ENGINEERING DESIGN
SHOWCASE 2014
JUNE 5, 2014
THE PAVILION, UC DAVIS
SPONSORSHIP
The Engineering Design Showcase 2014 is made possible by the generous
support of our Presenting
sponsors. Sponsor Chevron, together with our sponsors:
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Aerojet
Agilent Technologies
Banks Integration Group
Biorad
Boeing
Robert Frankenberg, UCD ‘92, UCSF ‘01
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Northrup Grumman
Schlumberger
SMUD
Union Pacific
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
I want to especially thank the judges who have
taken time to be here today to evaluate our students’
projects. The College of Engineering appreciates the
close relationships we enjoy with our guests from
industry. Your feedback will enable our programs to
improve our quality of instruction and experience of
students. On behalf of the entire faculty in the College
of Engineering, I am grateful that you have joined
us today.
Sincerely,
Jean-Pierre Delplanque
Professor and Associate Dean,
Undergraduate Studies
Jean-Pierre Delplanque
ENGINEERING DESIGN SHOWCASE 2014
THE PAVILION, UC DAVIS
The UC Davis College of Engineering
is pleased to share with the campus
community the efforts of the senior
design teams and engineering clubs.
Together, these students and aspiring
professionals have endured hours
of drafting, modeling, prototyping,
testing, and analysis to complete these
projects – on top of an already rigorous
curriculum. The senior year coursework
is the culmination of years of meticulous
and precise study and presents students
with the opportunity to apply their skills
and knowledge in order to engineer
solutions to a variety of problems and
needs. The faculty and the administration
of the College are proud and thrilled to
host this event so that members of the
public and our partners in industry can
see and experience the quality of a UC
Davis engineering degree. We thank
our guests for their time and attention,
and we appreciate our students for their
hard work. Please enjoy the showcase!
ENGINEERING DESIGN SHOWCASE 2014
TEAM #1: SINGLE-CHIP IC HOME AUTOMATION
CONTROLLER WITH WIRELESS INTERFACE TO MOBILE
DEVICES
• Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Team members: Timothy Andreas, Ryan Chiang,
Kevin Kampen, Alexander Solorzano
• Adviser: Dr. Rajaveen Amirtharajah
Smart home technology can be achieved withe the help of the
Home Automation Controller this group has developed. This
IC interfaces with motion sensors, temperature sensors, and
light sensors to efficiently control and automate the electronics
of the home. This controller is compatible with smart devices
through a wireless interface. This IC controls the temperature,
room lighting, and air vents within the home to provide the
perfect environment for any user.
TEAM #2: FORCE FEEDBACK MECHANISM FOR A FLIGHT
CONTROL YOKE
• Team members: Matthew Adams, Matthew
LeFort, Yuka Matsuyama, Natalia Nguyen
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
Flight simulators allow pilots to gain preparatory flight
experience, and a flight control yoke is an essential part of
that process. Although there are many commercially available
flight control yokes, the goal of our project is to make one for
use outside of flight training. One specific use would be testing
of aircraft designs in engineering laboratories. To achieve
this, we made a cheaper, more accessible flight control yoke
that maintains the essence of more expensive ones. Our flight
control yoke was designed to recreate a realistic control feel
when maneuvering the elevator and ailerons. This feature is
achieved by incorporating a force feedback mechanism with
the aid of commercially available flight simulation software.
Two DC motors, one for the elevator and the other for the
ailerons, are used for the force feedback mechanism to
create variable, non-linear resistance on the user’s hand.
Inputs from the flight simulation software are received by
an Arduino microcontroller through a serial port, and then
the data is processed by the Arduino. Based on the inputs
from the software, the Arduino microcontroller controls the
H-bridge, which regulates the voltage applied to each motor,
and consequently varies the resistance on the yoke.
TEAM #3: FOIL SAMPLE CHANGER-HOLDER FOR CROCKER
NUCLEAR LAB
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Brian Lam, Jaime Quezada,
Brandon Whitney, Nathaniel Zululeta
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
As part of a neutron beam line upgrade the Crocker Nuclear
Laboratory is conducting, a new foil sample holder and
changer is needed to be designed, built, and tested. The
foil samples will utilize the neutron beam to activate and
produce designer radio isotopes for nuclear nonproliferation
research and deterrence primarily conducted by the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory. The requirements for the
changer-holder are as follows: it must be remotely controlled,
have the capability of moving a set number of quarter sized
foil samples through the neutron beam line with high reliability
and accuracy of repeat-ability, must be magnetic-free and
radiation resistant, must have nothing behind the foil sample
as the beam passes through, the entire system must be directly
mounted onto the beam line pipe, and the foil samples must
be able to be taken out of the holder with ease. The design
and fabrication of the new sample holder-changer will make
sample testing highly efficient. With minimal effort going from
one sample to another, reduced testing time is achieved with
minimal human interaction needed with the sample changerholder and the beam line apparatus.
TEAM #4: WIND TURBINE BLADE TEST STAND
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Anthony Becerra Valdez, Antonio
Gomez, Christopher Harrell, Michael Taylor
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
This project consists of designing a portable, compact, small
electro-mechanical test stand that is able to impart flap-wise
static loads to an instrumented wind turbine blade. The test
stand must be able to load two blades to failure. A test stand
was required because, recently, a blade broke off of the
wind turbine on top of Bainer hall. The ACRES lab is in the
process of making a new instrumented blade to replace the
broken one. The blade will be made of fiberglass and will
be outfitted with carbon nanotube sensors inside the blade.
The blade will need to be mounted to a stand and loaded
to failure. This is done to make sure that the turbine blade
will not fail under normal operating conditions and to verify
that the instrumentation will work without compromising the
strength of the blade. We have designed a test stand that has
a steel, “T” shaped base and utilizes a stepper motor to apply
force to the middle of the blade. The load will be measured
using a load cell attached to the stepper motor and the data
will be acquired using a National Instruments myDAQ and
will be viewable on a laptop or desktop computer using
labview. To measure the displacement we will be using a
string potentiometer at the middle and at the end of the blade.
TEAM #5: RE-CONFIGURABLE DESKTOP GRINDING
MACHINE
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Jarrod Heath,
Dean Levy, Michael Zhang
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis. Dr. Barbara Linke
The primary objective of the senior capstone project is
to design and demonstrate a proof of concept for a reconfigurable desktop grinding machine. Currently, the
biggest challenges to manufacturing are: (1) shorter design
to market timelines and product shelf-life (2) customization
of products (3) fluctuations in demand and (4) changes in
manufacturing process technology. The purpose of developing
a re-configurable approach to manufacturing is to reduce or
eliminate the said challenges by increasing the capabilities
of individual machines. Two different designs are chosen,
named LIL and GANTRY, to demonstrate the usefulness of a
re-configurable grinding arm—GANTRY mimics conventional
grinding machine designs for outer diameter grinding while LIL
is a standalone arm with five degrees of freedom capable of
navigating complex geometries. Each configuration is suited
for different types of grinding, but both are made of the same
electronic and mechanical components in order to validate the
re-configurable model. Programming coordination between
electro-mechanical components is critical to the success of
the project and the greatest challenge. The Linkbot module,
produced by Barobo Incorporated, is employed as the only
programmable component of the grinding machine because
it has a simple user to module interface and was invented at
the University of California, Davis. Future work will involve
streamlined programming and incorporating more robust
modules, which can support realistic machining forces and
vibrations.
TEAM #6: SANDIA NATIONAL LAB 5-AXIS CNC
INSPECTION STATION
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Elizabeth Kong, Minliang
Lin, Minh Chau Ngo, Allen Tse
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
Complex machining operations cannot always be performed
manually; therefore, CNC or computer numerically controlled
machines are used. These machines generally take a g-code
input and the on-board computer then converts it into machine
tool paths to machine stock material. The CNC concept can
also be translated to inspect the accuracy of manufactured
parts. This is the goal of our project-- to build and design
a CNC inspection station that has the capability to inspect
objects with a variety of methods, over the exterior and
interior surfaces of the objects. The sponsor for this project
is Sandia National Laboratories. In order to to reach all
surfaces of an object, 5 axes of motion are required--3 linear
and 2 rotational axes. To inspect objects, various sensors
can be used, such as a laser displacement sensor, a 4-point
resistance measurement probe, and an ultrasonic probe.
With such a wide variety of sensors, the inspection station
is able to accommodate any off-the-shelf sensor via various
sensor probe sizes. In order to accommodate larger objects,
the inspection station has dimensions of 5.5ft X 4ft x 4ft and
has a working volume of 36x36x48in. Open source CNC
software, EMC2, is integrated to control the movement of the
sensor probe.
TEAM #7: STRAWBERRY SHUTTLE
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Colin Brown, Oliver Chen,
Vijay Ganesan, Molly Hoelper, Roger
LeMesurier, Evan Racah, Scotty Waggoner
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis, Dr. Kent
Wilken, Dr. Stavros Vougioukas
Human workers are essential to strawberry harvesting
because of their speed, accuracy, and judgment. However,
manual strawberry harvesting requires workers to carry the
strawberries to their collection points, often while traversing
on a narrow and muddy path. Transportation time consumes
up to 20% of working time for strawberry harvesters, and
can be a safety issue. The primary objective of this project
is to design, build, and test a harvest-aid robotic vehicle that
will increase the efficiency of human workers by transporting
strawberry flats from the field harvesters to the furrow ends
quickly and safely. The robot should require neither external
devices nor modifications to the current field environment, and
operate intuitively in order to minimize training. The robot will
fit in a single 10-inch furrow and be small and light enough
to be carried by two persons (under 50 pounds). The shuttle
uses four motors that are mounted to a lightweight aluminum
frame, and includes a tray coupled with a suspension system
to ensure that the strawberries are not damaged by rough
terrain. For navigation, the robot uses hardware including a
CMOS camera, several ultrasonic sensors, and encoders, as
well as software including sophisticated image processing,
filtering, and control. This proof-of-concept will allow for future
developments including navigation software and hardware
improvements, suspension refinement, and robot weight and
manufacturing modifications.
TEAM #8: MOTION PLATFORM FOR FLIGHT SIMULATOR
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Richard Hampton, Walt
Tran, Jiabin Wang, Huan Zhao
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis, Dr. Stephen Robinson
The objective of this project is to create a small-scale motion
platform for the X-Plane 10 flight simulator. It will become an
important learning tool because it can aid in the research of
human-aircraft interaction and control. The motion platform
simulates the motions and forces that a pilot would feel in flight,
and is able to achieve 6 degrees of freedom: pitch, roll, yaw,
heave, sway, and surge. The platform is also able to simulate
the shaking of turbulence. This platform is commissioned by
the UC Davis Center for Human/Robotics/Vehicle Integration
and Performance. The design is based on a Stewart platform
and is driven by 6 high performance Hitec servo motors, and
utilizes standoff hinges and heavy-duty aluminum motor arms
to maximize performance. The servos are controlled by an
Arduino Mega microcontroller with original software that
reads angles and velocities from X-Plane 10 and translates
them into motor angle positioning through Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM). An Adafruit 16-Channel motor shield is
used to drive the servos.
TEAM #9: VIRTUAL REALITY TREATMENT FOR ADHD
CHILDREN
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Pei Guo, Diana Hsu,
Christopher Natividad, Jonathan Ngo
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common
mental disorder, affecting about 4.1% of American adults (ages
18 and above) and about 9.0% of American children ages 13
to 18. ADHD is divided into three presentations: Predominately
Hyperactive­
impulsive,
Predominately
Inattentive,
and
Combined Hyperactive­
impulsive and Inattentive. Children
exhibiting symptoms of inattentiveness tend to face difficulty
in school, often lacking the interest and self control required
in order to effectively learn in a classroom setting. There is
currently no cure for ADHD, although treatments do exist to
help patients control their symptoms. The most common way
that ADHD is treated is through prescription drugs such as
Ritalin. These drugs, however, vary in effectiveness between
users and often have negative side effects such as decreased
appetite and sleep problems. Another means of treating
ADHD symptoms is through behavioral therapy, which
typically involves interacting with a counselor to learn how
to control ADHD behavior. However, some researchers are
considering the possibility of utilizing computers to develop
tools to increase the efficacy of behavioral therapy. As such,
we are working with a group from the UC Davis MIND
Institute in order to develop a virtual reality classroom. The
goal of this project is to evolve behavior therapy by providing
an immersive and interactive virtual environment that would
allow subjects to practice controlling their behavior while
recording runtime data to help quantify the effectiveness of
the treatment.
TEAM #10: SEPSIS SUPPORT FOR GOOGLE GLASS
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Sushil Khadka, Jonathan King,
George Pantazes, Hoc Vo, Casey Wilson
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
This project aims to use the Google Glass technology to
provide clinical data and intelligent decision support to
doctors in cases of sepsis so they can provide informed,
quality care that can potentially save lives. What is sepsis?
Sepsis is an overwhelming immune response to infection,
which damages its own tissues and organs. It can happen
at any age, regardless of health condition and many times
from seemingly benign incidents (e.g. a playground scrape).
Severe sepsis strikes 18 million people every year, 750,000
being Americans and it have very high mortality rate that
ranges from 28% to 50%. It is the leading cause of ICU deaths,
accounting for 60-80% deaths in developing countries. It kills
more than 6 million infants and young children worldwide
every year. Diagnosis of sepsis is often delayed due to its
difficulty to diagnose despite the rapid deterioration of the
patient. To summarize, sepsis is an ubiquitous omnipotent
killer that literally and figuratively can cost us an arm and
a leg, and does not discriminate against sex, ethnicity,
social status or age. How we did it: The project consisted
of extending an existing back-end infrastructure to allow for
scalable, encrypted and reliable storage of the patient data,
building a Google Glass application that identifies patient
IDs (QR code), projecting relevant data through an interactive
GUI and implementing a communication protocol to allow
encrypted data to be safely transmitted to and from the
Google Glass and the back-end server.
TEAM #11: PLUGSOURCE
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Jedan Garcia, Christopher
May, Michelle Nieman, Justin Quizon
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
Our team, Damage Control, is developing an application
to crowd source the plug-electric charging station locations
around the Sacramento area. The purpose of this application
is for the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG)
to be able to determine which areas of the city have the
highest demand for new charging stations.
TEAM #12: FUNGI FINDER
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Irene Ho, Zhing
Kwong, Garrett Nano, Andrew Yi
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
An Android application for mycologists to use in the field
to record their findings. It contains features that allow for
photos and videos, GPS location, a dichotomy key to assist
in naming mushrooms, and social media integration. It also
supports backend features that allow users to share a single
fungi database.
TEAM #13: FARMING RESEARCH APPLICATION FOR
RUSSELL RANCH
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Joseph Behar, Raymond
Lau, Kevin Thai, Emmeline Tsen
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
A platform for faculty members and researchers of the UC
Davis Plant and Environmental Sciences department to take
electronic geo-tagged observations and photos out in the
field, and retrieve them from anywhere on the web. They
will be able to record and query observations based on
characteristics such as soil properties, irrigation methods and
crops grown. All of this information will be accessible to the
public, enabling all researchers to share findings in a quick
and efficient manner. Researchers will be able to view charts
and analysis of their data.
TEAM #14: SAD PENGUINS
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Zachary Ennenga,
Arie Knyazev, Connie Nguyen
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
A combined effort of performance art, activism, and
programming. The Sad Penguins application’s intent is to
connect people emotionally to the effects of global warming.
With a simple design reflective of the limited resources we
have to tackle the issue, users express their views on climate
change. It can be meditative and personal as the image will
disappear unless action is taken or can foster a feeling of
consensus by sharing their work with others via the gallery.
TEAM #15: ALMOND SORTER
• Department: Biological & Agricultural Engineering
• Team members: Xiaoge Liu, Claire
Loncarich, Juan Sanchez
• Adviser: Dr. Ken Giles
The Almond Sorter is a mobile device designed to separate
almond nuts from leaves, sticks, rocks, and orchard debris
during harvest. It pairs size and air separation to provide
researchers and farmers with accurate almond samples from
specific trees. A manually powered trommel first separates
leaves, sticks and dirt using size separation. Gas powered
air separation then removes almonds from similarly sized
materials based on differences in density as they fall out of
the trommel.
TEAM
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#16: AMPEROMETRIC GLUCOSE BIOSENSOR
Department: Biological & Agricultural Engineering
Team members: Mohammad Bakir, Ryan Kawakita
Adviser: Dr. Michael Delwiche, Dr.
Tina Jeoh, Dr. Ken Giles
Currently, there are no methods implemented in industrial
settings for real time glucose monitoring during the conversion
of starch and cellulose into ethanol. There are five major steps
in this process: milling, hydrolysis, fermentation, distillation,
and dehydration. During the hydrolysis (saccharification) step,
amylase or cellulose enzymes are added in addition to water
to the starch or cellulosic mixture, to convert this substrate into
glucose. Then yeast is added to the reaction so the sugars
may be converted into ethanol. One of the main issues with
the saccharification and fermentation process is monitoring
the concentration of glucose in the reactor before yeast is
added. Discrete sampling methods are commonly used, where
glucose concentrations in the samples are measured out by
time intensive assays or analytical methods. We are proposing
that a glucose sensor be used in place of such methods, where
the newly engineered probe may take dynamic and real time
measurements of glucose in multiple samples, rather than one
at a time. This glucose probe can also be designed into a
probe that measures other substrates. Instead of using glucose
dehydrogenase as the active enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase
can be integrated onto the probe allowing for measurements
of alcohols. Therefore, this probe can be applied to a number
of biological reaction measurements. With a general design
that can be used in many biological measuring aspects, this
probe’s main advantage would be a great increase in time
efficiency in not only the industrial workplace, but smaller
laboratories as well.
TEAM #17: SEISMIC DESIGN – CHI EPSILON
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Roberto Chang, Brandon
Dashwood, Anthony Forsberg, Jesus
Gonzalez, Jordan Li, Justin Watkins,
Brett Whitchurch, Matthew Yan
• Adviser: Dr. Ken Loh
Seismic Design is an undergraduate Civil Engineering
student design team hosted by Chi Epsilon, the national
Civil Engineering Honor Society. The team must design
and construct an earthquake resistant high-rise building
model from balsa wood and glue. The building model must
withstand seismic motion modeled via shake table. Students
use earthquake engineering and building design principles
to balance the three competition objectives: (1) Maximize
rentable floor space, (2) Minimize building weight, and (3)
Minimize earthquake response. Each metric is quantified in
dollars gained and dollars lost. Competitors gain experience
with Response Spectrum analysis, Time History analysis, and
3D modelling with SAP2000 and Revit. The international
competition subjects over thirty building models to the same
three ground motions. The winning team’s structure achieves
the highest income while avoiding collapse!
TEAM #18: DRIVER DEVICE FOR SELF-INFLATING BAG
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Victor Chew, Samuel Jones,
Brandon Lew, Kentaro Pederson, Gregory Yeh
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
In the medical setting, there are many occasions where
patients being transported need assisted breathing. Many
of the mobile ventilators currently available are bulky and
expensive. The Ambu bag is a manual resuscitation device
which is commonly found in hospitals, however its operation
requires at least one person to squeeze the bag based on
pressure differences felt with their hands. Our objective is
to design a device to actuate the deflation and inflation of
the bag based on pressure and flow feedback in order to
accurately deliver the correct volume of air to the patient.
TEAM #19: TRANSPORT FOR CHILD WITH SPINAL
MUSCULAR ATROPHY
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Christopher Arciga, Catherine
Belock, Karen Chavez, Corey Long, Dylan Rogers
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease caused by a
mutation in the survival motor neuron protein (SMN1) [3]. This
protein is necessary for the survival of motor neurons, and
diminished amounts of SMN1 lead to neuronal cell death in the
spinal cord. This effect leads to system atrophy and impaired
movement and muscle development. There are four types of
SMA which are determined by the age of onset. Death of
the motor neurons debilitates the function of the major body
organs. There is no existing cure for SMA. Patients with SMA
often require the use of life-sustaining medical devices. Thus,
their only method of transport currently available is a standard
wheelchair at a reclined or supine position in which they must
carry a mechanical ventilator, a gastrojejunal (GJ) feeding
tube, and a pulse oximeter. Due to his constant dependency
on these devices, outside access is often extremely limited to
these patients. The objective for this project was to develop
a transport system that would better accommodate SMA
patients. The new transport device will allow for: outdoor use,
be lightweight, easily turnable and pushable, accommodate
and provide easy access to medical equipment, correctly and
comfortably fit a patient at about 10 years of age, allow for
adequate visibility from the inside, provide protection from the
environment, and recognize safety considerations. The design
will give SMA patients access to outdoor environments and
allow them to meet other children their age which will improve
their overall quality of life.
TEAM #20: DYNAMIC AIRFOIL TESTING APPARATUS
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Carter Bell, Karishma Chavda,
Gustavo Mancini, Deep Singh, Anahita Yazdi
• Adviser: Dr. Steven Velinsky
The UC Davis Advanced Modeling Aeronautics Team (AMAT)
needed a dynamic airfoil test apparatus to experimentally
determine CL and CD, the coefficients of lift and drag for their
airfoil. Prior to this project, there was no way for the team
to experimentally confirm their theoretical calculations. This
test apparatus is intended to be an integral tool at AMAT’s
disposal for many years to come. This project will also help
provide a better understanding of the plane’s aerodynamic
properties to supplement AMAT’s design report. Our team
designed and built a test stand with sensors to measure the lift
and drag forces. The apparatus is adjustable to accommodate
future wing designs.
TEAM #21: SEMI-AUTOMATED BEER GROWLER FILLER
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Christopher Chow, Michael
Corey, Kevin Kemmerrer, Jake Lyon
• Adviser: Dr. Steven Velinsky
A semi-automated counter pressure growler filling system
designed to minimize cost and user input, maintaining
compatibility of different growler sizes. This was achieved
through the design of a proprietary cap which allows the
growler to retain the CO2 pressure it was filled under. The
design increases the shelf life of the beer by limiting exposure
to oxygen.
TEAM #22: PORTFOLIO AND BADGING SYSTEM FOR THE
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS MAJOR
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Hilal Alsibai, Ojas Goyal, Betty
Leung, Benjamin Mishkanian, Goldie Young
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
Joanna Normoyle of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute
at UC Davis and her team have designed a system and
related web application for students to document experiences
through their studies and earn badges in order to recognize
learning across various contexts, in and out of the classroom.
This is an open source project previously funded with a grant
from the DML 4: Badges for Lifelong Learning Competition,
run by HASTAC with support from MacArthur, Gates and
Mozilla Foundations. Students from the computer science
capstone course are working to improve basic functioning
and navigation for a prototype of the application.
TEAM #23: TBD
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Jette Cantiller, Travis Cheng,
Andrew Doan, Dodd Liang, Mairtin Steinkamp
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
A polygon overlay for maps displaying the distance one can
travel within a given time by different modes of transportation.
Also displays different types of places of interest, with preset
searches such as “Restaurants,” “Pharmacies” or “Emergency
Services.”
TEAM #24: TORQUE VECTORING FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE
DRIVETRAINS
• Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Team members: Jeff Bouchard, John
Chy, Trevor Gibson, Tyler Lanham
• Adviser: Dr. Andre Knoesen
The UC Davis Formula Racing team is tasked with building a
2/3 scale full electric formula style racecar and competing
against other universities around the world. The team’s
design this year involves a dual rear-wheel motor system, so
our senior design project is to implement a torque vectoring
control algorithm. Torque vectoring involves a sensor array
on the vehicle collecting data on its current state, using
things like throttle position, steering angle, wheel speed, tire
temperature, etc. And using this information to influence a
control loop dynamically allocating power to the drive wheels.
Torque vectoring drastically improves vehicle performance
and efficiency by reducing wheel slip and resolving driver
turn request, and is the cutting edge in electric automotive
technology.
TEAM #25: FORMULA ELECTRIC DRIVETRAIN
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Michael Brown, Jon Hromalik,
Nicholas Hori, Zac March, Bryce Yee
• Adviser: Dr. Steven Velinsky
Formula Racing at UC Davis is a student design team
challenged to design, build, and race a formula style electric
vehicle for the 2013-2014 FSAE competition. Students are
tasked with designing and fabricating a vehicle that can be
sold to a manufacturing firm for mass production and targets
the weekend autocross racer. The competition provides
team members with the vital hand-on experience and skills
necessary to succeed as engineers. This project focused on
the electric drivetrain of the vehicle consisting of a dual motor
setup and a custom rear axle system that incorporated a
student-developed torque vectoring system. It also integrated
with the rest of the car including a sensor array network. All
designs were made to meet SAE Formula Electric specifications
described in the 2014 rulebook.
