Fall 2021 Design Expo Showcases Engineering Undergrads Imaginative Designs

Each semester, students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering get the chance to show off their creativity and highlight their designs at the Design EXPO, which was held in the University Club on Dec. 9, 2021. Students prepared their displays showcasing their work from the School’s Capstone Design courses or highlighted concepts and prototypes from the Product Realization, Medical Product Prototyping and Art of Making courses. The students presented their projects, and judges from industry visited the booths in turn to talk with students and view their work.

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Jonathan Vande Geest, PhD, Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, served as a mentor on one project which took two of the winning prizes:

Best Overall Project and 1^st Place Winner in the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department

MEMS-5: Measurement Design and Optimization for Spring Cranioplasty in Craniosynostosis Patients
Academic Sponsors: Dr. Jonathan Vande Geest and Dr. Justin Beiriger
Students: Yuxuan Deng, Mazen Megahed, Henry Weinrieb, Zijie Xu

“Every semester, the Design EXPO is a chance for our students to recognize a problem or opportunity and apply the engineering skills they’re learning in the classroom to solve it, which is what engineering is all about,” said Mary Besterfield-Sacre, PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor of Industrial Engineering. “I’m always impressed with the amazing projects these students bring to the table, and this year was no exception.”

Congratulations, all!

Illustration: The winning team of the Best Overall Project at the Fall 2021 Design EXPO: MEMS-5: Measurement Design and Optimization for Spring Cranioplasty in Craniosynostosis Patients. University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering.