ISSIP website? Does the playbook have value for ISSIP corporate members who would like to evaluate generative AI tools for internal corporate projects? Does the playbook have value for ISSIP academic members who would like to do research and publish about generative AI strengths and weaknesses? Does the playbook have value for volunteer run organizations seeking to improve the productivity, reduce tedious tasks, and enhance engagement on fun and creative tasks of volunteers??

Students interested in this project: If you have experience with AI/ML, please indicate in the Optional comments section.

ISSIP is a global non-profit professional association with a focus on service, service systems, service innovation, and professional development (lifelong learning) of our members (awards, events, publications, collaborations). Speakers at ISSIP events include executives from Google, Microsoft, NVidia, Meta, Apple, IBM, Cisco, Mastercard, Shift5.ai, National Academy of Engineering (NASEM), and other businesses and organizations. We would like students to use generative AI to create content (essay, picture, video) and system (code) for our ISSIP website and volunteer processes. The students will learn a great deal about generative AI for content creation and system development (Mollick 2023), and will be introduced to our industry and other members who may be interested in follow-on activities with the students.
Reference:
Mollick E (2023) How to Use AI to Do Stuff: An Opinionated Guide
URL: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/how-to-use-ai-to-do-stuff-an-opinionated
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Langs Chocolates LLC ChocolateRotary Depositor Cubanski, Dave 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

equipment to form chocolates using a rotary method to uniformally control size and weight with a 100% sucsefful deposit rate.
Deliverable is a working prototype
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Lockheed Martin 1 Control System Design and System Testing for Hybrid Electric UAV Power Systems Mittan, Paul 0 0 3 3 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Current electric VTOL drones typically are limited to an endurance of 1 hour or less due to the weight of state-of-the-art batteries. Hydrogen fuel cell powered UAV’s are starting to increase vehicle endurance, but are slow to gain entrance into the market due to the challenges of supplying hydrogen. A hybrid propulsion pack would enable current UAV’s to have extended mission endurance, while minimizing impact to the supply chain and user experience (some hybrid drones are coming to market with 4-5 hour endurance). The team will utilize and improve upon an existing hybrid power system designed for a specific UAV (Multicopter). The primary project scope is to design a closed loop control system capable of responding to variable load demands, performance characterization through testing, and small mechanical/electrical improvements to the hybrid system. The system design is constrained by existing space and weight requirements. The final system architecture should be a modular design, capable of interfacing with multiple UAVs of similar power ratings. The team will be expected to design a control system capable of starting the system and controlling its power split during operation. Through rigorous testing they will quantify the performance of the system (specific fuel consumption across a range of output powers) which they will be able to use to show the performance change of the UAV when switching from battery to hybrid power. After quantifying the performance of the system the team will power a representative UAV thruster with the hybrid system to show the closed loop control system is capable of providing stable and sustained power at varying loads. This project will be a multidisciplinary project requiring team with software, electrical, testing, and mechanical skills to be successful.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Lockheed Martin 2 Manufacturing Simulation Model Harmonosky, Catherine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Scope:
The simulation model will be used to evaluate the current production throughput, identify bottle-necks, and capacity constraints on equipment & resources; Improve process throughput, optimize WIP & lot sizes, reduce span time, & increase available capacity within each area

Deliverables:
Fully functional SIMIO simulation model for Metal Fabrication areas;
Identify recommended improvements and options to implement for both short-term and long-term solutions;
For each solution type, identify recommended layout changes, equipment, and resource needs

Comments:
Visit the Archbald facility to gain understanding of the equipment and processes to be modeled in each area;
Review discrete data (i.e. HPU, layout, capacity, common issues) and assumptions needed to build successful models;
Review inventory levels, replenishment rates, batch sizes, external processes, logistics, material flow, transportation time, etc.

Prerequisites for IE students: It is highly recommended that you have completed or are taking concurrently IE 453 (Simulation Modeling for Decision Support). If you are an IE student and have not taken this course, please include a justification for why you would be a good fit anyway in the comments.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Mid Atlantic Technical and Executive Consulting Location Based Dating App (Geodate) Shaffer, Steve 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Geodate is an idea for a dating app / website that uses a combination of location, mathematical, and behavior-based match making to bring the right two partners together. The matching algorithm for Geodate would ideally be a combination of two factors, a personality profile, and location commonality information. The personality profile would be like most other dating apps, a quick way to get to know the user. The location commonality information would work by collecting the user’s location throughout the day, then with the use of artificial intelligence, use Google’s already established descriptions to classify where you were located into specific categories. For instance, if two Annapolis based users both went to different seafood restaurants, the app would take note of this an add to a list of commonalities between the two of them when they connect.
Users will be shown other Geodate profiles within a specified age and distance range set by themselves, and they can either select “hit” or “miss” on the profiles shown to them. When two users “hit” each other, they match and can now start conversation between them. Once they are matched together, they can see their shared interests that the AI found based off their locations as well as the personality profile they set up prior. The hope is that the shared interest information between the two users will connect them in ways they wouldn’t have thought to talk about initially, possibly leading to an easy first date without the stress of not knowing the other person’s interests. In the instance listed before, that could lead to a fancy seafood restaurant.
The goal for this project would be to have a working prototype of the site / app by the end of the semester.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Nuclear Applications Technology Company LLC (NATC) Nuclear Test Loop Concept Development Knecht, Sean 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Overview: NuclearATC is a nuclear industrial research company looking to advance nuclear innovation as a new nuclear technology startup. We seek to develop tools to assist academia, industry and government for research in nuclear energy and isotope utilization.