TEAM #26: MALAKING KAHON (“BIG BOX” SCHOOL)
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Alexander Abu-Hakima, Spencer
Barney, Lalitha Benjaram, Paul Byrne, Riley
Cressler, Amy Cunningham, Juana Gonzalez,
Michelle Gurlin, Yousef Kaleem, Morgan
King, Valerie Onuoha, Bethany Robinson,
Thomas Ryan, James Tipton, Justin Watkins
• Adviser: Dr. Alissa Kendall
“Malaking Kahon” is an environmentally, economically,
and equity focused school building designed for Save the
Children® as a disaster relief structure in the Philippines
after the events of Typhoon Haiyan (a.k.a. Typhoon Yolanda)
in late 2013. Utilization of an integrated design process
across five multidisciplinary expert teams (including exterior,
geotechnical, interior, structural, water and waste) allowed
for the development of an innovative and modular site plan
complete with classroom space, bathrooms, and recreation
for up to 60 primary education students. Built from salvaged
shipping containers, the school design takes initiative on
sustainable development in the Philippines and promotes
community/regional involvement through the emphasis of
local materials, labor, and resources. Regionally-appropriate
design incorporates sustainable strategies to foster a safe
and engaging school environment for both students and
community members while promoting knowledge about
renewable systems for energy, airflow, water use, and waste.
TEAM #27: AXIAL FAN FOR SMALL WIND TUNNEL
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Marich Bardham,
James Fong, Christopher Large
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
This project is to design, build, and test an axial fan drive
system that interfaces with a wind tunnel to replace the current
home-made axial fan, which is no longer fully functional.
This design employs a four-bladed fan mounted to a central
shaft, which connects to a gasoline engine via a pulley and
belt drive train. The fan blades are enclosed in a cylindrical
casing that changes shape to mate with the square exit of
the wind tunnel. The primary driver in this design is safety,
with a minimum safety factor of 2.0 across all components
and interfaces. The secondary driver in the system’s design is
performance, consisting of two parts: 1) producing air speeds
of 20~70mph in the wind tunnel’s test section, and 2) keeping
the tip clearance of the fan blades to a minimum.
TEAM #28: WOUNDED VETERAN MOBILE DOG KENNEL
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Chris Cavoto, Kelley
Lunquist, Jason Petersen, Kyler Steele
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
At the Veterans Affairs Hospital (VA) in Mather, CA, the
increasing amount of veterans who bring their dogs with them
to the emergency room has resulted in 1) unsupervised animals
roaming the hospital and 2) patients being turned away due
to lack of accommodations. To allow the health professionals
at the VA to focus on patient-centric care, Michael Dion (RN at
VA Hospital) proposed the team’s project objective: to design,
build, and test a prototype dog kennel for use by wounded
veterans’ companion dogs. The kennel must be lightweight,
collapsible for storage in a coat closet, easy to clean, easy to
move, and quiet when in motion - while staying under budget.
In an effort to assist both the VA and its patients, the team
designed an aluminum dog kennel fashioned with swivel
casters, an adjustable height handle, and hypoallergenic
cushions. The kennel is capable of holding large breed dogs
to ensure that all patients will have the opportunity to receive
care, regardless of the size of their dogs. The kennel also
allows the patient to make visual and physical contact with
their dog through a rooftop hatch. The team believes that the
kennel will be a great addition to the Veterans Affairs Hospital
and could be a solution for other hospitals across America in
providing better patient centric care.
TEAM #29: PARALLEL TO SERIAL DATA CONVERSION
USING CONFIGURABLE UNIVERSAL SERIAL INTERFACE
• Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Team members: Shaodi Shou,
Anthony Siu, Lingshu Tang
• Adviser: Dr. Rajaveen Amirtharajah
The project will be a SoC that will convert 8 bit parallel data
input to serial data output. The serial data can be configured
to I2C, SPI, or UART protocol.
TEAM #30: VIRTUAL TRANSACTION AUTHENTICATOR
• Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Team members: Jason Fu, Nicolas
Madrid, Safa Mannah, Felix Wong
• Adviser: Dr. Rajaveen Amirtharajah
This is a device to securely transfer virtual currency between
two parties. It involves the use of the
Diffie-Hellman key exchange method for each party to
privately agree upon a common key. For one party to contact
another, public and private keys will be generated through
the use of a true random number generator. The currency
transaction itself will be encrypted through a generated
‘puzzle’ that can only be unlocked by the common key. This
device will be USB compatible.
TEAM #31: A WIRELESS OBJECT LOCATOR
• Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Team members: Katherine Cayago, Shane
Duncan, Brandon Hsu, Brad Welby
• Adviser: Dr. Leo Liu
A Wireless Object LocatorActive RF communication system
utilizing frequency-shift keying to alert the user of a lost
object’s location via sound.
TEAM #32: ADJUSTABLE WHEELCHAIR HANDGRIPS
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Annie Alvarez, Evie
Gonzalez, William Ross, Brandon Sou
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
Common hand grips on wheelchairs are often ergonomically
incorrect for caretakers taller or shorter than average height,
which can lead to health problems such as back and neck
pain. A standard wheelchair has hand grips to accommodate
a person of height between 5’ 4’’ and 6’. To make the
wheelchair hand grips more ergonomically correct, we
designed adjustable hand grips for the optimal position for
caretakers, allowing heights between 5’ and 6’ 4’’. The device
consists of two sets of the same components. Each set consists of
bent tubing and a clamp to attach to each wheelchair handle.
The device can withstand stresses and forces from pushing or
pulling on the hand grips. Wheelchair users are typically in
one of two situations: short-term handicaps or ones that will
last for the remainder of their lives. A person in a wheelchair
for a short term will most likely be using a rental wheelchair
from either a hospital or a wheelchair rental company. A
person who is confined to a wheelchair for a longer period
of time will mostly have a custom wheelchair to accommodate
their body size or specific needs. These adjustable wheelchair
hand grips are aimed at patients with short-term disabilities
that require caretakers or hospital workers. These hand grips
are designed to be used on standard sized wheelchairs,
which do not accommodate bariatric, pediatric, or hemiheight wheelchairs. Caretakers will be more satisfied with
their jobs due to the decreased likelihoods of developing pain
or other physical injuries.
TEAM #33: YOLO HANDCYCLE PROJECT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: M. Celeste Castillo,
Eric Schmidt, Martin Ward
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
Most commercial handcycles are designed for on-road use
only. The few off-road models available are aggressive,
custom machines that often retail for well over $5000. The
YOLO Handcycle fits a middle market- it can go on easy to
moderate off-road trails and costs below $1600. The YOLO
Handcycle is a vehicle designed with local Davis trails in mind,
one being the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve and Arboretum
trails. We spent time familiarizing ourselves with the topic
by sending out a survey to local handcycle users, speaking
with them, doing online research, and riding handcycles
ourselves. Using a universal joint, we created an efficient way
for the user to simultaneously transfer power and steer. For
the frame, we chose to modify an existing recumbent trike
into a handcycle. We chose the TerraTrike Rambler mainly
because of its relative inexpensiveness, tadpole configuration,
adjustable upright seating, large ground clearance, and tight
turning radius. All these traits have allowed us to design an
inexpensive off-road handcycle.
TEAM #34: TOOLS FOR REPAIRING RECIPROCATING DUAL
PISTON PUMPS
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Daniel Gallo, Hoa
Huynh, Derek Tam, Lili Yin
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
This senior capstone design project revolves around the
creation of custom tools and methods for rebuilding GAST
reciprocating dual piston pumps at Crocker Nuclear Lab.
The goal is to lower the 35% premature failure rate of the
pumps that occurs after replacing its bearings. The bearings
are presumed to fail due to improper installation into the
pump frame. In addition, premature failure could result from
misalignment of the frames with the pump coil and an uneven
compression where the frame and coil connect together. Thus,
the new tools should provide proper alignment of the frames
relative to the coil, and an even pressure on the outer face of
the frame in each press during reassembly. Also, the bearings
need to be pressed evenly into the frames without damaging
the cage prior to the frame-coil presses. The solution is the
creation of five new tools for the rebuild process with an
accompanying operation manual. First, a bearing press block
presses the bearings into the frames without exerting force
on the bearing race. Next, a lower support plate with an
adjustable sidewall aligns the first frame-coil assembly, and
an upper press plate distributes pressure evenly. The final
frame-coil press uses the upper press plate again in addition
to the lower press plate and the alignment system. All the tools
utilize the compression force of the existing arbor press in our
client’s shop, and are explained in the operation manual for
the shop staff.
TEAM #35: MALL-E
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Jacob Chavez, Andria
Farrens, Patrick Reding, Albert Zhu
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
We were tasked with measuring and plotting the magnetic
field within the beam deflector of the Crocker Nuclear Lab’s
particle accelerator. The deflector unit is used to manipulate
a beam of particles generated by the cyclotron. The deflector
can focus beams of protons, deuterons, alpha, and helium
particles; these different particles hold different purposes.
We chose to complete this task using an autonomous probing
robot. Our group utilized a Parallax ActivityBot with a few
objective-specific modifications. Our design includes a hall
sensor, which allows the robot to measure magnetic fields. The
robot is capable of moving the hall sensor vertically along a
screw jack, permitting three dimensional magnetic field plots.
The design also includes a custom mount for an ultrasonic
distance sensor which optimizes the range and precision of
the sensor, and allows the user to track the probe throughout
data retrieval. Different areas of engineering discipline were
utilized for this project. The probe was designed and CADed
to facilitate dimension-specific machining. The ActivityBot
chassis was machined to mount the distance sensor and hall
sensor. And a C-based program was constructed from different
coding sub-objectives that were brought together with a
Graphical User Interface (GUI) designed for straightforward
user operation in Labview.
TEAM #36: HYDROGEN ENRICHMENT OF INTERNAL
COMBUSTION ENGINE
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Jonathan Baxter,
Michael Hoch, Denis Legalov
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
The applications of combustion are many and diverse,
ranging from cars to fireplaces to power plants. While the
raw process is well understood, the goal of more efficient
combustion research has taken off in the last few decades.
One promising way to improve combustion is to use hydrogen
enrichment with natural gas. Hydrogen is the most abundant
element on Earth and is thought of as an ideal alternative fuel.
The main reason why hydrogen is not currently used as an
enricher is because of its lack of an infrastructure and readily
available hydrocarbon fuels. The need for infrastructure can
be mitigated through the use of steam reformation, which is
used in our project. In the steam reformer, steam is mixed with
methane in a catalytic reformer to form hydrogen that is fed
back into the combustion process. The benefits of hydrogen
enrichment allows for leaner operation, lower NOx emissions,
and higher efficiency, but often results in lower power output.
The synthetic gas is combusted in a small internal combustion
generator and the exhaust heat produced is then used to heat
the reformer. The main drawback of hydrogen enrichment,
finding a source of hydrogen, is negated and a closed loop
reaction is formed. The whole engine is made more efficient
by the reformer’s ability to recover the waste heat from the
combustion process. Our main objective is to find out if
efficiency is significantly improved in this method through
testing and statistical analysis.
TEAM #37: PARALYSIS PATIENT AID: PRESSURE PAD CALL
LIGHT SYSTEM
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Maya Eckhardt-Polanco, Patrick
Grace, Sandra Kvitko, Elizabeth Zimmer
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
Our team was selected to design a pressure pad call light
system to aid paralysis patients who suffer from Guillain-Barre
syndrome, a descending paralysis disorder. These patients
maintain lower extremity movement longer than that of their
upper extremities and therefore require a pressure pad which
can be placed near their ankles, knees, or feet. After working
closely with our sponsor and detailing her specifications,
our team began work on designing and manufacturing a
pressure pad system for the hospital. Our final product meets
all requirements and integrates successfully with the hospital
operating system. The pressure pad features an adjustable
c-clamp and suction cup pairing which can be easily tightened
by nurses and mounts to various surfaces in the hospital room,
including patient beds, wheelchairs, and walls. The c-clamp
screws into the base of our system’s arm, a flexible gooseneck,
which spans the length of the hospital bed. The pressure pad
is located at the end of the gooseneck arm and can be placed
at any location relative to the patient with minimal effort by
nurses. Our pressure pad functions via a simple switch circuit
that is activated by pressure applied by the patient. The system
interfaces with the hospital computer and a light at the nurses’
station is activated each time the patient presses the pad,
alerting nurses to the patient’s need. Our product is easy to
use and aids paralysis patients in getting the assistance they
require, resulting in higher quality patient care and a safer
hospital environment.
TEAM #38: MOVEMENT SYSTEM FOR OPTICAL TABLES
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Mengtao Guo, Xiaoxin
Ling, Luke Twombly, Zongyao Wang
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
Optical tables provide a stable, vibration-free work surface
designed to compensate for small disturbances for high
sensitivity experimentation. These tables usually weigh
thousands of pounds due to their high density and stiffness.
Because of the weight factor, relocating tables becomes a
costly endeavor, which requires hiring riggers to accomplish
the relocation. The few existing hoists on the market cost
upwards of $10,000. As a cost effective alternative, a new
hoist system design is proposed to transport tables through
hallways, over rough or inclined terrain, and into and out of
elevators. Our design allows campus personnel to transport
an optical table with a maximum weight of 6000 lbs, and
with dimensions ranging from 3’x5’x6’’ to 4’x14’x12’’. The
hoist system is designed to easily attach and detach from the
table ends while the table is resting on legs or standing on
edge. It is able to rotate the optical table such that the entire
structure will fit through a 36” nominal door opening. Through
the use of two separate bottle jack hoists and clamps, the
device adjusts to fit a range of different table lengths and
thicknesses. A safety factor of 3 was used in the design
analysis to ensure that the hoist system would not fail while
loaded with an optical table.
