2020-21 Projects
For more information on any project, please contact Toni Boggan or email the project's Faculty Advisor.ENSC 50 A Better Fin
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Marc Baumgardner emailWe are looking at varying the shape of cooling fins in order to find if we can make them more efficient, cost effective, or both.
ENSC 51 Automatic Pill Dispensing Wheel
Faculty Advisor: Debra Offill emailThis product will automatically dispense medication on a pre-set schedule with programmable alerts and locking mechanisms. The intended use is for individuals with Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairments to increase autonomy and overall safety.
ENSC 52 Baja Car Suspension & Steering
Faculty Advisor: Jim Weston emailSponsor & Liason: Mechanical Engineering, Gonzaga University
Design, fabricate, and install new front suspension and steering systems in order to accommodate 4 wheel drive design. The revisions to the drive train to accommodate 4 wheel drive will be completed as a separate, but related activity, by other members of the SAE Baja team.
ENSC 53 Bearing Press & Chock Manipulator
Faculty Advisor: Christopher Nicol emailSponsor & Liason: Kaiser Aluminum
The goal of the project is to reduce the safety risk associated with the bearing inspection process by designing a device to assist in the removal and installation of the bearings as well as manipulation of the chocks.
ENSC 54 Blade Material 420HC Properties
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Dale McDonald emailSponsor & Liason: Buck Knives
This project will involve testing material properties and evaluating the heat treat process. A new improved heat treat process will be created and tested. A new set of material properties will be measured.
ENSC 55 Commissioning of TLUD Stove
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Marc Baumgardner emailSponsor & Liason: Mechanical Engineering, Gonzaga University
This project will focus on the installation and commissioning of (i) a new, full-size combustion hood, and (ii) an experimental Top-Lit Updraft Gasifier (TLUD) Stove for the purpose of investigating bio-char production.
ENSC 56 Compact Intravenous Warmer
Faculty Advisor: Gabe Achenbach emailThe goal of this project is to have a production-quality product of a warmer that will either attach to the fluid bag or the intravenous tube, since cold intravenous fluid causes discomfort and existing solutions do not meet all of the requirements that this project intends to meet.
ENSC 57 Composites Handling Equipment
Faculty Advisor: Sam Shoemaker emailSponsor & Liason: Boeing
Composite manufacturing requires the efficient movement of large and small elements. The team will use cutting edge material technology based on Shape Memory Alloys to design and prototype a superior more maneuverable, lower cost Composite Material Handling System that requires minimal infrastructure.
ENSC 58 Coolant Heating System Solution
Faculty Advisor: Christopher Nicol emailSponsor & Liason: Kaiser Aluminum
The goal of the project is to evaluate alternatives for heating the coolant and propose an alternative for future funding and implementation.
ENSC 59 Continuous Composite 3D Printer
Faculty Advisor: Rudy Lauth emailOur project goal is to create a Continuous Fiber Composite 3D printer on a small, personal scale. We plan on achieving this by CADing, prototyping, programming and testing our model until it reaches our quality standards.
ENSC 60 Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) Prevention
Faculty Advisor: Shane Pacini emailSponsor & Liason: Lung Technologies LLC
The project goal would be to have a working prototype and accompanying Solidworks design data. The final prototype would be as close as possible to what we would submit to the FDA, Patent Office and for manufacturing.
ENSC 61 Dispenser Production Design Challenge
Faculty Advisor: Andrew Johnston emailSponsor & Liason: Skils'kin
Help us design the ultimate epoxy dispenser.
ENSC 62 Electric Boat Motor Conversion
Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Nolting emailA kit that allows for the easy conversion of a traditional outboard motor to be powered by an electric motor. To provide a cleaner and more affordable option to the average boater.
ENSC 63 Eyeris Light Controller
Faculty Advisor: Dan Harmon emailTo design a controller that will interface current lighting technology (light sensors, dimming bulbs, etc.) to allow a consistent and desirable level of light to be maintained throughout a set period of time.