The Nuclear Test Loop (NTL) enables nuclear reactor core material samples to be irradiated under the sample chemical and hydraulic conditions as experienced in commercial power reactors to be analyzed later to characterize degradation. The NTL will be installed in the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) at the Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC).

This project helps NuclearATC advance the NTL by creating 3D SolidWorks models for:
1.) use in technical research (mechanical and software control) in project development; and,
2.) use in marketing materials.

Deliverables:
1.) Developing a SolidWorks model of the PSBR Core (simplified for the relevant portions).
2.) Developing a SolidWorks model of the Loop section inserted into the Core.
3.) Creating a 3D printed model of the Loop and Core section.
4.) Developing a SolidWorks model of a Sample Chamber
5.) Creating a 3D printed model (actual size) of a Sample Chamber
6.) Thermal Hydraulic models for limited, relevant sections of the NTL (i.e., sample chamber heated in the loop to determine heat energy input required to maintain sample temperature).

Students interested in this awesome project: If you have some nuclear engineering experience or are a dual major with NUCE, please indicate in the optional comments section.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PennEngineering Thermal Cycling Effects on Threaded Fasteners and Mechanical Performance Wang, Donghai 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Background: Founded in 1942, PennEngineering is the industry leader of fastening, installation, and engineered component technologies worldwide. With over 4,000 employees across 18 countries, PennEngineering manufactures self-clinching threaded fasteners for a wide variety of industries including automotive, consumer electronics, and aerospace. These fasteners must withstand harsh environments and maintain high performance. The ability of high-performing fasteners to withstand large temperature changes while in use has become an increasingly common request. This project will help determine the effects of temperature fluctuations on PennEngineering’s fasteners and determine whether mechanical or electrical performance is impacted.

Project: The team will thermally cycle threaded fasteners and measure the change in mechanical performance and electrical resistance. The team will start by creating a plan to thermally cycle the fasteners and vary parameters such as time and temperature. They will also create a plan to test mechanical and electrical performance of the fasteners before and after the thermal cycle. Mechanical performance testing includes tension, torque, and clamp load. Electrical performance includes conductivity or resistance measurements. The team will then carry out their plan to test the performance of the fasteners and determine the effects of the temperature changes.

Goals:
Create a test plan to thermally cycle mechanically attached fasteners
Plan for mechanical and electrical testing – torque, tension, clamp load, conductivity
Test fasteners before and after thermal cycling according to the test plans
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Philips 1 Fabrication and characterization of conductive acoustic layers for medical ultrasound transducers Kimel, Allen 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Overview
Current medical ultrasound transduces follow the Langevin (Sandwich) design, in which the piezoelectric, matching and backing layers need to be carefully processed and characterized. The thickness and material properties of each layer are critical to the performance of the transducer. Cutting edge transducers rely on custom materials with unique properties to advance the state of the art in medical imaging.
Objectives
The objective for this project is to explore novel acoustic materials, in terms of looking into different formulation of conductive composites with less conductive fillers, fabricating new materials, evaluating mechanical, electrical and acoustic properties. Depending on the results, the new materials built by the students could be built into transducers or allow the students to optimize the materials design and repeat fabrication & characterization.
Approach
Students will need to
- Research medical transducer materials and transducer design
- Design the formulation of acoustic materials using various conductive particles, additives, polymers and etc.
- Fabricate materials based on the designs.
- Characterize the mechanical, electrical and acoustic properties using our lab equipments, e.g. MTS mechanical testing machine, LCR electronics, scanning acoustic microscope and etc.
- Optimize the design based on the testing results.
Outcomes
- The students will not only understand how modern medical transducer arrays are designed and manufactured, but also quantitively design and test new, novel materials.
- Collaborate with a team of top-notch engineers to gain hands-on lab experience of material fabrication and test, which can be potentially made into medical transducers that touches millions of people’s lives.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Philips 2 RF Noise Test System Cubanski, Dave 3 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Overview:
Current TEE transducer designs can be susceptible to noise and image artifact. Engineering test setups exist in the laboratory environment but need to be formalized to make them repeatable, easily conducted, and implementable on the product floor as one of several final tests conducted on transducers to assess functional acceptance before shipping to a customer.