TEAM #39: SUPPORTIVE WALKING DEVICE
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Steven Padilla, Will
Ryder, Brian Schamber, Yuhong Xie
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
The supportive walking device is a mechanical gait trainer
intended for outdoor and indoor use to help teenagers with
cerebral palsy explore their surroundings freely. Patients with
cerebral palsy are incapable of moving around by themselves
due to abnormal motor development and coordination,
specifically in their arms, legs and trunk. Our device supports
the user’s body weight while allowing them to move in all
directions. In order to improve the user’s mobility, the base of
the device is composed of three sets of wheels which allow
linear and angular movements. The body supports of the
device allow for lateral and vertical motions with respect to
the frame. A height adjustment mechanism enables the device
to accommodate users of various heights by changing the
height of the support assembly. To encourage the user to move
forward, the body supports can also be angled with respect
to the base. This tilt is accomplished with the use of a screw
located at the bottom of the height adjustment mechanism.
To support the weight of user, a swivel seat is attached to the
body support of the device. The design of the device is based
on a current product, Kidwalk, which is not intended for users
over the age of 12. The supportive walking device will fill the
current void in the market for users 12 and up.
TEAM #40: BICYCLE UTILITY TRAILER AND TRICYCLE
LADDER MOUNT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Derrick Cheng, Michael
Laity, Bruce Tam, Robbie Zarem
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
The UC Davis Facilities Management: Energy Conservation
Office (ECO) conducts audits of campus facilities for energy
projects and LEED certifications. In order to perform these
duties, several key pieces of equipment are required, including
a ladder, toolboxes, and a flow meter. Currently, the ECO uses
a truck to transport this equipment to and from jobs on the
UC Davis campus. However, due to accessibility and mobility
restrictions, the use of a truck is less effective than the ecofriendly and maneuverable bicycle. The main objective of this
project is to improve the utility of ECO’s bicycle and tricycle
fleet by outfitting both vehicles with engineered functionspecific structures. Two unique solutions were designed (one
for each of the vehicles). For the bicycle, a trailer was designed
to enable users to tow either a 6 or 8 ft. ladder, as well as
an air flow meter. For the tricycle, the existing utility box was
replaced with a ladder mount extending from beneath the
tricycle bed. This design allows the user to transport a 6 ft.
ladder and an air flow meter. To validate the system design,
the team analyzed and tested the stability of the trailer and
tricycle under various loading conditions and speeds.
TEAM #41: FARADAY CUP ASSEMBLY FOR CROCKER
NUCLEAR LAB NEUTRON BEAM LINE
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Augustus Bechtold, Gage
Caffery, Daniel Tai, Jake Wang
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
A neutron beam line in the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory
required a new Faraday cup assembly, including a beam box
and actuator. This stimulated our interests of manufacturing
and mechanical design and provided a sufficient challenge
and learning opportunity. Our team was tasked with
manufacturing this Faraday cup assembly and all of its
components (aside from the actuator and circuit switches),
creating a complete CAD package, and a bill of materials.
One of the main components of this project was the design
and manufacture of a housing unit on top of the beam box
that dictated the actuator stroke length. The actuator lowers
the Faraday cup to precise depths within the beam box, so an
appropriate stroke length was of critical importance. When
the Faraday cup is not in use, the actuator raises the cup so
that it rests entirely within the housing on top of the beam box.
In order to preserve the accuracy of the readings from the
Faraday cup, the entire assembly had to be vacuum sealed.
TEAM #42: WIND SIMULATION DEVICE FOR TESTING
OF EVAPORATIVE PRE-COOLER EFFICIENCY IN
ENVIRONMENTAL TEST CHAMBER
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Zvi Davidoff, Phillip
Erberich, Brad Girod,
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
The Western Cooling and Efficiency Center (WCEC) is
working to develop test standards for evaporative pre-coolers
(EPC), which are devices that cool roof-top air conditioning
unit (RTU) intake air using water droplets. The device in this
project is capable of providing airflow to help answer the
WCEC’s research question: What effect does wind have on
RTU efficiency with various types of EPCs? The objectives of
this project are twofold: the first objective is to design and
fabricate a device that will simulate the flow conditions around
a specific RTU subjected to a uniform 5 meter per second
wind. The RTU will have different types of EPC attached to
the condenser coils, and the device must provide airflow that
is similar to the airflow around an RTU sitting on the roof of
a building. The second objective is to perform a study on the
effects of geometry and RTU intake flow rate on the rate of
loss of water particles emanating from an EPC. To gain insight
into the effect of different RTU geometries and intake rates on
the efficiency of RTUs with EPCs, a sensitivity study has been
performed using CFD modeling. The study determines the
percent of EPC water droplets lost to wind with two different
RTU geometries, and three different RTU intake flow rates.
TEAM #43: ROTARY ACCESSORY FOR ELECTRICAL
DISCHARGE MACHINING
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Diane Hascall, Martin
Hristov, Matt Kathan, Justin Ramirez
• Adviser: Dr. Cristina Davis
Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is an advanced
manufacturing process that uses electrical discharges to
remove material from an electrically conductive workpiece.
It allows for the machining of complex shapes and hard
materials. Hill Engineering, the sponsor of this project, desired
an accessory to facilitate circumferential cuts on cylindrical
workpieces. Without such a device, this sort of operation is
impossible using a wire EDM’s normal axes of movement.
This engineering project involved the design of a rotary
cutting accessory to be used with a submerged wire EDM.
The design will be able to support workpieces weighing
up to 10 pounds and with diameters as large as 5 inches.
Workpieces will be rotated within a user-defined angular
range and within a frequency domain of 0.1-1 Hertz. The user
will also be able to alter the applied torque to change the
time of a given operation. This design is a proof-of-concept for
these requirements. It has been designed to be compact and
watertight to work inside the EDM work tank, with a precision
powertrain and custom gripping mechanism.
TEAM #44: HYDROGEN PRODUCTION/FUEL CELL POWER
GENERATION SYSTEM
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Fred Karlen, Justin Powell,
Jonathan Ryang, Peter Scheel
• Adviser: Dr. Jae Wan Park, Dr. Cristina Davis
The project objective is to prove the concept of a portable
hydrogen production/fuel cell energy generation system.
The system consists of two parts: hydrogen production and
fuel cell energy generation. In the first part, aluminum alloy
is combined with water in a controlled reaction chamber at
room temperature to create hydrogen. The hydrogen is filtered
and supplied to the second part of the system. In the second
part of the system, a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel
cell uses the produced hydrogen and oxygen molecules from
the air to generate electrical current. The generated current is
then used to power a device and/or to charge a lithium-ion
battery pack, which can be used to power small electronic
devices. This power production system is environmentally
friendly because the only by-product is water. When fully
developed, this self-contained power production system could
be used to power electronics in remote locations, such as
military operations and outdoor recreational use.
TEAM #45: VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET MOUNTING
SYSTEM
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Fred Karlen, Justin Powell,
Jonathan Ryang, Peter Scheel
• Adviser: Dr. Jae Wan Park, Dr. Cristina Davis
The Human/Robotics/Vehicle Integration lab is in need of
a mount for a virtual reality system used for simulating the
interior of various cockpits to train future pilots. The mount
needs to attach two screens, appropriate electronics, and
interchangeable lens housing to an HGU-55 Aircrew Fixed
Wing Helmet without damaging the helmet. The design consists
of four subsystems: screen housing, housing mounting, helmet
mounting, and electronics mounting. The screen housing is cut
in half horizontally so the screens can be slid and secured
into. Four struts that accommodate a separate lens housing
extend from each corner of the frame. We have picked a visor
housing mounting system that has frames extending from the
side edges of the screen housing to the sides of the helmet.
The visor is attached to the helmet by a series of straps and
hooks. Our product is adaptable to different head shapes
and also able to accommodate people wearing glasses. The
mount can move up and down the helmet by simply detaching
the earpieces and placing them in a different position on the
helmet. It can also move towards and away from the face
by as much as four inches by an adjustable beam system.
The primary helmet mounting system is 3-D printed with the
exception of off-the-shelf screw and strap hardware, which we
ordered from online sources.
TEAM #46: COMMUNITY FORUM FOR FARMERS
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Ramyar Ghods,
Fontaine Lam, Huiyun Yang
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
A forum to help farmers and the consultants they work with
have better access to research and information about nutrient
management.
TEAM #47: VIRTUAL FRONT VIEW STREAMING
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Cameron Cairns,
Matthew Morikawa, Corina Putinar,
Shawn Shojaie, Doron Zehavi
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
We are aiming to develop a vehicle to vehicle streaming
platform using Android devices. The aim of this project is to
prove that it is possible for Android devices to stream video
from one vehicle to another. This is spurred by Professor
Ghosal’s research on Ad-Hoc Networks. The eventual goal
would be to display this video on the windshield of the vehicle,
but that is beyond the scope of what we are doing now.
TEAM #48: FARMING OPERATIONS MOBILE APP
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Judy Fong, Cameron Massoudi,
Andrew McAllister, Michael Nowak
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
Researchers for the Long Term Research in Agricultural
Sustainability (LTRAS) project need a better way to get data
from the field to their database. The current system is slow
and requires unnecessary work. Our program will simplify
this process by using a mobile device to input data into the
database directly from the field.
TEAM #49: PROJECT FOR EDUCATION: iOS PHYSICS
APPLICATION
• Department: Computer Science
• Team members: Jessica Lau, Ben Leong,
Isaac Leung, Danny Li, Yi Lu
• Adviser: Dr. Prem Devanbu
A collaborative learning iOS application designed for the
Physics 7 series at UC Davis.
TEAM #50: AGRICULTURAL MOBILE IRRIGATION SYSTEM
• Department: Biological & Agricultural Engineering
• Team members: Noelle Patterson,
Charles Wong, Wayland Singh
• Adviser: Dr. Ken Giles
Seniors of the Biological Systems Engineering department
have joined with the UC Davis D Lab design of an agricultural
innovation called the Agricultural Mobile Irrigation Systems
(AMIS). The project was commissioned by Abraham Salomon,
founder of Agriworks Uganda Ltd., to create an irrigation
solution available for rural Ugandan farmers. The mobile
irrigation system will help raise agricultural productivity in an
area which is projected to greatly increase in population in
the next 35 years. The design caters to small and medium
scale rural farmers by planning to provide the irrigation as a
pay-as-you-go service instead of a large capital investment
venture. The AMIS is composed of all the equipment needed
for surface irrigation mounted efficiently onto a 125 cc
motorcycle. The team designed and built a pair of spools to
hold 100m of lay flat hose and a custom frame to carry the
spools, two pumps, a sprinkler head and a mounting tripod.
The students have received funding to travel to Uganda this
summer to help build and test the AMIS in preparation for
future commercialization by Agriworks.
TEAM #51: RABBIT DENTAL RESTRAINT
• Department: Biological & Agricultural Engineering
• Team members: Kwok Cheung
• Adviser: Dr. Fadi Fathallah, Dr. Ken Giles
A device to better secure and position a rabbit’s jaw for
dental surgery. This device will reduce the likelihood of
musculoskeletal symptoms from the veterinary staff responsible
for physically restraining the rabbits during surgery.
TEAM #52: PRESSURE BOMB ENDPOINT MOISTURE
SENSOR
• Department: Biological & Agricultural Engineering
• Team members: Anthony Beck, Rowan Prentice
• Adviser: Dr. Kenneth Shackel, Dr. Ken Giles
The “pressure bomb” is a pressure chamber device used to
measure the xylem pressure of sampled plants. This design
is a sensor that monitors the water content of the sampled
plant tissue, which allows for the endpoint of the pressure
bomb measurement to be determined. The sensor operates
according to the principles of electrical resistance.
TEAM #53: THE LUMENARY PROJECT
• Team members: Yuanxian Chen, Phuong
Dang, Devyn Duffy, Catherine Jiang, Wen Li,
Christopher Loos, Ben Mathia, Garett Melin, Daniel
Schlesinger, Nate Szumowski, Jiawei Zhao
A small, compact, high-performance custom bike light for
UC Davis students, designed to be durable and waterproof.
