Students Net $46,000 in Prizes at Craig M. Berge Design Day 2021
Members of the Class of 2021 spent their entire senior year in a pandemic. But, through a combination of virtual communication, safe in-person meetings and pure grit, 99 teams completed capstone projects that are a testament to the power of an engineering education. In place of an in-person ceremony, students created videos of their projects and were honored in an online Craig M. Berge Design Day Awards Ceremony that included $46,000 in prizes.
“I want to congratulate our engineering students for your hard work and perseverance through a difficult senior year,” said David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering. “The Wildcat Engineering spirit in each of you has brought you to this culminating experience. I am most proud of your efforts and delighted to showcase your incredible design projects.”
The student designs were as impressive as they were broad, ranging from a mannequin to test lightning protection garments, to a virtual reality laboratory and mosquito traps to combat deadly viruses. The celebration, the dean’s chair, and the college’s four-year design program are all named for College of Engineering alum Craig M. Berge, who earned his BS in mechanical engineering in 1957 and was a supporter of the college throughout his life.
Oso Pequeño: Windmill Watcher
It is engineers who build the future of our world, so it’s perhaps no surprise that this year’s winning team created a device to help with the production of wind energy. Tucson Electric Power’s Oso Grande Wind Project is a 61-turbine, 24,000-acre facility outside Roswell, New Mexico, expected to generate enough energy to serve about 90,000 homes.
Because the farm is more than six hours away from TEP’s nearest technicians, the company tasked Team 21056 with developing a way to remotely monitor the facility. The result: Oso Pequeño, a solar-powered, autonomous rover that gathers video footage of the turbines and weather.
“Given the challenges of this past year, all of the teams did amazing projects,” said Larry Head, inaugural director of the Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program. “But this project was the best. They developed a very comprehensive robotic system.”
Modified from a quad ATV, Oso Pequeño has seven mechanical sub-assemblies, is capable of conducting up to three turbine inspections per week, and came in a few hundred dollars under the team’s $4,000 budget.
“The entire engineering senior design experience has been a stream of important lessons,” said Torrey Peterson, an industrial engineering major and the team’s project procurement lead. “As a team, we learned the importance of taking roadblocks in stride; adhering to a set schedule and achievable milestones, utilizing our individual creativity and unique experiences to the advantage of the team; and engaging in consistent, direct communication important to teamwork and collaboration.”
Sustainability & Medical Applications
Sustainability-focused projects were abundant at this year’s Design Day. Team 21089, with its Aluminum-Air Battery, won the first-prize Bly Family Award for Innovation in Energy Production, Supply or Use. Team 21078 won the Delta Development Team Award for Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation for a cost-effective method of extracting helium from natural gas.
There were also an array of biomedical projects, including a device to test catheter efficacy, an automated refrigerant charge station for portable medical refrigerators and an improved ventilator design.
The entire engineering senior design experience has been a stream of important lessons."
Ian Jackson, 2018 biomedical engineering graduate and CEO and founder of Jackson Medical, sponsored two projects this year, inspired by his experience as a hospital patient after a major motorcycle accident during his senior year. Team 21013 developed a bacteria-attenuating catheter. And Team 21014 won the Mensch Foundation Award for Best Use of Embedded Intelligence with a hospital bed designed to prevent ulcers.
Overcoming Obstacles, Entertaining Jaguars
Team 21095, whose members built an aircraft for the AIAA Design, Build Fly Aircraft Design Competition, received both the Honeywell Award for Excellence in Aerospace Mechanical System Design and The Steve Larimore Award for Perseverance and Recovery.
Their challenges ranged from COVID-19-related shipping delays and a pilot being out of town for a flight test to the aircraft being totaled after taking a 60-foot dive. During the final flight test, the team realized one of the servos – a device that helps control aircraft movement – wasn’t working. The backups the team had brought were having problems of their own.
“With no other options, we were ready to call it a day and head back empty handed once again,” said aerospace engineering major Roman Gonzalez. “That was when someone passing by noticed our dilemma and offered up two of his servos. We integrated and tested them, and they worked perfectly, and our flight test was saved.”
Team 21034 kept to the ground with its animal enrichment automation system for the Reid Park Zoo’s jaguar habitat. The project, which won the Raytheon Technologies Award for Best Overall Design, uses motion sensors that allow animals to turn on features such as misters and visual displays. It was supported with funding from the Craig M. Berge dean’s endowment.
“We were really excited to see the results,” said Stephanie Norton, a Reid Park Zoo animal welfare specialist. “They were much better than we could have ever anticipated.”