Deliverables:
Students will need to:
1. Gain an understanding of the TEE transducer design and the connection, that if not adequately bonded, creates the failure mode/mechanism.
2. Analyze and understand the existing engineering laboratory test setup, its components and the specific RF signal conditions and ultrasound system settings.
3. Create a mechanical fixture that fits over the tip geometry and couples signal to the array from a signal generator.
4. Determine signal generator requirements and specifications and select an appropriate piece of equipment to implement into the test setup.
5. Create operating documentation/procedures for the test setup
6. Create automated scripting to be incorporated into existing end item test stations
7. Finalize/document/implement final system test setup into manufacturing test environment.
8. Stretch goal/outcome: Consider modularity and expandability into other types of transducers.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU ASME e-Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) ASME e-Human-Powered Vehicle Neal, Gary 3 0 3 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The goal of this project is to design and build a vehicle for entry into the ASME human-powered vehicle competition. For the first time in 2022, the competition rules were significantly altered to allow electric pedal-assist vehicles. The capstone team is responsible for either significantly altering the previous year's vehicle platform or designing and building their own vehicle from the ground up. Deliverables include an operable vehicle, a description of the innovation over previous team's designs, and video demonstrations of several safety tests. Safety tests include roll over, turning, and breaking distance.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU College of Engineering Facilities 1 EDI Outdoor Patio Awning - Team 1 Knecht, Sean 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The College of Engineering is looking for an awning design that can be built to provide shade over the outdoor patio area located on the roof of the new Engineering Design and Innovation Bldg.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU College of Engineering Facilities 2 EDI Outdoor Patio Awning - Team 2 Mongeau, Jean-Michel 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The College of Engineering is looking for an awning design that can be built to provide shade over the outdoor patio area located on the roof of the new Engineering Design and Innovation Bldg.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU College of Medicine 1 Photodynamic therapy device for treating glioblastoma Hylbert, Lyndsey 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Glioblastoma brain cancer is a devastating disease with currently low survival rates. Phtotodynamic therapy is a promising form of treatment that involves injection of a chemical agent that can make cancer cells sensitive to light of specific wavelengths. The goal of this project is to engineer a repeated light delivery device for photodynamic therapy of brain tumors. The project includes mentorship from an expert surgeon.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU College of Medicine 2 Surgical micropuncture device for new blood vessel formation Pacey, Mark 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Formation of new blood vessels is critical for successful tissue engineering, transplant surgery, and treatment of limb and tissue ischemia. Recently it has been shown that micropuncture of existing vessels, i.e. formation of a series of micro-holes, can lead to sprouting angiogenesis and rapid formation of new blood vessels. Although vessel micropuncture is still being studied in the lab, it has the potential to improve treatment and health of many patients. This project aims to develop a surgical device that can be used for efficient, precise, and safe micropuncture of vessels.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU College of Medicine 3 Device for measuring shunt effectiveness during hydrocephalus surgery Pacey, Mark 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Hydrocephalus is a chronic disease that leads to an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. The only treatment is a surgically implanted shunt device, draining fluid from the brain to another body cavity. Shunts have a high rate of complications and failure resulting in suffering, reduced quality of life, and reoperation to repair or replace shunts. Currently surgeons use a rudimentary approach to assess implanted shunts in the operating room. The goal of this project is to develop a new device that will be able to accurately quantify shunt effectiveness in a sterile manner. Project includes mentorship from an expert neurosurgeon.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Engineering Leadership Development Program (ELDP) Electronic Agile Workshop Game Choi, Kyusun 0 0 1 3 0 0 3 0 3 3 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Traditionally, Agile principles were created and have been used for software development teams; however, as teams become more multidisciplinary and organizations search for methods to streamline development and collaboration, there is a growing desire to expand Agile principles across many facets of multidisciplinary project management. See more here: https://agilemanifesto.org/

The Engineering Leadership Development program provides students with opportunities to learn how to lead multidisciplinary teams through the development process. This happens in various curricular and extracurricular activities, including workshops specific to Agile Project Management.

Currently, students learn about Agile Project Management by participating in a fun, interactive game utilizing play "pit balls" (the kind you used to jump into when you were a kid!). Attached are the specific instructions for the game. The primary purpose is to illustrate the mechanics of Agile Scrum through Planning, Execution, and Retrospective. Each period is timed with team effectivity and efficiency measured based on the successful processing of balls. In order to keep track of time, a separate, manual timer is used and metrics are tracked on a chalk / whiteboard.

The three primary goals of this project would be to:
1) Create an electronic "system" for tracking and displaying the team's progress through multiple sprint periods,
2) Create a portable packaging solution that can be easily taken anywhere across campus by a single person, and
3) Create an environment that adds an element of Excitement, Stress, and FUN!
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Harrisburg Fabrication of ceramic implants inspired by spicule structures for bone tissue engineering applications Hylbert, Lyndsey 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

In this project, students will study the mechanical properties, fracture mechanism and micro-structure of spicule inspired structures (SISs) made of ceramic materials for potential application as bone implants for tissue engineering applications using stereolithogtaphy 3D printing technique. Spicules are concentric cylindrical structures that can be found in marine sponges. They show interesting mechanical behavior due to their nested cylindrical structures. Students will investigate optimum number of layers and thickness of layers to achieve the maximum strength and toughness in SISs.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) 1 Open Source Automation for Manufacturing, Logistics, and Supply Services - Manufacturing Facility Zajac, Brian 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Modern supply chains are becoming increasingly reliant on automation to meet challenges such as staffing shortages, increased customer demand, reduced lead times, and high network complexity. ?Long term, this project aims to create a fully automated, end-to-end supply chain and manufacturing system on a small, table-top scale. ?The scale is small to make the system low cost and safe for education and research, while still representing a complete end-to-end supply chain. ?The final system will consist of multiple robotic manufacturing facilities, autonomous transportation vehicles, automated distribution centers, and overarching cloud-based software.

Multiple student project teams will each design, build, and integrate *one* link of this chain through the course of a semester. In this project, the team will produce a single manufacturing facility. ?This facility should automatically receive material from a transportation vehicle; automatically transport material throughout the production floor and between multiple robotic assembly stations; make use of a previously developed low cost, 3D printed robot arm to perform assembly functions; use IoT sensors and cloud software to monitor material flow, assembly progress, equipment health, and energy usage; efficiently assemble the appropriate subassembly using Lego bricks; automatically load finished products into a transportation vehicle; include control and monitoring software written in Python to be run on a Raspberry Pi; and be setup in the FAME Lab in the Leonhard Building.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) 2 Open Source Automation for Manufacturing, Logistics, and Supply Services - Transportation Vehicle Zajac, Brian 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Modern supply chains are becoming increasingly reliant on automation to meet challenges such as staffing shortages, increased customer demand, reduced lead times, and high network complexity. ?Long term, this project aims to create a fully automated, end-to-end supply chain and manufacturing system on a small, table-top scale. ?The scale is small to make the system low cost and safe for education and research, while still representing a complete end-to-end supply chain. ?The final system will consist of multiple robotic manufacturing facilities, autonomous transportation vehicles, automated distribution centers, and overarching cloud-based software.