The bike light uses a lock and key mechanism to ensure theftresistance. It offers three modes for safety (high power),
functionality (strobe), and battery conservation (dim). It has
features such as a motion-based timer that turns off the light
automatically, has a long run time, and a universal handle
bar strap. The bike light, with a two AAA battery pack on
the back connected to it with a strap, is mounted streamlined
with the handle bar. The custom bike light also features the UC
Davis logo on a custom designed transparent light cap with
“UC Davis” embossed around the front rim of the bike light
to promote school spirit. The simple interface and compact
design of the light make it easy to take on and off; with the
key mechanism ensuring that it is not easy to steal at the same
time. Several other color options will be available.
TEAM #54: FLASH BAND
• Team members: Janel Dacayanan, Chung
Yin Leung, Yitian Liang, Madeleine Salem,
Mary Sedarous, Marilyn Vergara
The Flash Band is an affordable, compact, and portable bike
light on a bistable structure, commonly found in slap/snap
bracelets. The bistable structure is manufactured with flexible
stainless steel which has two states: straight and curled. The
curled state is used to secure the light onto the handle bar. The
light and band are together enclosed with a rubber casing
to maximize grip, improve durability, and be water resistant.
The Flash Band includes two high beam bulbs powered by
two AAA batteries, with the following lighting features: “on”
and “strobe”. The compact/one-part design encourages
portability, allowing the user to easily remove and place the
light onto the handlebar, as well as wear it as a bracelet when
not in use. This is a user-friendly product designed by college
students for college students.
TEAM #55: MSE GEOCHALLENGE
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Eduardo Cerna, Alan Espejo,
Katie Flowers, Harrison Kwan, Krishen
Parmar, Gordon Tat, Jimmy Wong
• Adviser: Dr. Bruce Kutter
The Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) GeoChallenge
is a student competition that consists of designing a model
retaining wall using only a sheet of poster board with kraft
paper strips as reinforcement, rather than concrete with steel
tiebacks. Engineering properties of the paper reinforcement
and the geotechnical properties of the soil back fill was
acquired using ASTM testing methods. The stress distributions
along the retaining wall were measured using a unique
device specially designed and fabricated for this project. The
interface properties between the soil and the reinforcement
were determined through a modified ASTM method designed
for this project. The competition requires students to construct
the wall, along with compacting the back fill, on site in 50
minutes. Once construction is completed, the back fill material
is vertically loaded. The final scores are calculated based
on the total mass of reinforcement and amount of deflection
induced by the vertical load.
TEAM #56: PROXIMITY DETECTION RADAR
• Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Team members: Daniel Kuzmenko, Michael
Moon, David Rangel Alarcon, Mansoor Wahab
• Adviser: Dr. Leo Liu
We created a FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continues Wave)
Radar shield for the Arduino microcontroller’s ecosystem.
TEAM #57: OXYGEN THERAPY BURN PREVENTION
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: James Hartanto, Wayne
Leu, Travis Pereira, Brian Yee
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
There are many patients on oxygen therapy that burn
themselves due to smoking while concentrated oxygen is
flowing out of their nasal cannulas. Our design incorporates
infrared photodiodes in combination with a microcontroller
and a pinch valve to stop the flow of oxygen through a nasal
cannula in the presence of a flame. The photodiodes will be
mounted on the nasal cannula near the patient’s face. They
will be angled in such a way so that a flame from a lighter
will be detected by both of them if the patient decides to light
it. Once the flame is detected by both photodiodes, it sends a
signal to the microcontroller which activates a pinch valve that
rests on the cannula. The valve will pinch the nasal cannula
shut, stopping the flow of oxygen through the cannula. This
will cut off the concentrated oxygen supply to the lighter,
eliminating the risk of a flash burn. There were approximately
1,190 facial burns per year from 2003-2006, and we hope to
significantly lower this number with our device. Not only will
our device save people from being burnt, it will also save time
and money from the cost of hospitalizing these burn patients.
TEAM #58: PULP VITALITY TESTING
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Jan Perez, Harikrishna
Rallapalli, David Randolph, Varsha Viswanth
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
To determine the vitality of a dog’s canine tooth, we designed
a device that uses thermography. We hypothesize that the
vitality of a tooth correlates with the tooth’s surface temperature
after cooling. Our device will measure the surface temperature
of a dog’s canine and we will calculate an equilibration time
for the tooth in question. The data acquired and analyzed by
our device will aid clinicians in determining whether or not a
dog’s tooth is vital.
TEAM #59: MOBILE ARM SUPPORT FOR
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Jasmine Chen, Daniel
Levy, Nikita Patel, Rahwa Woldeyesus
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini, Josh Roth
This project draws the innovative concepts of statics and
gross anatomy of the human arm to design a passive and
affordable mobile arm support for patients of Occupational
Therapy, cared for at the Ambulatory Care Center of the
UCD Medical Center, Sacramento. These patients all have
symptoms of weak limbs and arms due to various conditions
of a neuromuscular diseases or the aftermath of a stroke. Our
project aims to elevate and provide movement to the arm so
the patient may essentially perform activities-of-daily-living
(ADL’s) on their own.
TEAM #60: VETERINARY MOUTHPIECE FOR
ENDOSCOPY
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Patrick Hanafin, Avi Mehari,
Mauricio Pirir, Shannon Prouty, Vivian To
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
It has been shown in cats that the blood supply to the eyes
and brain can be reduced when the mouth is opened fully.
The spring-loaded mouth gag currently used to hold the
mouth open during endoscopic procedures does not limit the
pressure applied to the jaw. As a result, cases of blindness
or deafness have been reported following prolonged use
of such a gag. In response to these complications, we have
created a device that prevents the overextension of the
jaw by holding the mouth open at a minimum width during
endoscopic procedures. By inserting the patient’s canine teeth
into the device, the device is able to grip firmly to the teeth
and prevent slipping of the device from the mouth. Overall,
our device seeks to prevent post-procedural complications
associated with current gags while also making the use of
mouth gags easier for veterinarians.
TEAM #61: CORE (CADAVER ORGAN RETRIEVAL)
BIOPSY DEVICE
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Kevin Cappa, Rachel Gurlin,
Joanna Quach, Alexander Summers
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
With post-mortem procedures at an all-time minimum,
autopsies provide complete information about a disease
or cause of death of a person. Virtual autopsy, also known
as minimally invasive autopsy, provides an alternative to
traditional autopsies. Through the combination of magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) and/or computerized tomography
(CT), a full reconstruction of the body is digitally recreated.
Once the body is imaged, sites of interest (SOI) that appear
on the scan may need to be examined further. The CORe
device is a minimally-invasive biopsy device that consistently
samples layers of tissue in a cadaver in order to assist in
the information provided by virtual autopsy. With a springloaded mounted system, the tissue sampler can be adjusted
in three translational and two rotational planes to achieve
the desired SOI. Various sampling depths can be achieved
through height adjustments of the device. Lastly, to retrieve
the tissue, a custom-made plunger pushes the tissue out of the
bi-pointed needle.
TEAM #62: DESIGN OF A PLANT IN FREEPORT, TX
TO PRODUCE N-BUTANOL THROUGH THE CATALYTIC
DEHYDRATION OF ETHANOL
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Simon Chen, Oscar
Jauregui, Zachary Wolk, Fue Xiong
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra
Our group designed an n-Butanol production plant in Freeport,
Texas. This plant produces n-Butanol through the catalytic
dehydration of Ethanol, which is more environmentally friendly
and potentially more profitable than existing technologies,
such as Oxo-synthesis. We designed the plant to produce 220
million pounds of n-Butanol per year. Using data given for a
proprietary catalyst and a 95% by weight Ethanol feed stock,
we designed an AspenPlus simulation to model the plant’s
processes, including the fixed bed reactor and all utilities such
as heating and compression. After creating a simulation for
the plant, we also did a full analysis of the economics for the
plant, including the capital needed to retrofit the existing plant,
the cost of feedstock, the operating costs of the plant, the
transportation costs for both the delivery of the feedstock and
the shipping of the final product, as well as other associated
costs. We also researched local and federal regulations for
handling of Ethanol and for n-Butanol production.
TEAM #63: CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND ECONOMIC
ANALYSIS OF N-BUTANOL PRODUCTION VIA BIOETHANOL
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Kori Chan, Steven
Lewis, Karmveer Nakhwal
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra
Propylene, a volatile and highly flammable organic compound,
has been used to manufacture n-butanol. However, not only is
the propylene feedstock expensive, but the hydro-formylation
of propylene requires the existence of synthesis gas which
is a source of CO2 emission. In an effort to develop a more
sustainable route of production, the method of the formation
of n-butanol via the catalyzed dehydration of bio derived
ethanol was used. This alternative was found to be less
expensive as anhydrous ethanol is not required. The project
includes generating flowsheets and simulations of the new
chemical process using Aspen Plus Process software. Detailed
economic evaluation for the conversion of ethanol to n-butanol
was also performed to evaluate the economic feasibility.
TEAM #64: CATALYTIC PRODUCTION OF N-BUTANOL
FROM BIO-ETHANOL
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Faiz Iqbal, Jessica Peterson,
Miguel Rodriguez, Kelvin Shing
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra
In the search for renewable fuel sources, bio-butanol is a very
attractive alternative to fossil fuels. It is more efficient than the
currently utilized ethanol, as it has a higher energy density as
well as the possibility to be blended in greater concentrations
with gasoline for use in automobiles. Our proposed design is an
upscale production of butanol from the catalytic dehydration
of bio-ethanol. In order to develop our design model, we
will utilize our knowledge from our engineering curriculum,
focusing on kinetics and plant design. Using Aspen Plus, we
will simulate an industrial scale operation for the production
of butanol and maximize our economic potential through the
use of plant economics.
TEAM #65: METHANOL PLANT DESIGN
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Saud Alkhaldi, Naveed
Dastagir, Lisa Gong, Danae Sugaoka
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra
The purpose of this project was to design an economically
profitable plant in Trinidad and Tobago to produce 5,000
metric tons per day of methanol from natural gas. The upstream
section was composed of a steam methane reformer, followed
by a secondary oxygen-blown reformer and a methanol
synthesis reactor. This process produced crude methanol
which was purified downstream. A process simulator, Aspen
Plus, was used to replicate the methanol production process
and account for utility and secondary unit costs. This project
achieved all critical design specifications while optimizing it
to the highest economic potential.
TEAM #66: EBTS CHEMICALS PROSPECTIVE LOUISIANA
STYRENE MONOMER PLANT
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Edward Glahn, Kelley
Heatley, Hayley Hofstetter, Joe Wood
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra
Create an Aspen simulation that yields a high conversion of
ethyl-benzene and styrene selectivity. Determine the reactor
volumes for the conditions selected.
TEAM #67: RECOVERY OF METHANOL FROM NATURAL
GAS VIA A TWO-STEP REFORMING MODEL
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Uyen Le, Gordon Magill,
Koui Saechao, Nicholas Talken
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra
Methanol is known to be produced from methane using a
two-step reforming process. Here we attempt to replicate
this process and produce 5,000 metric ton/day of methanol.
Our feedstock represents natural gas, consisting of 96 mole%
methane, 1.5 mole% ethane, 0.5 mole% propane, 1 mole%
nitrogen, and 1 mole% carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, full
scale modeling is outside the scope of this project, and we
therefore must develop the process using computer software,
specifically Aspen Plus. Our process consists of two parts. An
upstream series of reactors was optimized to give an 82%
conversion from methane to methanol, in which our kinetic
data was fit to Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics. Through
optimizing the downstream separation process, we were able
to attain a purity of over 99.75% weight fraction methanol.
Our methanol plant will be located in Trinidad and Tobago
and we therefore provide a comprehensive investigation of the
limitations of the existing laws and regulations. Economic and
environmental evaluations were performed for the region and
the specified design process. Through this, we will determine
the feasibility of constructing a methanol plant under our
optimized operating conditions.
TEAM #68: PLANT DESIGN AND ECONOMIC
ANALYSIS OF A LOUISIANA BASED CHEMICAL PLANT
PRODUCING STYRENE FROM ETHYLBENZENE
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Daniel Aleman, Corina
Mincin, Kenmond Pang, Bilal Saeed
• Advisers: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
Styrene is a large volume commodity chemical used in the
production of polymers such as polystyrene and acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene (ABS). In this project, a styrene production
plant with an annual capacity of 800 million pounds was
designed and simulated in Aspen Plus©. The catalytic
dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene was modeled by a pseudo
reaction. To determine the pseudo reaction stoichiometry, a
total mass balance was applied to a laboratory reaction.
The stoichiometric data was screened on the basis of a 60%
minimum styrene yield and then ranked by its selectivity
for styrene. To apply the selected isothermal laboratory
reaction to an industrial scale process, a series of 3 adiabatic
stoichiometric reactors with inter-stage heating were restricted
to a 100 degree Fahrenheit temperature drop. Different
separation schemes were developed around the RadFrac
module in order to separate and purify styrene and key
byproducts in the rector effluent. Different plant configurations
were then obtained by incorporating the reaction and
separation segments. A final plant design was chosen through
an economic evaluation of the different design possibilities.