Honoring Those Who Made It Possible
The day also recognized changes to the Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program and the Interdisciplinary Capstone Program. Don Newman, an alum and donor who has been the driving force behind Design Day planning for nearly a decade, and Gary Redford, the lead instructor of the Interdisciplinary Capstone 498 class, are both retiring.
“It is thanks to Don’s focus on long preparation times and attention to small details that we have been able to adapt with relative ease to these COVID times and hold two virtual Design Days,” said Ara Arabyan, director of the Interdisciplinary Capstone 498 Program, which is housed under the Craig M. Berge Design Program umbrella. “And Gary has mentored more than 70 ENGR 498 teams during his career with us, helping students produce some truly outstanding prototypes.”
Jim Baygents, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering, recognized Arabyan, who is preparing to depart on sabbatical, for his invaluable contributions to the growth of the Engineering Design Program. Under his tenure, student enrollment in the program has doubled, projects have nearly tripled, and the budget has increased by a factor of eight.
“Ara resolves problems,” Baygents said “He resolves issues. He keeps things working and running. The man I’m thanking and acknowledging today has made that task look easy. It’s not. But he’s done it well, and he’s done it with aplomb and devotion.”
Baygents closed the day by thanking all of the people who made Design Day possible, particularly the mentors. His final words were to the students.
“You’ve shown that, when faced with challenging projects and challenging times, you’re among the best and brightest in the state, if not the entire country. You represent the best of our university and our college, and we’re proud of what you do. We’re proud to soon call you our alums, and we wish you the best going forward.”
View the Design Day booklet.
Design Day 2021 Awards and Winners
Craig M. Berge Dean’s Award for Most Outstanding Project - $7,500
Team 21056: Wind Turbine Farm Inspection Robot
Team members: Juliusz Jakobowski, Susannah Victoria Kohn, Daniel Alan Lansdown, Torrey Alexander Petersen, Peter Joseph Gosan Vollmer
Sponsor: Tucson Electric Power
UA Mentor: Steve Larimore
Raytheon Award for Best Overall Design - $5,000
Team 21034: Animal Enrichment Automation
Team members: Jianna Aleyse Auditore, Kristine Hope Jones, Sarah Labat, Tiffany Tinyee Ma, Dustin Tien Nguyen, Anthony James Sanchez
Sponsor: Reid Park Zoo
UA Mentor: Heather Hilzendeger
Bly Award for Innovation in Energy Production, Supply or Use
First Place - $2,000
Team 21089: The Aluminum-Air Battery
Team Members: Abbass Bah, Nick Deak, Alyza Muzaffar Khan, Richard David Pepel
Sponsor: UA Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
UA Mentor: Adrianna Brush
Second Place - $1,000
Team 21078: Cost-Effective Helium Extraction From Natural Gas
Team Members: Emily Larsen Cosgriff, Joshua Fleetwood, Dylan Koch, Jessica Lauren Unwin
Sponsor: UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
UA Mentor: Adrianna Brush
ACSS, an L3 Harris and Thales Joint Venture Award for Most Robust Systems Engineering - $2,500
Team 21028: Virtual Reality Optics Lab
Team Members: Carter Conway, Tia Skye Hunt, Ariel Lamdan, Tingting Thompson, Mason Richard Westmoreland, Celeste Mae Williams
Sponsor: Airy Optics
UA Mentor: Cat Merrill
Ball Aerospace Award for Best System Software Design - $2,500
Team Members: Mustafa M Aljassim, Forrest Forrest Ernst, James William Greiner, Richelle Igcasenza Javier, Lupita Moreno, Mark Robert Piazza
Sponsor: Raytheon Technologies
UA Mentor: Pat Caldwell
Don McDonald Award for Manufacturing Readiness
First Place - $1,500
Team 21006: Coaxial UAV Tier 2
Team Members: Chris Angier, Darynn Eggert, Lauren McBeth, Spencer Moore, Josh Peters, Shae Kathleen Sonderer
Sponsor: Exorium Group
UA Mentor: Pat Caldwell
Second Place - $750
Team 21027: Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Catheter Efficacy Test Setup
