News Story

Design Day Fall 2013

The Department of Mechanical Engineering fall Design Day was held on December 12, 2013 from 11am to 2pm in the Kim Engineering Building Rotunda. Design Day highlights the talents and creativity of mechanical engineering students in the Integrated Product and Process Development Course. Teams of seniors presented project prototypes built to solve selected engineering problems, with the top voted team receiving the "People's Choice Award." People's Choice winners will have their names displayed in the undergraduate office. This year, Design Day attracted a wide range of visitors, from students and faculty to friends and family, as well as a group of high school students from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

Design Day showcased 24 teams, all featuring original designs. The wide range of exhibits included everything from a solar-powered water distillery to a redesigned lawn mower deck built to improve efficiency. There were also exhibits from two other mechanical engineering courses. ENME489L showcased their 'biologically inspired robots' that mimic some of the particular movements of animals and insects such as lizards and gorillas. ENME408 showcased Terps Racing's Formula SAE car, in which the team has consistently placed in the top ten of Formula SAE World Rankings.

This fall, Design Day featured three new project sponsors; Wright Commercial Products, AAI Corporation, and Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Family Foundation. In addition, many department alumni showed their support by participating as guest judges.

There were 158 total votes cast for the "People's Choice Award," and the top awards went to:

  • 1st Place

    THE BABY DADDIES with their product "Child Support." An all-purpose baby stroller with a gyroscopic seat for added stability, safety, and comfort. Mihir Kalyani, Brandon Lee, Michael Liebler, Charles Lu, Carl McKay, Shane Vetter

  • 2nd Place

    TEAM TREKDRY, with their product "Portable Camping Clothes Dryer." A mechanical energy driven device designed to dry small loads of clothes for backpackers. Helmut Bevensee, David Bradshaw, Thomas Dumsha, Dencheng Ji, Mylene Motsebo, Steven Shumsky

  • 3rd Place

    TEAM UM'BRO'ELLA with their product "Smart Umbrella." The smart umbrella can automatically adjust its position with respect to the sun's location to maximize shade. Hyang Ahn, Martin Erinin, Diego Mayorga, Dustin Nguyen, Ashish Raghukula
    TEAM WHIP with their product "Variable Speed Wheelchair." A wheelchair that utilizes a manual gear system and level handle to give leverage to users on rough and steep terrains. Anthony Cangelosi, Shawn Daelemans, Kevil Elliot, Saaman Gerami, Samantha Hicks, Abel Tekle

 

The spring Design Day will be held on May 6th, 2014.

Published January 7, 2014