A solar and electric-powered trolley, a transfer system that moves patients from one hospital bed to another, and a virtual roll call for police officers … what do all these have in common? They were all senior design projects conceptualized and built by engineering students and displayed at the College of Engineering & Computing’s first-ever Senior Design Project Showcase.
The event brought together more than 500 student engineering seniors to show their problem-solving skills, break into teams, identify a problem in their discipline and come up with a solution that becomes their senior design project.
For the first time in the history of the college, projects from each of the two schools and four departments were brought together under one roof. Companies were invited to attend the event and recruit upcoming graduates.
“This was an excellent opportunity to showcase our student talents to the university and the community at large. Our students are tackling real-world problems and identifying relevant solutions by integrating their knowledge from the classroom. This is an essential step in exploring their team-building and commercialization skills. We look forward to holding this event each semester.”
~ John L. Volakis, dean of the College of Engineering & Computing
Some of the student projects have already found their way into the marketplace. Juan Hernandez from the School of Computing and Information Sciences (SCIS) created a virtual roll call system with Police Chief Samuel Ceballos Jr., for the Village of Pinecrest Police Department. The software he developed allows police officers to log on to their computers from their vehicles and get the same information they would at a live roll call. Among the benefits, it allows the officers to spend more time policing.
“Many of the things we do have roots in the past. Computers, internet, mobile computing – all these things can bring police functions into the 21st century.
~ Police Chief Samuel Ceballos Jr
SCIS also had virtual reality stations and an indoor soccer training system that people could test out with many other exciting projects.
Read more about the CEC Senior Design Project Showcase at FIU News.
Also, visit SCIS Spring 2018 Senior Project Showcase.