Team Members: Angie Guadalupe Covarrubias, Alejandra Loreto, Duzan Pavlovich, Carlos Perez, Jocelyne Rivera, James Manuel Rivera-Torres
Sponsor: BD
UA Mentor: Don McDonald
RBC Sargent Aerospace & Defense Voltaire Design Award - $2,500
Team 21006: Coaxial UAV Tier 2
Team Members: Chris Angier, Darynn Eggert, Lauren McBeth, Spencer Moore, Josh Peters, Shae Kathleen Sonderer
Sponsor: Exorium Group
UA Mentor: Pat Caldwell
Roche Tissue Diagnostics Award for Most Innovative Engineering Design - $1,500
Team 21017: Remote-Controlled Automation for a Modular Vertical Farm Hydroponic Growing System
Team Members: Alexis Marie Canez, Torin R Hodge, Peter Kanaichi Joyce, Emma Duvall Menden, Zach Shellouff, Kate Michelle Stalkfleet
Sponsor: UA Department of Biosystems Engineering
UA Mentor: Steve Larimore
W. L. Gore and Associates Award for Lifelong Innovation - $1,500
Team Members: Reeshad Arian, Logan James Morales, Julia Elizabeth Ritz, Nate Smith, Oanh Tran
Sponsor: UA Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation
UA Mentor: Gary Redford
Rincon Research Award for Best Presentation - $1,500
Team 21039: Public Outreach Telescope
Team Members: Lizbeth Martinez, Bridget Ann Norman, Jared Everett Northrup, Carrie Lynn Stoll, Mason Richard Varuso, Shengrui Zhang
Sponsor: UA Department of Astronomy & Steward Observatory
UA Mentor: Gary Redford
II-VI Aerospace & Defense Award for Best Optical Systems Design - $1,500
Team 21054: Ground-Based Optical Target Tracker
Team Members: Hawraa Abdullah Bahzad, Tevin R Broadhead, Jack Andrew Kerr, Walker Stallard Lewis, Itay Ozer, Rantaj Singh
Sponsor: Raytheon Technologies
UA Mentor: Sharon ONeal
Delta Development Team Award for Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation - $1,000
Team 21078: Cost-Effective Helium Extraction From Natural Gas
Team Members: Emily Larsen Cosgriff, Joshua Fleetwood, Dylan Koch, Jessica Lauren Unwin
Sponsor: UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
UA Mentor: Adrianna Brush
Steve Larimore Award for Perseverance and Recovery - $1,000
Team 21095: Design, Build, Fly Aircraft Design Competition
Team Members: Matt Banko, Michael Debbins, Roman Alexander Gonzalez, Davis Anthony Goolsby, Sydney Magrit Kilen, George Stancu
Sponsor: UA AIAA Student Branch
UA Mentor: Sergey Shkarayev
Honeywell Award for Excellence in Aerospace Mechanical System Design - $1,000
Team 21095: Design, Build, Fly Aircraft Design Competition
Team Members: Matt Banko, Michael Debbins, Roman Alexander Gonzalez, Davis Anthony Goolsby, Sydney Magrit Kilen, George Stancu
Sponsor: UA AIAA Student Branch
UA Mentor: Sergey Shkarayev
Honeywell Award for Excellence in Aerospace Electronic System Design - $1,000
Team 21062: Laser Communications Fine Tracker
Team Members: Nick Brar, Patrick J Eschenfelder, Clay Kingsley, Susana Jade Mar, Emily Jordan Rodriguez, Mary Jayne Yazzie-Umberger
Sponsor: GEOST
UA Mentor: Gary Redford
Garmin Award for Best Use of Wireless Technology - $1,000
Team 21031: Bistatic Imaging Using Signals of Opportunity
Team Members: Jo Arai, Jeremiah Layton Cunningham, Cole Josef Galloway, Jake Daniel Livermore, Kevin Christopher Thompson
Sponsor: Rincon Research Corporation
UA Mentor: Mike Nofziger
Mensch Foundation Award for Best Use of Embedded Intelligence - $1,000
Team 21014: Advanced Hospital Bed System
Team Members: Faris Saleh Alzahrani, Ryan Lee Jarick, Franklin Kevin Licos, Kyle Eric Linner, Simon Teweldemedhin Tecle
Sponsor: Jackson Medical
UA Mentor: Bob Messenger
Sharon ONeal Award for Best Integration, Verification & Validation - $1,000
Team 21035: Sofware Defined Radio Boards Evaluation
Team Members: Joseph Christian Emnett, Robert Daniel Gauthier, Justin Chadol Kim, Franklin N Lam, Jennifer Nadolski, Michael David Ong
Sponsor: General Dynamics
UA Mentor: Sharon ONeal
Technical Documentation Consultants of Arizona Award for Best Design Documentation - $1,000
Team 21042: Protection of Concrete Surfaces From Tracked Mining Equipment
Team Members: Hassan Ahmad Alzain, Axel Andrey De La Paz, Haylee Dawn Howe, Ruby Francesca O’Brien-Metzger, Jongkwang Park, Jonah Daniel Stiffey, Mark Sauer
Sponsor: Caterpillar, Inc.