Multiple student project teams will each design, build, and integrate *one* link of this chain through the course of a semester. In this project, the team will produce a transportation vehicle. ?It should transport various cargo (unassembled Lego bricks, completed subassemblies, and a final assembly of multiple letters) via a simple road network; automatically receive cargo from a distribution center or manufacturing facility; use cloud software to receive a delivery destination, plan a route, and autonomously navigate while transmitting real time location, cargo manifest, and energy usage data; avoid obstacles and blockages while re-routing if necessary; automatically unload cargo to a manufacturing facility or end customer; include control and monitoring software written in Python to be run on a Raspberry Pi; and be setup in the FAME Lab in the Leonhard Building.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) 3 A heuristic for set partitioning problems with applications in service industries. Subramanyam, Anirudh 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Students should be familiar with some programming language like Java or Python. Programming expertise is not required, but there will be no time to learn programming from scratch. In addition, students who have taken (or are concurrently taking) IE 460 and/or IE 405 will have an advantage.

Large airlines and hospitals will have 100s of beds or flights and 100s of staff. These organizations need to schedule their staff to flights or to hospital shifts. Students will illustrate the scheduling problem using small textbook examples. Mathematical models will be prepared and then solved with Excel. Students will use the simple example to argue that:
1) for large problems, it is difficult to prepare a mathematical model manually
2) approximate solutions that are based on experience can be sub-optimal
3) software programs may also take a long time to generate a solution, depending on the problem size.

Therefore, we need a way to prepare and solve models using a computer. Plus, faster ways of solving these models can be very useful.

Students will be expected to look for problems in various service (or manufacturing) industries that can be modelled as set partitioning or covering problems. In addition, students must get some publicly available data sets that can be used to model these problems. For example, assigning hospital nursing staff to shifts is a set partitioning problem. Students must also get some public data set from some hospital about how many nurses they have, how many shifts they have, and so on. The transportation industry also has some problems which will be suitable for this project. Data sets from other industries can also be used with the project advisor's consent.

Students will perform a literature review of various techniques available for solving set partitioning and covering problems, or related. They will also identify various industries and the operations during which such problems arise. Students will illustrate the intuitive justification behind the proposed heuristics for solving such problems. They will develop a computer program with guidance from the project advisor. Each student will develop a different portion of the computer program. There are some public problem sets available. These are small problems and not from any particular industry. These will be used for testing. If the computer program seems to be working well, students will apply it on industry problems. The computer program may need to be refined based on what is working well and what is not.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Learning Factory (LF) 1 Pixelated RGB display for EDI Building Entry Knecht, Sean 0 0 3 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

We need to spice up the entry to the new EDI Building a little bit. Your team will design a tidbyte (https://tidbyt.com) type display for this space. It should be large (i.e., at least 24"x24") and nice looking, fitting in with the other EDI Building decor. The displayed content should be dynamic and easily updatable. A stretch goal would be to add duplicates to other spaces in the building.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Learning Factory (LF) 2 3D-printed carbon fiber and elastomer bike saddle Neal, Gary 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

In this project you will design a new bicycle saddle platform that allows complete customization of the riding experience. For example, one way would be to 3D print the rails and saddle shell out of carbon fiber and then snap a 3D-printed elastomeric top onto the shell. One or both components should be customizable to the shape of the user's pelvis, riding experience, and desired experience. The BME student(s) will ensure that the design protects body tissue and minimizes restriction to blood flow.

Your team will use the new additive manufacturing capabilities in the Engineering Design and Innovation building to construct working prototypes. Since the elastomer can be printed in any color, the "cover" should be cool.

Bike saddles all have the same mechanism for attaching to the seat post. But everything on top varies from saddle to saddle. By varying the contour and materials the designer is able to achieve different performance targets. More rigid saddles were thought to efficiently transmit power, while softer ones were thought to be more comfortable. Limitations in materials made tuning the saddle contour and compliance difficult. However, additive manufacturing has enabled complete customization of the saddle (e.g., the new Specialized Mirror saddle: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/saddle-mirror).
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU MATSE Glass Blowing Studio MATSE Glassblowing Studio Glory Hole Furnace Wang, Donghai 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The MATSE Glassblowing Studio has been in operation since early 2000's. The COVID pandemic killed the studio, but the studio has been brought back to life! The MATSE Glassblowing Studio 2.0 is also focused on becoming more sustainable. We currently have a batch furnace that holds 200 pounds of glass and two little Glass studio furnaces (Dragons) that hold 30 pounds of glass and contain the Glory Hole furnace all in one unit that is portable and about 500 pounds in size.

In Glassblowing, the Glory Hole furnace is a second furnace (first is a batch furnace) where the glass is re-heated, as many times as necessary, to maintain workability of the glass. The furnace generally operates at a temperature of 1080 degrees centigrade to 1200 degrees centigrade. The Dragons' Glory Hole furnace is not amenable to inviting glass artists to visit, teach, or perform demonstrations (as well as limiting our own glassblowers) due to their size.

