VCU School of Engineering presents Capstone Design Expo

Annual signature event showcases students’ yearlong academic projects

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The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering presents its annual Capstone Design Expo, which showcases engineering students’ innovative research and design prototypes.

The event will be held Thursday, April 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St. The “Excellence in Design” awards will be presented at 2:30 p.m. The expo is free and open to the public.

Visitors explore the variety of projects on display at the Science Museum of Virginia during the 2015 School of Engineering Capstone Design Expo. Photo by Lindy Rodman, University Marketing.
Visitors explore the variety of projects on display at the Science Museum of Virginia during the 2015 School of Engineering Capstone Design Expo. Photo by Lindy Rodman, University Marketing.

The Capstone Design course has been part of the School of Engineering curriculum since 1999 and is a requirement for graduation. The capstone class teaches leadership, teamwork and design skills in a collaborative environment and provides students the opportunity to develop and complete projects that may lead to product innovation for the benefit of society.

The annual expo offers capstone design teams the opportunity to display and demonstrate their prototypes, which are the culmination of eight months of effort, and to increase the awareness of the engineering profession among visiting middle and high school students. This year, more than 80 student teams are participating in the expo, which has become a signature event for the School of Engineering and VCU.

“Our students seek to achieve great things through their pursuit of research projects that truly impact the world around them,” said Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Engineering. “This is just the beginning for these students. In their careers they will continue to solve problems and create innovative solutions that make a difference in all of our lives.”

Senior Salima Fenaoui explains her engineering project at the 2015 School of Engineering Capstone Design Expo. She and her teammates designed a troubleshooting prototype for technicians to learn the ins and outs of automobile object detection systems. Photo by Lindy Rodman, University Marketing.
Senior Salima Fenaoui explains her engineering project at the 2015 School of Engineering Capstone Design Expo. She and her teammates designed a troubleshooting prototype for technicians to learn the ins and outs of automobile object detection systems. Photo by Lindy Rodman, University Marketing.

This year’s expo features projects that include a thermo-regulated device for extremities affected by Raynaud’s disease, an autoimmune disease that targets blood vessels; a Tredegar-sponsored project to increase toughness of elastic laminate products — essentially diapers — to meet or exceed knit and woven materials; and a 3-D printed microwave hyperthermia applicator for breast cancer chemothermotherapy. A sample of team project videos can be found at http://www.egr.vcu.edu/senior-capstone-design/2015-2016-projects/.

“One of the features of the VCU engineering capstone program that sets it apart is an emphasis on industrial, VCU health science and nonprofit connections and sponsorships,” said Ben Ward, Ph.D., director of project outreach for the School of Engineering. “This year approximately two thirds of our over 80 projects have been mentored outside of the School of Engineering. We find that our students, as well as our partners and faculty, really benefit from the focus on solving real-world problems that is a key attribute of our capstone design program.”

Sponsors of this year’s expo include corporations, nonprofits and health sciences organizations, and can be found at http://www.egr.vcu.edu/senior-capstone-design/sponsors/2015-2016-sponsors/.

For more information, visit http://www.egr.vcu.edu/senior-capstone-design/senior-design-expo/. Groups from middle and high schools are encouraged to attend and can email askengineering@vcu.edu for information about scheduling a field trip.