UA Mentor: Pat Caldwell
Mark Brazier Award for Best Biomedical System Design - $1,000
Team 21059: Non-Balloon, Implantable Anchor for Gastrotomy/Enteral Feeding Devices
Team Members: Abdullah Mohammedmadani Ibrahim, Kelly Flynn McCarthy, Alexis Algeria Silver, Adam Anthony Tejada, Nicholas David Terranova, Gabriela Ohlmaier Thornton
Sponsor: Xeridiem Medical Devices
UA Mentor: Steve Larimore
II-VI Aerospace & Defense Fish Out of Water Award - $750
Emma Rose Huffman
Team 21022: Grasshopper Harvester Phase III
Sponsor: UA Department of Entomology
UA Mentor: Claude Merrill
Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies Award for Best Use of Prototyping - $750
Team 21054: Ground-Based Optical Target Tracker
Team Members: Hawraa Abdullah Bahzad, Tevin R Broadhead, Jack Andrew Kerr, Walker Stallard Lewis, Itay Ozer, Rantaj Singh
Sponsor: Raytheon Technologies
UA Mentor: Sharon ONeal
The Merrill Award for Best Implementation of Agile Methodology – Hardware - $750
Team 21022: Grasshopper Harvester Phase III
Team Members: Elena Ruth Ball, Zepeng Cai, Anthony Hazou, Emma Rose Huffman, Cecilia Lauren Stoesser, Jake William Vartanian, J.R. Dodge
Sponsor: UA Department of Entomology
UA Mentor: Claude Merrill
The Merrill Award for Best Implementation of Agile Methodology – Software - $750
Team 21020: Drop Volume Algorithm and Analysis System
Team Members: Robert C Downs, Tyler Glen Gleesing, Carl Phillip Jones, Maggie Quiroz, Jonathan Edward Rickel, Brandon Trung Truong
Sponsor: Roche Tissue Diagnostics
UA Mentor: Cat Merrill
SciTech Institute Award for Best Engineering Analysis - $750
Team 21021: Real-Time Instrument Characterization Kit
Team Members: Miguel Angel Castro Gonzalez, Wei Deng, Alexus Nicole Hurtado, Mark William Omo, Duncan Kevin Joseph Weir, Haibei Xiong
Sponsor: Roche Tissue Diagnostics
UA Mentor: Cat Merrill
Ergo Dave Award for Best Use of Human Factors Engineering - $500
Team 21011: Automated Shaft Tip Preparation
Team Members: Sam Atlas, Josh Crest, Trevor Wayne Galloway, Robert Charles Truman Louth, Mohamed Ragheb Mohamed, Travis Otto Nannen
Sponsor: PING
UA Mentor: Steve Larimore
Simpson Family Award for Best Simulation and Modeling - $500
Team 21028: Virtual Reality Optics Lab
Team Members: Carter Conway, Tia Skye Hunt, Ariel Lamdan, Tingting Thompson, Mason Richard Westmoreland, Celeste Mae Williams
Sponsor: Airy Optics
UA Mentor: Cat Merrill
L3 Latitude Engineering Award for Best Physical Implementation of Analytically Driven Design - $500
Team 21005: Apparatus for Measuring the Thermal Conductivity of Returned Samples From Asteroid Bennu
Team Members: Shawn Koshy Cherian, Zane Ansel Craddock, Michael Nathaniel Gibson, Aaron Thomas McCommon, Andrea Desiree Ochoa, Jinhua Ouyang
Sponsor: UA Lunar & Planetary Laboratory
UA Mentor: Doug May
Dataforth Corporation Award for Best Design Using a Data Acquisition and Control System - $500
Team 20125: Baja Race Car Electronic Continuous Variable Transmission
Team Members: Emily Lauren Bauers, Erik Edmon Knowles, Jacob Simon Merki, Alexander Nikolas Moore, James Nguyen, Akshat Srivastava
Sponsor: UA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
UA Mentor: Doug May
Honeywell Awards for Team Leadership - $250
Monique Martinez
Team 21038: Vertical Flow Immunoassay Platform for Low Resource Setting
Estefania Garcia
Team 21086: Lunar Dust Filtration System