Therefore, we request a team to research, design, and proto-type a Glory Hole furnace for the MATSE Glassblowing Studio. Objectives the team will be asked to complete are 1) research the appropriate shape of the Glory Hole furnace (there are quite a few...), then based on the research, 2) design a Glory Hole furnace, where priorities will be a) miniaturization (18 inch maximum glass piece size), b) heat and fuel efficiency (natural gas, propane, electricity, ???), and c) insulation of the process so that the room in which the furnace resides does not increase in temperature when the Glory Hole furnace is in use (next to impossible). Once the design has been approved, 3) building a proto-type of the designed Glory Hole furnace will begin. The proto-type (size, materials, etc.) will be determined by the pace of accomplishment of the first two objectives. The MATSE Glass Studio will want a finished product of a working Glory Hole furnace, but does not believe this can all be accomplished in one semester. So, there is your brass ring.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU Mechanical Engineering Virtual Reality Game for Learning Machine Design Mongeau, Jean-Michel 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Machine design is an iterative decision-making process that requires the selection and assemblage of machine elements to create a device that performs a desired task. A machine designer must possess knowledge of basic sciences like physics and chemistry and have a familiarity with machine components such as shafts, gears, and pulleys. Considerable imagination is required for designing a suitable mechanism for any given purpose. However, many people lack familiarity with machine components and may have never seen such elements work in real-world applications. Due to logistical challenges, it is commonplace to learn about machine design without hands on experience of devices and machines, instead learners are shown images, videos, and CAD models that demonstrate the functionality of machine components. These approaches, however, still lack the hands-on feel desired in learning machine design whereas virtual reality (VR) offers a potential solution that is more interactive and better translates to real world application.

The objective of this project is to continue the development of a VR application intended to expose users to key elements of machine design (e.g., shafts, gears, pulleys) and give them experience assembling these components into commonly used mechanisms like gear boxes and linear actuators. The VR application should include gaming elements such that users/players experience engagement, motivation, and fun. While the immediate audience for the application is ME 360 – Machine Design – required for all ME undergraduates, the eventual goal is that it will be offered to users across the world who want to learn more about machine design.

Students interested in this project: If you have experience with AR/VR, please indicate in the Optional comments section for this project.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU RERC on AAC 1 GPS in Augmented Reality (AR) Application Shaffer, Steve 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

This team will start from the current Augmented Reality application created by one of our Spring 2023 Learning Factory teams. This application was written using Unity tools. The team will incorporate use of GPS into the AR experience. There are two paths we are interested in:

1. Program a path (e.g., walking to the deli section of a store) into the application that the person should follow. This would be recorded by one person, saved, then you would be able to hold the tablet up and have an arrow showing where the person using the application should step next to reach the desired location.

2. Program an endpoint into the application. Once a location is saved, a user should be able to say they want to get to that endpoint and an arrow would always be on screen pointing toward the endpoint. We would also be interested in seeing what auto-routing tools are available in Unity.

Students interested in this project: If you have experience with AR/VR, please indicate in the Optional comments section.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU RERC on AAC 2 Personalized Training Models for Augmented Reality (AR) Shaffer, Steve 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

This team will start from the current Augmented Reality application created by one of our Spring 2023 Learning Factory teams. This application was written using Unity tools. The new team will investigate creating personalized training models for the object recognition built into the AR application. Currently, the application functions using pre-trained models for Unity Barracuda. We would like to be able to create a personalized model. This team will focus on the process of creating the personalized models, both saving images and labeling, and finding how many examples of each item must be used to create the personalized model. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the development of individualized communication supports for persons with disabilities.

Students interested in this awesome project: If you have experience with AR/VR, please indicate in the Optional comments section.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU SCDC University of Montreal, Hyve 3D Extrusion head for Mid-air 3D printing freehand 3D sketches Wang, Donghai 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

In the context of the research project: Printed 3D sketches: a new media for ideation (PI T. Dorta & Collaborator J. Pinto Duarte), we would like to look for innovative ideas to develop a mid-air 3D printing technique in the form of an extruding head to be used with freehand 3D strokes (polyline 3D vectors).

Abstract:
At the beginning of the design process, during the ideation phase, it is necessary to externalize mental images through drawings or to use these last ones to generate new ideas. When the sketches are not enough to master the form and proportions of the design artifact, physical representations like models are indispensable. Architecture and industrial design, among other design disciplines, use physical models to conceive their ideas. In the field of product design, these models should be at full scale. On the other hand, in architecture, smaller scales are inevitable since it would be too complicated to fabricate full-sized models of a building. This research project aims to study the impact of 3D sketches during the ideation process, by making them physical through digital fabrication. This way, designers will not be limited to the visualization of 3D sketches but will be able to manipulate them and perceive them tangibly, in combination with the use of materials like cardboard and fabric, to master the artifact that they design. This new media of representation for ideation will also have an impact on the teaching/learning and the practice of design.

The challenge:
Instead of 3D printing such sketches with FDM techniques, the idea will be to use a robotic arm to extrude the 3D printed stroke in the 3D space (mid-air) while maintaining the right speed to allow the material to solidify (i.e., by ventilation), using few or any supports. Since the goal is to explore different design options during the process, we would like to use a plastic material that can be reused (i.e., PLA). The extrusion head can be installed in different robotic arm sizes to allow the 3D printing of diverse freehand sketched models of design projects: furniture, cars, and bus shelters.



References:
Taouai A, Dorta T. From immersive to physical sketches: A new 3D representation mode during ideation. In: Abdelmohsen, S (ed.), Architecture in the age of disruptive technologies: Transformations and challenges - Proceedings of the 9th ASCAAD Conference, Cairo, Egypt, 2-4 Mars 2021. (https://papers.cumincad.org/cgi-bin/works/paper/ascaad2021_091)
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
PSU SEDI Global Building Network Design of a prototype for cost-effective vertical greenery façade system suitable for warm humid climate Wang, Chao-Yang 0 0 3 3 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

One of the current global effects of climate change is extreme heat waves where in Tanzania the situation is not different. In cities like Dar es salaam, urban dwellers constitute to about 70% of the region whereby most of them reside in unplanned settlements that are characterized by compacted buildings making natural ventilation highly unreliable.

While the effects of heat stress include but are not limited to mortality and morbidity, mild skin rashes, cramps, swelling and fatigue; failure in infrastructure systems caused by overheating, and decreased air quality because of lower thermal comfort level (Kim and Brown 2021), it is important to understand that heat stress disproportionately affects the vulnerable populations which include elderly, infants, people with chronic diseases or disabilities and low-income earners (Lim and Skidmore 2020).