The strategies applied in this design project can also be
applied to the design of other chemical facilities.
TEAM #69: OPTIMIZATION OF STYRENE PRODUCTION
FROM ETHYLBENZENE
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Taylor Brickey, Elizabeth
Brizuela, Qian Li, Carson Yu
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra
The goal of our project is to propose a plant design that
produces Styrene from Ethylbenzene. In our design we will
take into consideration of the location of our plant, recycle of
by-products, and optimize the selectivity and conversion of
Ethylbenzene to Styrene.
TEAM #70: DESIGN AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF
A METHANOL PLANT USING ASPEN SIMULATION
SOFTWARE
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Yadong Cao, Wu
Hong, Jing Hua, Kayla Kuhl
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
Methanol production can increase the value of low-cost
methane, which is widely available in natural gas reserves.
Methanol is now commonly used as a chemical feedstock, and
the market demand may rise due to its growing importance
in petrochemical production. Our team was tasked with
designing a 5000 metric ton per day methanol production
facility. This facility would be built in Trinidad and Tobago due
to the proximity to cheap and abundant natural gas reserves.
We will model the production of methanol from natural gas
using a two-step steam reforming process that includes a
steam reformer, an oxidation-blown reformer, and a catalytic
methanol reactor. The steam reformer will be a multi-tubular
reactor packed with a Ni-based catalyst to convert the
methane into synthesis gas. The oxygen-blown reformer will
be used for the partial oxidation and reaction of unconverted
methane to produce more synthesis gas. Realistic kinetic data
will be used to model the catalytic formation of methanol from
synthesis gas. The design will include a purification process
for methanol prior to sale. Aspen software will be used to
construct a flowsheet and conduct an economic evaluation
for our plant.
TEAM #71: GRASS-ROOT MeOH PLANT DESIGN
PROJECT
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Emily Cheng, Tanner
Kural, Trinh An Le, Krish Rajagopalan
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
The purpose is to design a MeOH plant located in Trinidad
and Tobago to produce 5000 metric tons of MeOH per day
from natural gas comprised of 96 mol% of methane, 1.5
mol% of ethane, 0.5 mol% of propane, 1 mol% of nitrogen,
and 1 mol% of carbon dioxide. The four key reactions are:
steam reforming of natural gas, water gas shift reaction,
partial oxidation of natural gas, and methanol formation. For
the upstream process, the three main reactions are: steam
methane reformer, oxygen-blown reformer, and the methanol
reactor. The downstream process will be the separation and
purification processes.
TEAM #72: INDUSTRIAL SCALE PLANT DESIGN
FOR THE CATALYTIC DEHYDROGENATION OF
ETHYLBENZENE TO STYRENE MONOMER
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Hamza Ahsan, David
Cao, Kandy Holland, Paula Torres
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
We have designed a chemical plant using AspenPlus process
simulator to produce styrene monomer from the catalytic
dehydrogenation of an ethylbenzene feedstock. Our plant
has the capacity to produce 800 million pounds of styrene
monomer per year; however, toluene and benzene are also
produced as byproducts of undesirable side reactions. Due to
equilibrium limitations of dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene,
our upstream design scheme uses fixed bed reactors in
series to achieve greater conversion. Separation techniques
were employed downstream to separate our main product
from byproducts and any unreacted ethylbenzene. Overall,
this process produces styrene monomer with a purity of
99.7 wt%. The capacity of our styrene monomer production
plant is equivalent to approximately 6.5% of the U.S. styrene
production in the year 2008. From a simple economic
analysis of the difference of product profit and raw material
costs, we determined that our venture is profitable with and
has economic potential of $152 million dollars annually.
TEAM #73: DESIGN OF A METHANE REFORMING
PLANT TO PRODUCE METHANOL
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Stephanie Burg, Rose
Damestani, Matthew Steben, Jacob Stover
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
On the behest of Methanol Corporation, we at Flawless
Design have created a plant process on the island nation of
Trinidad and Tobago that will produce methanol from methane
gas. The desired capacity for the facility is 5,000 metric tons/
day. The mechanism will use steam reformation to transform
the methane gas into synthesis gas. This synthesis gas will be
reacted over a newly researched catalyst to produce methanol
for export to the global market. Our goal is to create a facility
that will add to global industry while contributing to the local
economy and preserve the quality of life for the populace.
TEAM #74: THE PRODUCTION OF N-BUTANOL FROM
BIO-ETHANOL
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Noah Duke, Wilson
Lam, Badrdin Pernas, Charlie Wang
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
The feasibility of a full scale bio-ethanol to n-butanol
manufacturing plant is analyzed and investigated using
AspenPlus software.
TEAM #75: DESIGN OF A GREEN CHEMICAL PLANT
PRODUCING N-BUTANOL FROM THE CATALYTIC
DEHYDRATION OF BIO-ETHANOL
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: William Chan, Keng-Fu
Chang, Jui-Ting Ling, Daniel Nguyen
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
Design of a Green Chemical Plant Producing n-Butanol from
the Catalytic Dehydration of Bio-EthanolDesigned a greener
chemical process for the large-scale production of n-butanol
from bio-ethanol feedstock. Created a process flow diagram
and simulation of the plant using Aspen Plus. Performed an
economic analysis to determine feasibility of the project,
including cost estimation of the raw materials, equipment, and
energy consumption.
TEAM #76: STYRENE PRODUCTION FROM
ETHYLBENZENE; CHEMICAL PLANT DESIGN
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Chris Brown, Evan Forman,
Vincent Francesco, Sean Happersberger
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
We are designing a grassroots chemical processing plant
for the conversion of an ethyl benzene feed stock into
styrene. Design objectives include the optimization of
process equipment components to maximize the conversion
of ethyl benzene while limiting our overall operating cost.
Side products and recycle streams are important design
considerations as well as equipment selection. A detailed
economical evaluation is performed to provide quantified
comparisons between designs and support the decisions the
team recommends.
TEAM #77: DESIGN OF A COMMERCIAL PLANT FOR
THE PRODUCTION OF STYRENE MONOMER
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Alex Evanshenk, Ruth
Genota, Chris Guido, Lilly Imani
• Adviser: Dr. Nael El-Farra, Dr. Greg Miller
The styrene monomer is an important compound for the
commercial production of many important rubbers and
polymers in industry. The production of this monomer
can be produced using one of two industrial methods: the
dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene or the through a propylene
oxide-styrene monomer co-production process. In this project,
we consider the design of a plant with the capability to
produce 800 million pounds per year of the styrene monomer
using the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene located in
Louisiana. The current market has a global production of 38
billion pounds per year of styrene monomer with increasing
global demand, which suggests that such a plant will provide
a valuable product in the US. The design includes a series
of large industrial reactors and considerable downstream
separations which have been optimized to ensure maximum
profitability of the plant. We conclude that such a plant is a
feasible in conceptual design and propose that pilot plant
operations proceed to confirm the simulated design.
TEAM #78: PRODUCTION OF RECOMBINANT
BUTYRYLCHOLINESTERASE, AN ORGANOPHOSPHATE
PROPHYLACTIC, FROM TRANSGENIC RICE CELL
CULTURE
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Kannan Aravagiri, Patricia
Flores, Andy Nguyen, Jacob Partlow
• Adviser: Dr. Karen McDonald
The human blood protein butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) offers
the most effective protection against
organophosphate poisoning. Members of the organophosphate
class of molecules include those widely used in agriculture as
herbicides and pesticides, as well as the nerve agent sarin,
recently used in Syria. In order for BChE to be used as a
widespread treatment, efficient production methods must be
developed. Processes of producing butyrylcholinesterase such
as purifying protein from human blood, goat’s milk, and CHO
cells have all been too costly, too inefficient, and/or require
extreme amounts of resources for large scale production. Our
design group focused on producing butyrylcholinesterase
from a batch cell culture of transgenic rice cells. Using the
SuperPro Designer® software, we designed a large-scale
BChE production facility utilizing a transgenic rice strain and
conducted economic feasibility studies for our large facility.
Our design includes harvesting BChE that has been secreted
extracellularly, as well as a subsequent cellular wash operation
to obtain a higher yield of BChE. Our production target was
at least 25 kg of BChE per year with a stable profit margin.
This amount of BChE comprises nearly 63,000 individual
doses per year of protection to soldiers, agricultural workers,
and others that may be exposed to organophosphate toxins.
TEAM #79: FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE COMMERCIAL
PRODUCTION OF ANTI-SARIN PHARMACEUTICAL IN
RICE CELLS
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: George Correa, Richard
Huber, Asun Oka, Kaylee Thatcher
• Adviser: Dr. Karen McDonald
As the threat of chemical weapon use in politically unstable
regions grows, so does the need for effective pharmaceuticals
that prevent and protect against exposure. Butyrylcholinesterase
(BuChE) is a human blood protein that protects against Sarin,
a weaponized human nerve agent that has been used in a
number of incidents, most notably the Tokyo subway attack
and the Syrian civil war. Symptoms of exposure include muscle
convulsions, brain damage, and death. BuChE irreversibly
binds to Sarin, which prevents the toxin from reaching nerve
synapses and allows it to be cleared from the bloodstream.
This type of pretreatment would allow soldiers or aid workers
to safely pass through regions where the risk of Sarin exposure
is high. Currently, the only way to produce BuChE is from
outdated blood plasma at a cost of $20,000 per dose. Our
team has designed a biochemical processing plant that uses
transgenic rice cells to produce over 60,000 doses of BuChE
per year. Using SuperPro Designer®, we modeled upstream
production and downstream processing for a batch operation
facility. The goal of our project was to determine if large-scale
production of BuChE using a transgenic rice system would
lower the cost of production.
TEAM #80: ANTI-ORGANOPHOSPHATE AGENT
PRODUCED RECOMBINANTLY IN RICE CELL CULTURE
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: David Aakhus, Gil Benezer,
Alex Moskaluk, Jerrine Wong
• Adviser: Dr. Karen McDonald
Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) is a bioscavenger for
organophosphates, such as nerve agents (Sarin), pesticides,
and herbicides (RoundUp). Small amounts of BuChE naturally
occur in human blood (~2 mg/L), but is insufficient to defend
against organophosphate poisoning (requiring ~400 mg/
dose), so there is an urgent need to develop a recombinant
version (rBuChE) at an industrial scale. We developed
a biotech facility in SuperPro Designer® to simulate the
processes and costs of producing rBuChE with a production
target of 62,500 doses/year. Transgenic Oryza sativa
containing an inducible rice α-amylase promoter (RAmy3D)
was chosen as the host vector, and sucrose growth medium
was exchanged for sucrose-free medium after sufficient cell
growth to promote gene expression. We modeled the rice cell
suspension cultures to operate in batch mode and harvested
only the extracellular fluid. Recovery from the medium captured
56% of total rBuChE from the production bioreactor. Overall
production after downstream processing resulted in 25 kg/
year of bulk, purified, and pharmaceutically active rBuChE.
TEAM #81: EAE 130B: AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE AND
DESIGN I.P.S.I.M. INC. OPLS-X5VR AIRCRAFT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Amit Bangar, Megna Hari,
Robyn Murray, Nassim Riazi, Amy Tang
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
In response to the need for a more economical alternative
to regional jets during shorter regional flights, IPSIM Inc.
presents the OPLS-X5VR as a more efficient and improved
solution to the currently available turbopropeller airplanes.
The OPLS-X5VR is a 76 passenger, twin-engine turbopropeller
aircraft with a high tapered wing and tractor landing gear
configuration. The maximum takeoff weight is about 66000
lbs (empty weight of 37000 lbs). The aircraft cruises at
30,000 ft with an optimum speed of 393 knots. The aircraft
can fly shorter missions (400 nmi) in nearly 90 minutes,
burning 3000 lbs of fuel per hour. The OPLS-X5VR has a fuel
consumption of 0.138 lbs/seat nmi and is capable of flying a
range of 1606 nmi. The aircraft design adheres to the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines under the FAR 25
requirements. To provide clients with a superior “jet-like” flight
experience, the OPLS-X5VR is equipped with noise reduction
and vibration suppression technologies, ambient lighting, an
in-flight entertainment system, environmental control system,
and visually pleasing interior fabric choices.
TEAM #82: ELITE AEROSPACE’S EAE X-100
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Ashley Coates, Carlos
Montes, Caleb Morrison, Mark Ploeger,
Matthew Tedesco, Zach Thusius
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
The EAE X-100 is a twin turboprop aircraft designed for midrange commercial aircraft routes. Modeled for a “jet-like
experience” for the customer, the X-100’s high aspect ratio
wing and low drag fuselage ensure maximum fuel efficiency.
