2015 Student Technology + Design Showcase

On a recent Thursday, the College of Engineering and Design was teeming with activity as students presented their year-end projects.

Work samples in print and package design, computer science, graphic design, mobile apps, web design, engineering, robotics, and video were on display throughout the first floor of the Academic Building on Mathewson Street, and the students were more than eager to discuss their creations.

Some projects were developed during this academic year, while others were inherited from previous student groups. Leonardo Da Silva, Keyssy Pereira, and Carolina Verri (left to right, above), for example, are a group of Brazilian exchange students who continued work on a sugar 3D-printer, nicknamed “Sweet Thang,” that a group of students had begun to develop last year. Using a mixture of powdered and granulated sugars as the base, the printer selectively distributes a mixture of water, ethyl alcohol, flavoring and food coloring to produce edible custom designs.

Student design packaging for Fresh Pop Popcorn

Other students worked in larger, cross-disciplinary groups to develop fully functioning products that could be taken from concept to mass production.

Professor Jeffrey Tagen’s TEXC4046 class brought students from graphic design, configuration management, electrical engineering and software engineering together to develop three products; Ding, a smart, customizable doorbell system; Lumen, a silent, visual notification system that links to the users phone through Blue Tooth; and Tinker Time, an affordable, open source, smart watch.

Graphic design sample prints lined the walls and flashed across computer screens, while tables were covered with packaged popcorn, wine and beer bottles, and invitations and menu print-outs, all developed by students.

See additional images of the event on Professor Karyn Jimenez-Elliott’s Flickr page.