Therefore, the project aims to develop a testable cost-effective prototype of a vertical greenery system that can increase indoor thermal comfort of urban dwellers. The project context will be a location in Pennsylvania and/ or a selected urban area in Tanzania.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Quaker Houghton Machining and Metallurgical Analysis of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel Basu, Saurabh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

17-4 PH SS is a material that is continuing to gain use in automotive, aerospace, and medical industries. While this material shows great properties, such as high strength and corrosion resistance, it can be a difficult material to machine. Difficulty in machining can result in poor surface finish which is necessary for many manufactured parts. This proposed project aims to study the effects of end milling conditions and metalworking fluid performance on tool wear and sub-surface quality of machined 17-4 PH SS. Two chemically different fluids will be provided for use in the machining operation. The two different machining conditions should represent those giving two significantly different metal removal rates. MRR can affect the efficiency and accuracy of machining operations and plays an important role in surface finish.

Deliverables:
1. End milling of 17-4 PH SS blocks at high metal removal (MRR) rate with fluid 1 and fluid 2.
2. End milling of 17-4 PH SS blocks at low metal removal rate (MRR) with fluid 1 and fluid 2.
3. Measurement of tool wear rates under both conditions
4. Metallurgical prep and SEM/EDX analysis of machined surfaces to determine subsurface quality of the machined part.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Rockland Manufacturing Company, Inc Steel Forming Machine Wang, Chao-Yang 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 3 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Design a press and/or machine that can form various components of high strength steel in a rapid and repeatable fashion.

The team must:

Determine the forces and best method needed to shape the material to the desired shape considering all of the following criteria: economics of operation, economics and practicality of manufacturing the design, serviceability of the design, floor space required, ease of operation, variation of parts that can be formed, the machine's ability to be quickly changed to form other components relative to the product line.

The team then will create production drawings for the machine, build the machine, which the help of the team and test the press for full functionality before the end of the project.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Sheetz, Inc. Optimize Cooler Restocking Zajac, Brian 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Sheetz is a major convenience store brand in the Northeast.
One of the challenges in operating a brick and mortar retail facility is keeping merchandise stocked on shelves and available to the customer. Maintaining fully stocked coolers of individually sold canned and bottled drinks can be particularly tough, due to the volume of sales. The store is shipped excess stock beyond what fits in the cooler display so they can replenish cooler stock between store deliveries. The restocking process is inefficient: the product requires multiple employee touches to move it from the truck to a backstock location to the cooler. Managing the organization of backstock also requires staff attention and labor hours.

In our ideal state, every type of cooler product we carry would be always accessible to the customer, with no more than one touch by a store employee.

Deliverables for this project include an analysis of the current restocking process and reimagining of how we can optimize our product merchandising. Optimizaton can be through design or automation, with the primary goals of maximizing inventory availability to the customer while minimizing employee action needed to maintain.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Shell 1 Shell Ecomarathon - Team 1 Neal, Gary 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Shell Eco-marathon is a global academic program focused on energy optimization and one of the world’s leading student engineering competitions. Over the past 35 years, the program has consistently brought to life Shell’s mission of powering progress by providing more and cleaner energy solutions. The global academic program brings together Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students from across the globe to design, build and operate some of the world’s most energy-efficient vehicles. All in the name of collaboration and innovation, as students’ ideas help to shape a lower carbon future for all. The fall teams will be tasked with redesigning and rebuilding components of the existing car to improve performance in preparation for the Shell Eco-marathon competition in the Spring of 2024.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Shell 2 Shell Ecomarathon - Team 2 Neal, Gary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Shell Eco-marathon is a global academic program focused on energy optimization and one of the world’s leading student engineering competitions. Over the past 35 years, the program has consistently brought to life Shell’s mission of powering progress by providing more and cleaner energy solutions. The global academic program brings together Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students from across the globe to design, build and operate some of the world’s most energy-efficient vehicles. All in the name of collaboration and innovation, as students’ ideas help to shape a lower carbon future for all. The fall teams will be tasked with redesigning and rebuilding components of the existing car to improve performance in preparation for the Shell Eco-marathon competition in the Spring of 2024.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
SwapIT SwapIt App Shaffer, Steve 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The objective is to develop the first functional prototype of SwapIT, a clothing swapping app aimed at reducing individuals' carbon footprint. The target audience for this app are environmentally conscious 15–25-year-olds. The app's key features should include AI-generated clothing suggestions on the home page, as well as a user-friendly interface for facilitating swap offers and conversations with other users.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL) Hydrogel for Transpiration Cooling Wang, Chao-Yang 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

NEED

Transpiration cooling is achieved by moving a liquid or gas coolant through a hot structure to absorb and eject a portion of the heat by evaporation through a porous skin. This highly effective cooling technique has been theoretically investigated and demonstrated in experimental and operational settings. For example, SpaceX successfully employed transpiration cooling in their reusable second stage rocket motors and spacecraft to mitigate the harsh conditions of reentry. Transpiration cooling systems typically consist of a porous skin, coolant tank, coolant channels, a pump, and control systems. These complex systems are feasible for large vehicles but may become impractical for smaller vehicles or subsystems due to weight and size restrictions. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of a “low profile” and practical transpiration cooling technique that is suitable for smaller vehicles, especially when only transient (seconds) or short term (tens of seconds) of cooling is needed.

