Save the date of May 6 and plan to be amazed as the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology invites the public to attend its annual Senior Design Demonstration Day at the NIU Convocation Center from noon to 4 p.m.
This year, 60 teams of senior engineering students will showcase their innovative capstone projects. Some of the projects include consumer products such as a compact wearable power generator for mobile devices; a kit to convert a lawnmower to be self-driving and self-propelled; and a “smart” face mask that is comfortable, light-weight, affordable, effective and reusable, to name a few. Visitors can also see projects involving robots that can drive and stay in their own lanes; a robotic “watchdog” that can monitor the safety, security, and environment of a home; and prototypes of electric vehicles and autonomous cars. In the area of health and wellness, student teams are developing a children’s hearing aid attached to a band-aide, and a robotic exoskeleton to aid in rehabilitation and exercise.
These are just a few of the projects that will be on display as part of the NIU Senior Design Program. Senior Design brings together engineering concepts and principles that students learned in the classroom and bridges theory with practice as students get hands-on experience solving real-world problems. As they use the skills they’ve acquired, they gain an understanding of the business of engineering and further develop their communication skills and project management skills. Along the way, they are mentored by faculty and industry professionals. These projects are often viewed as a student’s first professional achievement.
“Senior Design Day is one of the most exciting days of the year for us and the students,” said Don Peterson, Ph.D., dean of CEET. “The event represents the culmination of all their hard work and the knowledge they’ve gained throughout their education at NIU. We are so proud of our students.”
Some of the teams work with industry clients to develop prototypes that create or enhance a product, system, process, automation, algorithm, or smart technology while some teams engage with research organizations, such as Fermi National Laboratory, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and Argonne National Laboratory.
In addition to the industry-sponsored and research-organization-sponsored teams, there are also challenges sponsored by other NIU colleges, by engineering faculty, and by students themselves.
Senior Design Demonstration Day is free and open to the public, no registration is necessary and parking is free as well. Visitors will be required to follow COVID safety protocols that are in place at the time of the event. For more information about the Senior Design Program visit go.niu.edu/seniordesign. For details about NIU’s Protecting the Pack safety protocols visit niu.edu/protecting-the-pack.
Industry representatives who are interested in proposing a project for the 2022-2023 academic year should contact Don Peterson at ceet@niu.edu.