TEAM #83: THE COPIA-P31; PASSENGER TURBO-PROP
OF THE FUTURE
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Kosay Abu-Ghaban,
Henry Jia, Jorge Moreno, Nirmal Raj
Neupane, Rostislav Stelmakh
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
In short commuter flights that typically carry 35 to 90
passengers, small regional jets powered by turbofans are
slowly pushing turboprop powered planes out of the market.
The reason behind this is two-fold. The turbofan regional
jets have a higher cruise speed and altitude which often
result in shorter flight times and a more comfortable flight
experience at those higher altitudes. More importantly, the
turboprop planes are plagued with a very negative public
reputation for being “old fashioned” and “part of the past”.
The negative connotations that have grown on the turboprop
are mainly due to the significantly less comfortable flight
experience. This is mainly due to the fact that turboprops
are much noisier (propeller proximity to cabin), have smaller
seats in comparison to their regional jet counter parts and
have a less smooth cabin experience due to the relatively
lower altitudes they cruise at. we are determined to bring the
turboprop back to popularity by tackling all the problems that
plague the current and older generation turboprop aircrafts.
Turboprops are not only more fuel efficient than their regional
jet counterparts, but they also produce lower CO2 emissions
and are less harmful to the environment. This is a win-win both
financially and environmentally speaking. This is especially
important at a time where global fuel reserves are dwindling
and environmental awareness is popular in the public’s eye.
Also the prices of gas have been exponentially rising and our
turboprop aviation solution accounts for that.
TEAM #84: TURBOPROPELLER POWERED PASSENGER
AIRCRAFT BY NEW HEIGHTS ENGINEERING
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Simon Huang, David
Kruger, Sebastian Munoz, Eduardo
Ramirez, Guillermo Valdiva
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
New Heights Engineering is presenting its design of a
turboprop passenger aircraft that can be entered into
service between 2020 and 2022. The turboprop design is
best utilized for short range missions, around 400nmi, but
can reach over 1600nmi if necessary. This type of aircraft
should be appealing to airlines that offer short range trips
because it has better fuel efficiency over a typical turbo-fan
powered aircraft, resulting in lower fuel costs and a positive
company image due to the better environmental impacts. The
most recent model includes 76 passenger seats, that provides
comfort comparable to that of a jet engine. The interior cabin
also has lower noise levels compared to competing turboprop
aircrafts due to the unique design of mounting the engines
toward the end of the fuselage instead of on the wings. We
look forward to having you take a closer look at our aircraft
by coming over to our booth.
TEAM #85: FUTURE TURBOPROP-POWERED
PASSENGER AIRCRAFT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Jessica Kohakura, Araceli
Rosas, Ryan Mateo, Adrian Montero
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
The increase in fuel costs and the rising demand for air travel
has created a demand for more fuel efficient transportation
options that will relieve air traffic and airport congestion. The
KMR-14 is a turboprop powered aircraft with the benefit of
higher fuel efficiency over regional jets currently in use and
the capability of being able to use departure and arrival
procedures at airports different from those of turbofan jets,
thereby relieving airport traffic. The KMR-14 is a low wing
twin turboprop aircraft with a 76 passenger capacity. The
twin Pratt & Whitney 150A engines are mounted on the wing
in a tractor configuration. With a maximum takeoff weight of
67,000 lbs, the KMR-14 turboprop has a cruise performance
with a drag coefficient of CD = 0.036, a lift coefficient of CL =
0.7, a lift to drag ratio of L/D = 24.1, an endurance of 5 hours,
and a fuel efficiency of 327 gallons per hour. The current
design of the KMR-14 turboprop demonstrates longitudinal
static stability as well as directional stability. The estimated
cost of the KMR-14 is $22.9 million per aircraft, which makes
the KMR-14 more affordable than other turboprops currently
available.
TEAM #86: THE MADPROPS MD-130: AN ALTERNATIVE
REGIONAL AIRCRAFT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Daniel Enriquez, Jose
Giacoman, James Hawkinson, Daniel
Jauregui, Yash Patel, Cory Simpson
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
The aviation industry has seen a steady decline of turboproppowered aircraft as the turbofan engine has matured and risen
in popularity. Although capable of higher cruise speeds and
higher altitudes, the turbojet engine consumes more fuel than
its turboprop counterpart in regional transport applications.
With the increased focus on environmental responsibility and
the projected growth of the air travel industry, the opportunity
exists for a fuel-efficient, high-performance, turboproppowered aircraft capable of decreasing fuel consumption and
alleviating air traffic congestion caused by the overabundance
of turbojets at high speeds and altitudes. The MD-130 is a
dual-engine, 75-passenger, regional turboprop designed to
operate at an altitude 31,000 ft and Mach number of 0.62 over
a mission range of 1600 nmi or an economic mission range
of 400 nmi. Featuring three lifting surfaces, the aircraft boasts
increased control capabilities, increased structural integrity,
and wider tolerance to center of gravity travel. Furthermore,
strategic lift surface placement optimizes the aerodynamics
of the MD-130 during cruise, thereby offering competitive
performance characteristics when compared to conventional,
tail-aft configurations. Finally, the 20% composite structure
makes the MD-130 one of the lightest planes in its class with
payloads comparable to the competition. MadProps seeks to
provide a dependable turboprop with passenger comfort in
mind. With research into noise cancellation technology along
with larger cabin dimensions, the MD-130 offers passengers
a “jet-like” experience that promises to dispel the antiquated
perception often associated with turboprop-powered aircraft,
ensuring its place as a leader among next-generation aircraft.
TEAM #87: THE MARVEL MT-5 AIRCRAFT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Ilya Anishchenko,
Hashmatullah Hasseeb, Matthew McCullough,
Melanie Schultz, Pushun Sheth
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
Team Marvel has utilized all of their knowledge from their
undergraduate careers in order to create a modern turboprop
aircraft that directly competes with modern day turboprop
aircrafts.
TEAM #88: CITIVOLUS RHEVIA TURBOPROP
PASSENGER AIRCRAFT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Elijah Harris, Junsheng Lin, Leo Qiu,
Roy Santamaria, Donald Wang, Thomas Yang
• Adviser: Dr. Cornelius van Dam
The Rhevia , designed by the Citivolus Engineering Team, is a
next generation turboprop passenger aircraft created for use
on regional airliners. While turboprop designs have fallen out
of favor with the public, turboprops are known to be more fuel
efficient and cost effective than their turbojet counterparts. The
Rhevia is designed with revolutionary natural laminar airfoils,
high aspect ratio strut braced wings, and a fuel efficient RollsRoyce AE1107C engines. The advanced aerodynamics of the
Rhevia allows for reduced drag formation, superb performance
in flight, longer flight ranges, and lowered costs. The Rhevia
is also designed to have passenger comfort in mind. Active
Noise and Vibration Control systems ensure the passengers
experience a quiet flight. Enhanced LED lighting systems and
a top of the line air filtration system provides a natural and
comfortable atmosphere for passengers to enjoy. The Rhevia
is an unparalleled aircraft of its class, and is designed to
improve the world of regional turboprop transport.
TEAM #89: SAE AERO DESIGN: ADVANCED
MODELING AERONAUTICS TEAM (AMAT)
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Katherine Accord, Ilya Anischenko,
Kevin Arcalas, Carter Bell, Maxfield Berns,
Karishma Chavda, Julio de Haro, Kevin E. Saddi,
Louis Edelman, Robert Edwards, James Fong, Logan
Halstrom, Steve Hillesheim, Sheida Hosseini, Junette
Hsin, Steven Hung, Purva Juvekar, Kasumi Kanetaka,
Napang Kongsitthanakorn, Sara Langberg, Livia
Lim, Alan Lui, Keyur Makwana, Russel Manalo,
Gustavo Mancini, Robyn Murray, Rina Onishi,
Jason Petersen, Erik Quiroz, Hwang Rak (Daniel)
Choi, Trishe Revolinsky, Seep Singh, Paul Suarez,
Alex Tatro, Hannah Walshe, Matthew Wong,
Derrick Yabut, Anahita Yazdhi, Adam Zufall
• Adviser: Dr. Stephen Robinson
AMAT competes in the Advanced Class of the SAE Aero
Design Series. The team designs, builds, and flies a large,
remote-controlled airplane capable of lifting more than
three times its own weight. In the process of building the
airplane we utilize a variety of materials and techniques
including: composites, foam, and 3D printed parts. The team
is composed of freshmen to graduate students and all types
of engineers. AMAT encourages education and engagement
of members through various in-house workshops, student-run
lectures, and ample leadership opportunities. Members are
exposed to design and build processes from an early stage
and learning is largely hands-on. In the 2014 SAE Aero Design
West Competition, AMAT placed 1st Overall, 1st in Design,
4th in Presentation and received the Best Crash award. The
success this year is the highest any UC Davis aircraft design
team has yet achieved.
TEAM #90: AEROBRICK 2014 SAE AERO DESIGN
COMPETITION
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Catherine Mamon, Mark Ploeger,
Alejandro Pensado, Michael Starr, Dillan Thung
• Adviser: Dr. Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn
Aerobrick is an undergraduate student project team that
designs, manufactures, and flies a radio-controlled airplane.
The team participates as part of the Regular Class in the
annual Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design
Competition. The objective of the regular class is to lift the
most payload possible given several design constraints
placed on overall dimensions, usable materials, and electronic
components. Aerobrick represents a tremendous learning
opportunity for students.
TEAM #91: THE ACZ-350 MOVER
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Destiny Garcia, Robert Pires,
Erik Quiroz, Alyssa Yambao, Jamie Zenger
• Adviser: Dr. Steven Velinsky
Sponsored by Trinity Highway Products, LLC., our team was
tasked with developing a method of moving temporary, waterfilled crash barriers for easier reconfiguration of highway
construction sites. What we developed is the ACZ-350 Mover,
which utilizes a lifting fork, water pump, and water ballast,
and allows two operators to move an entire four-barrier set
fifteen feet in fifteen minutes.
TEAM #92: EME185 CLOROX LIFT PROJECT
• Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
• Team members: Albert Cariaga, Xavier Edwards
• Adviser: Dr. Steven Velinsky
Kingsford, of the Clorox Company, has tasked our group with
designing a vertical lift to interact with an existing apparatus
used to measure the bulk density of coal briquet samples.
Manual operation of the existing apparatus is physically
demanding and awkward for the operator to use; therefore,
the design is geared to remove the bulk of the labor required
to operate this apparatus with an easy-to-use and ergonomic
lift. Several features to address the needs of our design include
a singular power screw drive to lift the required load, builtin load cells to automatically weigh the load, and a control
system used to operate the lift.
TEAM #93: POINT OF CARE BLOOD SODIUM
ANALYZER
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Joseph Fernandes, Edith
Karuna, Donald Le, Amy Soon
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
Our project concerns the misdiagnosis of Exercise Associated
Hyponatremia (EAH). EAH is defined as low blood sodium
concentration and occurs frequently at endurance events.
EAH is often mistaken for dehydration due to their common
symptoms, however, treatment for dehydration can lead to
seizures, permanent damage, and even death in patients
with EAH. Unfortunately, existing devices to diagnose
hyponatremia are limited due to expense, narrow operating
temperature ranges, and intent for clinical use and not field
use. The goal of our project is to design a low-cost point of
care sodium analyzer that can be used in a wide temperature
range and in remote areas.
TEAM #94: BIODEGRADABLE ESOPHAGEAL STENT
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Courtney Gegg, Natasha Jarett,
Jose Angel Pena, Elise Robinson, Christopher Shelver
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
Many children with caustic esophageal burns and who
undergo corrective surgery for congenital esophageal defects,
develop esophageal strictures that are ineffectively treated
with balloon dilations. To treat these potentially fatal strictures
in young children, our team designed and developed an
esophageal stent that is safe, biodegradable, and effective in
opening strictures.
TEAM #95: A PORTABLE, PEDIATRIC UNDERWATER
TREADMILL FOR USE IN REHABILITATION OF CHILDREN
WITH NEURO-MUSCULAR AFFLICTIONS.
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Reedge Abueg, Ali Mahmoodi,
Brian Nguyen, Carlos Sanchez, Wilson Smith
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
For our project, we have designed a novel, manuallydriven, underwater treadmill that allows the user to travel
at a relatively constant speed without the use of an electric
motor. The treadmill features include handlebars for safety, an
emergency stop brake, and a light-weight design.