CONCEPT

Investigate the potential for a fiber reinforced thermal management concept based on hydrogel structures for transpiration cooling. Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymer network structures able to absorb large amounts of water to form a “solid” form of water, especially when reinforced with a porous solid scaffold. Structurally (metal lattice) reinforced hydrogels can be engineered to release a phase changing cooling medium to reduce surface temperatures during most thermally aggressive operations while maintaining shape stability. Such designs will significantly reduce the footprint of the transpiration cooling system by eliminating the need for pumping and control systems.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The main tasks include:

1. Use thermal and mass simulation tools to design, analyze, and evaluate a “self-pumping” transpiration cooling system based on embedded hydrogel coolant
2. Fabricate a representative test coupon by metal additive manufacturing
3. Test the cooling effectiveness with a high velocity oxygen fuel system (to be done at JHU/APL).
4. Improve both theoretical and experimental designs of the hydrogel based transpiration system by examining the test results.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. 1 Sales Quote Generation Software Shaffer, Steve 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Potain is a leading manufacturer of tower cranes, both self-erecting and top-slewing tower cranes, with sales around the world. The North American sales team is currently looking to develop a software package that will aid the quoting process for new tower cranes. Currently, when a customer expresses interest in purchasing a new Potain, the sales team must pick all of the options that the customer wants on a master price list, and they then write a quote for that crane that specifies all of the selected options and the price for the crane. This writing of the quote is done manually in Microsoft Word and is very prone to mistakes. Plus, each of the sales managers have a slightly different format for the quotes that they write.
The students will be tasked with developing a software tool that can be used to generate quotes for the sales team. The software must be able to read in a pricelist, as prices change 1-2 times per year. The user interface of the program should allow for the sales managers to select the model of crane and then any of the options available on that particular crane. Different profiles for the customers and sales managers would also be helpful, as each quote is addressed to the customer and from their respective sales manager. Once all of the selections have been made, the program should then generate a .pdf file of the final quote that the sales manager can then send to the customer.
Several stretch goals of this project would be to include shipping calculations. Potain builds their tower cranes in Western Europe for the most part, so ocean freight is always included in quotes to North American customers. Different crane models require a different number of containers, so it would be nice if the model designation generated a shipping quote automatically. Also, a cloud-based solution would be preferrable. This would allow the sales managers to access the software tool from anywhere and easily recall past quotes.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. 2 Temperature Monitoring Equipment for Welding Yang, Hui 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Manitowoc Cranes performs large amounts of welding to manufacture a crane. Preheat and interpass temperatures are required to ensure quality welds for the critical structures on the crane. The cost and time that preheating adds to the welding process can be very high. Therefore to be competitive in the market, Manitowoc requires quality welds without adding unnecessary additional costs when monitoring preheat and interpass temperatures.

This study aims to determine the best equipment and practices to monitor temperatures in weldments. The need for low-cost, high-quality welds is of the utmost importance.

Students will be tasked with conducting research to learn what is currently available for temperature monitoring. Students will then be tasked with designing/modifying equipment and developing procedures/practices for the best way to monitor preheat and interpass temperatures during welding. The students will need to establish the accuracy and ease of use of the equipment and procedure. This can be done through testing in the shop environment at Manitowoc.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
TMP Manufacturing Company, Inc. Improving panel handling Griffin, Paul 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

We are a manufacturer of urethane panels that range in size from 11.5" x 70" to 46" x 300". They are mostly moved throughout the plant manually. Our goal is to find a way to minimize the lifting of the panels while being moved from the foaming fixtures to shipping. Our website www.walkins.com can show you our panels.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
TRS Technologies, Inc. TRS Data Analysis Tool Kimel, Allen 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The purpose of the project is to develop a data analysis and metric tool to allow the company to better analyze our data. We are a piezoelectric company and do a lot with single crystal! The team will evaluate existing methods of capturing data, propose and design a new system of data collection and develop metric tools (graphs, dashboards, etc.) for management of the system going forward. Our vision is to develop a relational database with key fields and forms for data collection. The team will need some understanding of Materials Science to parse and interpret the data correctly.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Ultium Cells LLC General Motors/Ultium Cells - Interactive Plant Directory Choi, Kyusun 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Description:
Design a Visual and Interactive System to provide a Geographical Overview and Navigation Instructions for the Ultium Battery Cell Manufacturing Facility

Factory Key Parameters/Background:
Battery Cell Manufacturing plant is located in Lordstown, Ohio
This plant is a joint venture between LG-Energy Solutions and General Motors
The plant is currently in a validation phase with start of production targeted Q4 2022
The approximate size of the facility is 2.8 million square feet (2 floors)

The objective of this project is as follows:
Create an interactive and visual interface representing the Ultium Battery Cell Manufacturing facility
Provide a touch screen interface enabling the end user to input/select specific locations within the Ultium site, and be presented with visual instructions on how to navigate to the selected location
Provide capability to add/change/remove locations and directions within the systems
Main goal is to design a system for a touch screen device (Provided by GM).
Stretch goal is to enable the system to present information in both Korean and English languages

Benefit:
Provides a visual, easy to use utility to the user base to assist in navigating to key locations within the facility (Human resources, Safety, Central Nervous Center, Key Manufacturing locations, Key meeting locations, etc…)
Promotes a safe environment providing location information so people know the safety route to their location
Increases travel time efficiency
Contributes to positive Workplace of Choice and first impression of the facility reducing the initial frustration of navigating a large complex.

Deliverables:
Design a visual interactive system providing a site map to the user
A PC and touch screen TV/Monitor will be provided by GM
Design the system to allow the user to type or touch the location and be provided directions/instructions of the safest and most efficient route within the plant
Provide a user interface to accommodate changes/moves/deletions/additions to the plant directory
Weekly status reporting with progression to schedule, list of tasks and any issues with mitigation plans
Final report summarizing learnings, instructions on use and expansion of system
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
US Mortgage Notes, Inc Using AI to build a more efficient US mortgage notes exchange Shaffer, Steve 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Are you interested in learning one way that AI can be used to make money in the finance industry? This is the project for you.

