VCU School of Engineering Presents Senior Design Expo 2011

By Naomi Crown
School of Engineering

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering presents Senior Design Expo 2011, an annual public event where teams of engineering students share their innovative research and design prototypes with the greater Richmond community.

The event will be on Friday, April 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the rotunda and adjacent rooms at the Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad St. The event is free and open to the public.

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

On average, 35 student teams participate in the Senior Design Expo from the departments of computer science and mechanical, nuclear, electrical, computer and biomedical engineering. The projects on display are as diverse as they are innovative and focus on alternative energy solutions, bio-fuel development, advances in aeronautical, aerospace and automotive engineering, and development of medical devices and drug-delivery systems that aim to improve human health.

The Senior Design Expo also helps to raise awareness of engineering, science and technology to middle and high school students in the greater Richmond community. More than 200 middle and high school students and members of the Richmond Boys and Girls Club are expected to attend the Expo to discuss projects with student team members and learn more about studying engineering in a university setting.

The Expo has become a signature event for the School of Engineering and VCU. 

The Senior Design Expo is made possible due in large part to the generosity of local corporations and organizations, including the Science Museum of Virginia, Engineers Plus, Dominion, James River Air Conditioning, Clark Nexsen, Micron, Newmarket Corp., Teleflex Aerospace Group, Afton Chemicals, Siemens, Groome Transportation, Keith Fabry, Flexicell, Bizport and Blueprint Automation.