Capstone Design Expo Returns to In-Person Format

After two years of pandemic-imposed online presentations, seniors who dedicated two tough semesters to their Capstone projects were able to present their work face to face again and get the spontaneous audience feedback that means so much to them.

There were 34 projects in all, each a design solution that answered the need of a real or hypothetical customer. The outstanding success of the event was demonstrated by how difficult it was for the judges to pick the top three.

The awards to the winners were sponsored by Reid Hanford, vice president of the Lee Company, who serves on the TCoE’s Advisory Board.

First Place: Medtronic Buttress Attachment Method

The suture buttress is part of a Medtronic Tri-Staple device used in operating rooms to cut tissue and sew it back up. The device reduces the risk of infection and decreases the healing time of wounds.

Goal of the project: Redesign the current proprietary release mechanism of the buttress after firing, making it more cost effective and less complex.

The solution: A new design that replaced two separate stainless-steel pieces with one plastic “push” piece that is both easier to use and less expensive to manufacture. Nine of the newly designed devices are being readied for testing.

Team members: Mechanical Engineering students Demetrius Holliman, Devika Singh, and John Luffman

Faculty advisor: Dr. Ismail Orabi

Second Place: Smart Park — An Intelligent Parking System

Commuter students were stressed about where to find a parking place — which lot to try, the availability of spots, and the search for one often making them late for class. A further downside is that driving around looking for a spot produces three times the carbon emissions as normal driving.

Goal of the project: Develop a real-time, intelligent parking system for campus that can track available parking spaces accurately, monitor parking occupancy, even recognize drivers’ behavioral patterns, and verify and validate license plates.

The solution: Take advantage of existing security cameras on campus to analyze the number of available spaces in a given lot. No extra hardware is needed, and so no additional cost is incurred for it. The information is sent to a Smart Park website, where users can view how many parking spaces are free at a particular location.

Team members: Computer Science and Cybersecurity & Networks students Benjamin Greenfield, Benjamin Placzek, and Steven Atilho

Faculty advisor: Dr. Mehdi Mekni

Third Place: Mix Avenue Streets and Traffic Light Design

Connecticut Department of Transportation data show that 50% of drivers traveling through intersections are driving over the speed limit, resulting in crashes with pedestrians and cyclists.

Goal of the project: Use traffic-calming measures and redesign traffic lights on Mix Avenue to create fluidity through the intersections. Use Synchro — 4D construction management software — to synchronize traffic lights and gain a fully automated sequence displaying a visual representation of the improvements to motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.

The solution: A design proposal that included a pedestrian cross light, traffic phase offset sync, and a 360-degree traffic detector camera at the intersections, with sidewalks, crosswalks, and bicycle lanes on Mix Avenue, and center rumble strips, flush printed pavement media, and high-friction surface treatment in other high-risk areas.

Team members: Civil Engineering students Elissa Nuzzo, Robert Sweet, Jake Chamberlain, and Justin Stelmach

Faculty advisor: Mr. Joseph Balskus

This story appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of TCoE Trends, the official newsletter of the Tagliatela College of Engineering. Click here to read more from TCoE Trends.