The current project will build a block diagram for patent attorneys and a prototype for proof of concept and implementation. Students will assist with finalizing key documents for VC funding and communication. From wireframe to functional prototype, the senior students will connect our company's strategic execution plan to a functional mortgage note exchange system with AI integration. We will utilize both automated and human processes to minimize human interaction and optimize tech-enhanced automatic exchange processes of mortgage notes based on enhanced profiling.

The current phase of this project will take an existing manual process of mortgage note exchange and reduce human interaction by 75% with automated technological and AI processes. Normal procedures include relationship building with buyers and sellers as a manual broker then completing a trade desk protocol of emails and document sharing. However, maintaining our core value of equity, we can make this more efficient by using AI to profile buyers and sellers, utilizing data fields, and creating matching protocols to optimize the exchange process for both sides of the transaction. Therefore the final project deliverable at this phase will be to:

#1- Complete the mapping process of profiling buyers and sellers utilizing AI-assisted tech
#2- Identify areas and tech AI tools to enhance profiling, analysis of data, and execution of the trade desk protocol
#3- Iterate sequences of exchange with enhanced systems for exchange to reduce human interaction by 75%
#4- Align ESG strategic execution goals to product development to complete pitch decks for VC presentations
#5- Complete requested materials for the patent-pending legal team

Students interested in this awesome project: If you have experience with AI/ML, please indicate in the Optional comments section.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Volvo Construction Equipment Novel Braking Solution(s) for Electric Compactors Cubanski, Dave 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

Project is to continue refinement and development of an active braking system utilizing the electric drum drive motor. Desire is to have the braking force be provided by the electrical drive system and not be an add on contact friction system.

For reference, see 2023 spring capstone project "Novel Braking Solution(s) for Electric Compactors"

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Our current compaction fleet is diesel powered with hydrostatic braking. As the market shifts toward electric vehicles, and we move more to electric motors, hydrostatic braking will no longer be possible. The goal of this project is to research eddy current or resistor bank electric brakes and work toward a proposed solution for a theoretical future electrical compactor.

Inputs for the project will include completed work and research from fall 2022 PSU team, existing machine braking solution (hydraulic schematic), current patent research, and other machine and application information for background. Output of the project can be scaled based on the final team size and their project planning work. Minimum output should be the details of the theoretical exploration with a summary of the proposed solution. If possible, a physical mock up or technical demonstrator of the solution would be preferred.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Volvo Group North America 1 Concepts of a Battery Box Vibration Absorber for a Durable, Lightweight Structure Wang, Donghai 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

To develop ICE or Electric vehicles, it is necessary to verify the durability of the chassis (i.e. Fig. 1). This proposal explores the idea of vibration absorbers which are installed in/on a battery box. This device improves vibration fatigue and achieves robust durability of the chassis frame. This proposal will, consequently, be used to discuss design concepts for lightweight structure to develop ICE/BE vehicles.

This project will be carried out in the 5 steps:
Step 1. Review vibration of 2 DOF system and study on Vibro-fatigue
Step 2. Study on TRIZ for idea creation for vibro-fatigue
Step 3. Train for CAE S/W: ANSA/Metapost and Nastran
Step 4. Develop ideas for reducing vibration of battery box through DFSS(Design for Six Sigma)
Step 5. Validate the idea for vibro-fatigue and discuss on concepts for lightweight structure
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Volvo Group North America 2 Impact of Heavier Mass Components and Systems on HD Truck Chassis Ladder Modes Neal, Gary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: YES

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

New high-mass components are being developed relative to zero emission and carbon reduction focused projects which will change the load distribution along the chassis ladder of the HD Truck models. The most significant impacts on chassis mass will be from the Energy Storage System (ESS), the Exhaust Aftertreatment System (EATS), the Battery Box (SPB), and the Module Under Cab (MUC).

With the typical vibration modes seen on diesel chassis configurations as a reference, evaluate the change in chassis vibration modes with the impacts from the high-mass system concepts and summarize the findings. Further investigation to consider solutions that improve and/or better align with reference is also requested.
Company Name Project Title Faculty Contact BME CHE CMPEN CMPSC DS ED EE EGEE ESC IE MATSE ME NUCE
Volvo Group North America 3 Investigate Composite Materials for use as Lighter-Weight, Structural Components in HD Truck Applications while Considering the Materials Recyclability and Sustainability Kimel, Allen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Physical Prototype or On-Campus Equipment: NO

Images and Additional Links (if provided)

The purpose of this project is to research and assess alternate materials that may achieve lower weight in structural components while still meeting the application requirements of a HD Truck. Therefore, we are proposing to evaluate composite materials which can be used in structural applications. Unique goals are to ensure the composite material offers similar strength and durability to reference components with reduced weight while considering aspects of recyclability and sustainability.
Within this project, the expectations are:
1. Conduct a literature review and research of Composite Materials (i.e. Fiberglass + Polyamide and other know composite materials)
2. Propose materials with sufficient mechanical properties to work in structural applications
3. Further propose materials that are Recyclable and Sustainable
4. Investigate and provide a cost analysis of the materials
5. Select material(s) to be prototyped and tested
 
 

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Our mission is to help bring the real-world into the classroom by providing engineering students with practical hands-on experience through industry-sponsored and client-based capstone design projects. Since its inception, the Learning Factory has completed more than 1,800 projects for more than 500 different sponsors, and nearly 9,000 engineering students at Penn State University Park participated in such a project.

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The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802