Student DesignStudent Design & Research

Project Based Learning Through Student Design

Each year, Florida Tech's science and engineering students showcase their scientific discoveries and technical prowess at the Northrop Grumman Engineering & Science Student Design Showcase.

For graduating seniors, the event represents years of coursework and hands-on learning experiences put to the test through project-based learning. As the central element of students’ final capstone course, Senior Design provides an engaging context for learning, an opportunity to integrate complex material and the inspiration to discover new ways of thinking and doing.

Project-based learning through student design gives students an experiential platform that not only helps them gain a substantial understanding of their field, but also helps them acquire highly sought-after workplace skills like collaboration, communication and complex problem-solving.

The system must dampen a piston with a 14 inch diameter, released with a force of 32,000 pounds to a complete stop without adversely affecting the system's outer structure or fastening mechanism.

The team created a prototype device that can be used in planes to detect certain points in which radiation leaks occur in the plane, so it can be known where extra shielding would be required to keep passengers safe

The project is a Sequential Compression Boot for treating patients with chronic lymphedema. The project will use NiTi shape memory spring actuators to squeeze and massage the patient's leg and reduce lymph induced swelling.

The project also won Best in Show for biomedical engineering.

This is a math research poster presentation that involves implementing numerical methods in order to solve the complex fluid dynamics equations involved during swimmer (or microbe) interaction with a Low Reynold's number two-phase fluid. The immersed boundary framework is applied as the numerical scheme and implemented using GMRES in PetsC software. Results are presented in the form of graphs to show the effect of changing fluid elasticity and swimming stroke (i.e. kicker or burrower motion) on the swimming speed of the microorganism.

The project also won Best in Show for Mathematics

HSF1, is one of several cellular pathways that has been shown to regulate aging. Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA) is a common antiulcer drug used in several Asian countries that has recently been shown to activate the HSR in cultured human cells. Here, we tested whether the activation of HSF1 by GGA could extend lifespan and improve Alzheimer’s-related phenotypes in Caenorhabditis elegans, a notably effective model organism for aging studies due to its short lifespan. First, we showed that GGA can activate the HSR in C. elegans using a worm strain containing a fluorescent HSR reporter. Next, we found that incubation of worms with GGA caused a significant increase in their lifespan compared to untreated controls. This lifespan extension was dependent on the HSR as the lifespan of worms with mutant HSF1 were unaffected by GGA. Finally, we found that GGA was able to reduce the toxicity associated with expression of the human Ab peptide in two established C. elegans models of Alzheimer’s disease. GGA was able to reduce the paralysis induced by Ab expression in muscle cells and reverse inhibition of associative learning induced by Ab expression in neurons. Together, these findings suggest that the health benefits of GGA in humans may extend far beyond its current use as an antiulcer agent.

Although more affordable, manually-operated wheelchairs can be difficult to maneuver for physically disabled people.

Electrical wheelchairs allow physically disabled people to move around, most often using a joystick.

However, severely paralyzed people (tetraplegia, advanced multiple sclerosis, ALS, locked-in-syndrome, etc.) lack the upper limb motor function to use a joystick.

By using an EEG signal interpreting device, we can create a system that will allow for one’s brain waves to control the movement of an electric wheelchair without using limbs.

Using an EEG device for signal detection, we can feed the signal into a Raspberry Pi for processing through a neural network.

The system will be individually trained so that it can best match the individual that will be using it, and it will continue to improve over time.

After processing and interpretation, the Raspberry Pi will control the directional movements of the wheelchair.

For our project, we will be developing an isolated testbed that will be used to test high voltage related circuits that are present on the FIT Formula Electric vehicle. The testbed will contain various isolated components, such as a fixed, isolated low voltage power supply, variable high voltage power supply, test areas for both low and high voltage test circuitry, an IMD (Insulation Monitoring Device), and other circuits used for control and safety.

The testbed will be constructed out of thick plexiglass to ensure its isolation. In order to access the interior of the box, an interlock will be connected to the lid to shutdown the high voltage immediately when opened. Approximate testbed dimensions: 3’ x 3’. About half of the box will consist of the high voltage and low voltage test areas that are only used when testing the vehicle circuits.

The interior of the testbed will be powered by a 15-20V UL approved power brick connected to a wall outlet. The power brick will act much like a laptop charger with a female connector built in to the box. The UL power supply will provide power to a chassis mounted power supply within the box that will distribute power to multiple circuits. The test areas will also contain a mounting surface that is capable of being removed from the testbed in order to mount external circuits, and place within the container to ensure they are securely mounted. The standoffs and mounting equipment will also be made of insulated material, such as plexiglass and nylon.

The high voltage power supply will use a variable low voltage input to feed an isolated, proportional high voltage power supply. This high voltage output, as stated will be isolated, ranges from 0V - 300V, and shall have a power rating less than 20W. Safety circuitry and mechanisms will be incorporated within the container, such as relays, fuses, interlocks, etc. The safety circuit will be connected to the high voltage power supply, the IMD, and the interlock. The safety circuit will shut down the high voltage when triggered by the interlock or the IMD. In addition, the safety circuit should contain relays to electronically open and close the high voltage circuit in the testbed.

The IMD will monitor the low and high voltage power supplies within the testbed, to emulate it’s functionality within the Formula Electric car. An analog and digital waveform will be produced by the device and interpreted amongst multiple projects. The digital waveform is interpreted by the testbed circuitry, controlling the high voltage power supply within the container. The analog waveform is a PWM signal that is interpreted by the Formula Electric IMD Display team, and an optically isolated interface will be provided from the testbed for the IMD display to interface with.

The team shall build a robot of a mass no greater than 80.0 kg that can traverse a simulated Martian terrain, excavate a simulated icy regolith beneath the topsoil, and return it to a delivery bin. Components include autonomous computer programming, robotics, the anticipated use of composites for fabrication, and various electronics.

Here we describe the kinship, relatedness, and genetic connectivity in great white sharks (Carcharadon carcharias) between Guadalupe Island and nursery habitat along the Pacific coast of Baja, Mexico using a combination of mitochondrial gene sequencing and microsatellite DNA fragment analysis.

The Interface for Coordinating Emergencies and Disasters (I.C.E.D.) aims to be an innovative solution that addresses three major areas of concern that have not been previously answered by another platform or service.

Creating an interface for managing and filtering incoming data for relief organizations. (traffic, downed utilities, road hazards, etc)
Providing a user-friendly platform for distributing information to civilians in an affected are

Assisting local organizations in communicating their logistical operations to parent organizations, such as FEMA

This project aims to explore improvements that can be made to detectors at a future electron ion collider. It is believed that with certain changes, these detectors could be made to operate with a lower magnetic field and with lower mass components. By simulating the performance of the detectors with these changes, the viability of these designs can be tested.

This project uses SWMM hydrodynamic modeling to identify neighborhood and watershed scales with the highest potential returns on investment for KBB’s Lagoon Friendly Lawn implementation program. In addition, research was conducted on developing empirical, lawn, and street-scale methods to compare the nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from an average turf lawn with eco-certified lawns at appropriate city and county spatial scales. Finally, this project is aiding to execute a native landscaping plan for the Florida Tech Alumni House to create a Lagoon Friendly Lawn that serves as a visitor’s educational resource.

Martian regolith and dust contains calcium and magnesium perchlorates at concentrations from 0.5-1% by mass. Perchlorates are extremely rare on earth, only forming naturally in extreme desert climates, and produced manually for munitions and explosives. Perchlorates pose a significant risk to human health as they are known to disrupt hormone production and metabolism, as well as being explosive. The EPA considers safe chronic perchlorate exposure to be a maximum of 0.00007 mg/kg/day. Martian colonists have the potential to be exposed to grams of the substance per day, at least 6 orders of magnitude greater than what is considered safe for humans. Given this high prevalence in the Martian environment, it is also likely to be in many of the potential water sources on Mars. The presence of this compound poses a medical risk if ingested either through water or dust inhalation, and could pose a physical risk if regolith is used as a construction material. Yet it is imperative that Martian water sources are made usable, as it would be prohibitively expensive to transport the amount of water necessary to support a crew and their scientific efforts. Thus it is important to develop safe and effective methods for detecting and removing perchlorates from both regolith and aqueous systems. Remediation using biological means provides methods that greatly reduce chances for combustion, and have the ability to produce usable compounds through degradation. The experiments performed here explore the use of phytoremediation (using plants) and bioremediation (using microbes) as possible methods for remediation from an aqueous system.

The team is tasked with designing aspects of a 3D scanner for the Sun Nuclear Corporation. The system includes a 50-gallon tank and an external reservoir of equivalent size. Water is the working fluid which is transferred between the two vessels through hoses and with pumps. The tank will be redesigned in order to completely fill and drain the tank in a more efficient manner. The tank must be filled in under 6 minutes and drained in under 3 minutes. Current problems include erosion due to water remaining in the tank and pumps submerged in the reservoir. The current system also requires a setup process in order to prepare the system for use. Project goals are to increase ease of use of the system and fulfill system requirements. Tank and reservoir need to be stored in a locked area when not in use.

The complete system will include the 50-gallon tank and reservoir along with accompanying hoses and pumps. The tank system is pictured below and the reservoir is 30 inches wide of a reasonable length and height to be transported by hand indoors. There will not be an active demonstration of the product. A laptop will be brought to show videos of the system as well as some of the development process. Displays will not be interactive they will be on a set loop.

The objective of the project was to create a scale model of an artificial surf reef. The reef was designed to create the ideal surfing wave. The team worked to optimize wave steepness and surfability of the wave, promote coral growth, minimize coastal beach erosion, and disruption of coastal transport. Multiple designs were tested in the wave tank to find the perfect shape and size of the reef. Along with optimization of the reef design, experiments were conducted to determine the best material for the full scale reef construction. The material selected will enhance coral growth and strength.

Alkylation is a downstream process in petroleum refineries where olefins are converted into alkylates which can be added to fuels to create high octane hydrocarbons. Using a rotating packed bed reactor in this process greatly enhances the micromixing and mass transfer of the reaction to produce higher quality alkylates. The RPB generates high shear force, pushing the liquid out through the packing which creates droplets and threads of liquid that are around 10^-5 and 10^-4 m. In turn, more of the isobutane reacts in the process, which decreases the massive energy costs of recycling isobutane.

The proposal presents the design of a new purpose built Engineering Building and the development or modification of existing features to accommodate this construction. The project will include the design of the required infrastructure for the development of a new 3-story structure. This includes the evaluation and re-design of a storm water treatment system with one or more wet retention pond(s). An evaluation of the water and sewer system for all buildings south of University Blvd. The study of all traffic concerns, pedestrian traffic, parking needs, and other transportation related issues. The structural elements and foundation will be designed completely and in accordance with all codes and standards.