ENSC 64 Hythane Pipeline Materials
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Pat Ferro emailOur overarching goal is to research the hybrid implementation of hydrogen and natural gas (Hythane) and its effects on pipeline materials. We are looking to deliver research with visuals to show the varying levels of hydrogen and its effects on different alloys. Additionally, we are going to provide as a deliverable an economic analysis model of the costs of the newly selected pipeline material in comparison to the cost of current natural gas pipeline materials.
ENSC 65 LIBS-based DPM Monitor
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Art Miller emailSponsor & Liason: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
The mining industry is in need of a portable air monitor with the ability to quantify hazardous airborne aerosols such as diesel particulate matter in order to keep miners healthy and safe. We need a team of students to assist in developing a prototype system, including design and testing components for the prototype air monitor, such as the sample collection system and a user interface, as well as the design of an overall housing or enclosure for the system. The team will collaborate with a laser expert who will develop an appropriate laser and provide the specifications to the team, as well as an aerosol scientist to assist with design of air handling components.
ENSC 66 Measurement Lab
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tim Fitzgerald emailSponsor & Liason: Mechanical Engineering, Gonzaga University
A hands-on tour across the Mechanical Engineering discipline on a series of smaller projects in the Measurements Lab. Upgrades to the lab including working on the wind tunnel, rocket test stand, and inertia measurement devices.
ENSC 67 Microgravity Rocket Lab
Faculty Advisor: Jim Weston emailOur project will focus on the design and creation a rocket capable of performing a micro gravity maneuver for 3 to 5 seconds. With a compartment to run experiments onboard, we will vastly increase accessibility to those wishing to perform small scale micro gravity experiments.
ENSC 68 Motorized Pivot Desk
Faculty Advisor: Coleen Nolting emailSponsor & Liason: WaltJay Consulting
Develop a high-torque, slow-speed motorized pivot disk capable of supporting and turning a person with limited mobility who might weigh up to 250 pounds. The device, preferably 3/4 inch or less in thickness, should have a foot or voice-activated remote for starting and stopping.
ENSC 69 Nonplanar 3D Printer
Faculty Advisor: Jacob Laete emailThis project aims to develop a prototype non-planar 3D printer using unique methods to improve existing 3D printer technology in terms of strength, speed, and quality.
ENSC 70 Pediatric Incentive Spirometer
Faculty Advisor: Shane Pacini emailSponsor & Liason: Lung Technologies LLC
We will focus on the unique needs a pediatric patient (18 and younger) will require when they are using the Incentive Spirometer following surgery. This will focus on the inner workings of the Spirometer (flow & volume), electronic user- interface and the unique industrial design characteristics of a pediatric spirometer.
ENSC 71 Repurposing Carbon Fiber
Faculty Advisor: Gerry Snow emailSponsor & Liason: Boeing
Design and fabrication of a tool capable of non-automated layup of pre-preg composite with similar properties to an Automated Tape Layup Machine.
ENSC 72 Recycling Thermoplastic Composites II
Faculty Advisor: Gerry Snow emailSponsor & Liason: Boeing
The students will leverage the research from phase 1 to propose parts that can be made from recycled thermoplastics, develop prototypes, and conduct testing.
ENSC 73 Solar Updraft Tower
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Pat Ferro emailSponsor & Liason: Avista Utilities
We will research, design, and build a solar updraft tower in order to improve efficiencies of past prototypes. A solar updraft tower takes advantage of forced convection to spin a wind turbine, generating clean energy wherever the sun shines.
ENSC 74 Underwater Structural Sensor Development
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tim Fitzgerald emailSponsor & Liason: Niricson Software
In our startup environment, we are using cutting-edge, drone-equipped software and hardware to inspect concrete structures around the country. The project first goal is to successfully implement this technology in an underwater environment. In particular, we would like to test acoustic signature frequencies above and below water, analyzing the frequency spectrums in both environments and with differing concrete quality. The second goal is to test our software's ability to automatically quantify (length, width) cracks/spalling/etc in an underwater environment.
ENSC 75 Self-Leveling Skate
Faculty Advisor: Mitch Beard emailSponsor & Liason: Haakon
Design and prototype a self-leveling skate to transport heavy pieces of HVAC equipment throughout a manufacturing shop.