TEAM #96: LOW-PROFILE PERCUTANEOUS
ENDOSCOPIC GASTROSTOMY TUBE
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Huzaifa Beg, Ivy Nguyen,
Toai-Nguyen Nguyen, Hamza Shaikh
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes link a
patient’s stomach to their external environment for direct
feeding in an effort to bypass oral intake. Such situations
where a PEG tube is used include neurological disorders
such as dementia or stroke, injuries of the mouth or throat,
and cancers of or near the esophagus. Classical PEG tubes
used, while reasonably efficient at feeding the patient,
involve leaving a large ‘handle’ hanging out of the patient’s
abdomen. Though this ‘handle’ ensures the PEG tube does
not fall back into the patient’s stomach, the ease of pulling
it out involuntarily allows for a different set of potential
complications. Current low-profile PEG devices, also known
as PEG buttons, can only be installed at least month after
installing a traditional PEG tube. This is because PEG tubes
allow for the adherence of the stomach to the abdominal wall
through natural healing, while PEG buttons cannot support
this process. Installing a PEG button without this existing bond
will cause the stomach to slip back into its original position in
the body, which necessitates immediate corrective surgery.
Our team’s objective is to design a low-profile contraption that
mimics the current PEG tubes’ feeding process but removes
the need for a ‘handle.’ In addition, it is important that the
PEG device is made low profile as quickly as possible and
is installed with a minimal number of surgical procedures as
well.
TEAM #97: ENDOVASCULAR DRUG DELIVERY
BALLOON
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Faisal Al-Manaseer, Ian Hays,
Varun Prabhakar, Justice Yen, Jeffrey Yu
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
An endovascular drug delivery balloon used to carry out
various angioplasties. The balloon itself will not only carry
out the angioplasty procedure, but also efficiently treat the
designated site with the required drug to help prevent the
possibility of further occlusions from happening.
TEAM #98: AUTOLUMINESCENT REPORTING (ALERT)
BIODEFENSE SYSTEM
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Cindy Cai, Alison Chen,
Kasandra Green, Matthew King, Helen Masson
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
Xylella fastidiosa, the plant pathogen responsible for
Pierce’s Disease, causes millions of dollars in damages to
the California wine industry each year. Grapevines infected
with X. fastidiosa are typically asymptomatic for over a year
postinfection. This complicates early detection, which is
crucial for successfully treating the disease and controlling its
spread. While outwardly visible signs of infections are difficult
to detect throughout the early stages of the disease, molecular
changes still occur during this period. These changes are
manifested by specific patterns of gene expression and can
be monitored by molecular technologies like polymerase
chain reaction (PCR). However, PCR is slow, expensive,
reports large numbers of false negatives, requires periodic
manual extraction and mailing of samples, and relies on
sampling specific sites of infected tissue. We have designed
and constructed a prototype of a genetic circuit to improve
upon existing methods, by harnessing the unique endogenous
changes in promoter activity, to drive a conspicuous externally
quantifiable phenotype: bioluminescence. Our device allows
for easy and efficient identification of stealthy pathogens and
can be integrated into a self sufficient, high-throughput, cost
efficient biodefense system implemented to protect an entire
farm or crop from disease. These qualities solve problems
of existing technologies, thus allowing for easy and efficient
identification of stealthy pathogens like X. fastidiosa. The core
design of our genetic device may be extended to other plant
systems and disease models, helping to protect the agricultural
economy.
TEAM #99: STEM CELL BIOREACTOR
• Department: Bomedical Engineering
• Team members: Shereen Aldaimalani,
Radha Daya, Marie Freeberg, Daniel
Morales, Tsinat Weldetnesae
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
Cell Saver is an all in one kit that solves two of tissue
engineering’s biggest issues: even, consistent seeding, and
safe, sterile transport. Seeding is achieved using a silicone
stencil, resulting in an even pattern of mesenchymal stem
cells on a six centimeter by six centimeter CorMatrix patch.
Transport is carried out in a sterile container, which maintains
cell viability by allowing for gas exchange, and which is
designed to simplify the media changing process.
TEAM #101: COUPLE’S FERTILITY MONITOR
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Munira Bootwala, Delsheen
Dahmubed, Philip Digiglio, Arman Sidhu
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini
Millions of couples worldwide have difficulties trying to
conceive. These couples are not necessarily clinically
infertile, but instead have difficulty timing intercourse to
achieve pregnancy. Failure to conceive can lead to serious
psychological distress and lowered life satisfaction. Since
the menstrual cycle fluctuates monthly, women use fertility
monitoring devices to identify when they ovulate. Knowing
the day of ovulation is crucial, because women are only fertile
within a three-day window prior to ovulation. Current fertility
monitoring devices on the market do not define the fertile
window early enough or accurately enough to effectively
help couples time intercourse. In fact, popular basal body
temperature devices actually identify ovulation one day after
it occurs. Our design team is developing the Couple’s Fertility
Monitor to help couples and clinicians overcome the limitations
of existing devices. Utilizing a novel sympto-thermal method
and proprietary algorithms, our device will predict ovulation
within a 24 hour window 5-7 days in advance. In order to
foster couple involvement and improve accuracy, the device
records measurements from both the woman and the man to
remove common sources of noise. Thus, the Couple’s Fertility
Monitor seeks to revolutionize the fertility monitoring device
industry by achieving unprecedented ovulation prediction,
improving couple communication, assisting with male
infertility, and helping couples time intercourse to conceive.
TEAM #102: A MULTI-CHANNEL COOLING SYSTEM
FOR A PET INSERT OF A HYBRID PET/MRI SYSTEM
• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Team members: Jesse Gipe, Andrew
Kessler, Edwin Leung, Spencer Tumbale
• Adviser: Dr. Anthony Passerini, Martin Judenhofer
The combination of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a new and exciting
technology, with only one commercially available scanner.
This hybrid imaging modality is powerful because it combines
the soft tissue anatomical contrast of MRI with functional
or metabolic imaging in PET. It is important to cool the
PET detectors to prevent thermal noise from degrading the
image signal. The current cooling system for the PET insert
developed by the Cherry Lab takes a very long time to cool
from room temperature to operating temperature. The cooling
system also fails to maintain a stable operating temperature,
which can further degrade the image. The objective of this
project was to develop a cooling system that decreases total
cooling time, and increases the temperature stability. This will
allow the PET detectors to perform at their full potential, and
provide higher quality images. One important consideration
for our project is that no magnetic materials may be used
in the MRI room. In addition, our solution must not cause
any electromagnetic interference that will interfere with the
accuracy of the MRI and PET systems. Our solution involves
isolating groups of detectors into a cassette in order to
provide better air distribution and isolation from heat sources.
In addition, resistive heating elements are used to quickly
regulate the temperature and maintain stability. This design
allows for variation of temperature over groups or individual
block detectors.
TEAM #103: THE CANARIES
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Ryan Law, Silvia
Ng, Khuram Shakir, Yu Wang
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
Our design focuses on improvements to existing planned
infrastructure at The Cannery. This redesign will delve into the
large issues that pertain to the project’s overall assimilation
into the Davis housing community. Although this project has
many areas for improvement, the main focus of this redesign
will be to improve bicycle connectivity.
TEAM #104: THE CANARY PROJECT: SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Spencer Barney, Jeffrey
Buscheck, Uzma Rehman, Derek Schikora
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
The Canary Project is a new development in Davis, CA that
provides an opportunity to develop a sustainable community
that prove sustainable for future generations.
wastewater, rather than sending it to a wastewater treatment
plant. Together, these systems will make the Cannery the
pinnacle of sustainable water management.
TEAM #105: THE CANNERY SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Nikolaus Carcha, Kristy
Chang, Joseph Guzman, Teason Miao
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
This project will address issues with the current Cannery Project
Plan, and propose alternatives on one or two problems from a
sustainability point of view.
TEAM #109: CONNECTING THE CANNERY
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Naor Deleanu, Kenji
Frahm, Paul Matias, Joe Nguyen
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
We will be examining the feasibility of improving bicycle
connectivity at The Cannery through land use changes and
improvements in infrastructure.
TEAM #106: A COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS REDESIGN
OF THE CANNERY PROJECT
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Christian Asuncion,
Allison Dyer, Alex Sturm, Hubert Xiao
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
This project aims to improve the sustainability of the proposed
Cannery project whilst maintaining the housing capacity of the
existing design. Our design was guided by three fundamental
objectives: (1) Fostering a Sense of Community, (2) Reducing
Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and (3) Optimizing Affordable
Housing.
TEAM #110: TRAFFIC CIRCULATION IN THE CANNERY
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Jonny Hoang, Justin
Joseph, Peter Lee, Valerie Onuoha
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
Our project will focus on examining the current design for
pedestrian/biker/vehicle traffic circulation, accessibility and
safety. Our objectives will be to create new designs for The
Cannery to minimize personal vehicle travel by improving
access to public transportation, safety on walkways and
bike paths and provide more bike parking. Another objective
will focus on improving the flow of traffic in and out of The
Cannery. This will be achieved by adjusting intersections and
entry points to The Cannery.
TEAM #107: THE GRADUATES
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Christopher Armendariz,
Perrin Johal, Safi Rizvi, Amarbeer Singh
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
Our group is analyzing the Cannery Project with respect to
sustainable transportation design. We will review vehicle
and bicycle connectivity in and out of the Cannery, and
provide additional alternatives to improve safety and reduce
vehicle congestion, and implement reliable bicycle routes.
Additionally, a review of reducing vehicle use by increasing
public transportation and car sharing. Our overall scope
includes: better connectivity, safety, and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions.
TEAM #108: DAVIS CANNERY WATER SUSTAINABILITY
MANAGEMENT PLAN
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Luke Bromley, Yousuf
Kaleem, Trevor McGuire, Dylan Seib
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
The proposed Cannery development in Davis is designed to
exceed current sustainability standards but more drastic efforts
could be taken, especially in regards to water conservation
and reuse. This project includes various elements that reduce
potable water use and purify runoff. A combined dual pipe
graywater and rain harvesting system will be used to irrigate
landscaping and flushing of toilets. Stormwater runoff will
be treated and leach fields will be used to dispose of liquid
TEAM #111: SUSTAINABLE DESIGN INC
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Amanda Deering, Harfateh
Grewal, Dana Marler, Curtis Paget
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
Our aim is to provide a design that allows for recycled and
reusable water to be collected through alternative sources
such as a waste water treatment plant, rainwater harvesting
and a dual pipe system. Due to of the water problems that
are being faced by Californians, we have aimed to design
a network that will ensure that treated water is available for
residents to use on a daily basis. The waste water treatment
plant on the site will not only reduce the impact on existing
treatment structure maintained and operated by the City of
Davis, but provide a localized solution to the problem of
waste water by treating it in an environmental friendly way
and using it for residential and irrigation purposes. Rainwater
harvesting techniques will collect rainwater and the storm
runoff and make it available for household usage as well.
Similarly, changes in landscape, including introduction of
plants and grasses that require less water, are native to the
region as well as resistant to drought will also lower the water
consumption at the site of Cannery.
TEAM #112: THE CANNERY PROJECT
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Shawn Blair, Michael
Ellison, Jesus Gonzalez, Frank Jesus
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
A pre-existing home development design, the Cannery Project,
for a site in Davis, CA is analyzed. Our team worked on
improving various water conservation aspects of the design.
will generate enough energy to accommodate the expected
usage of the residents and public and commercial facilities.
We want to place PV panels in a way that can optimize solar
exposure efficiency which in turn could maximize the energy
production of the site. In placing a new system, land use
may be altered to provide more opportunities for solar panel
placement and energy generation. Rearrangement in the
housing, public, and mixed-use areas may occur to optimize
PV panel usage.
TEAM #113: SUSTAINABLE STREETSCAPING
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Diana Chen, Daniel
Cimini, Raymond Nim
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
Although the Cannery currently uses standard streetscaping
practices, this approach is not sustainable. The standard
impermeable asphalt and concrete has a large carbon
footprint and requires costly maintenance. Furthermore, the
stormwater gutter and inlet system has large startup costs.
By implementing Low Impact Development (LID) practices-including permeable materials, bio-swales, and more--this
project improves the streetscape in sustainable, economical,
and aesthetically pleasing ways.
TEAM #117: SUSTAINABILITY & WATER
CONSERVATION MEASURES: PURPLE PIPES FOR
CANNERY
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Daisy Huizar, Maria
Muñoz, Brandon Wang
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
In addition to the water conservation design measures for
The Cannery Project, we propose to add a dual pipe system
to enhance sustainability within residential and mixed-use
units. In the dual piping system proposed, the demand of
high-quality potable water would be reduced by maximizing
the amount of non-potable water for every day use. By
partnering with the Davis Waste Water Treatment Plant, we
can take advantage of non-potable water to exceed the water
sustainability standard set for The Cannery Project, as well as
the City of Davis.
TEAM #114: JAR INC. CANNERY PROPOSAL
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Raymond Chiang, Alexandro
Reyes Murillo, Juliana Walton, Kevin Yoshiki
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
We have redesigned the Cannery to fit what we believe
are essential needs of the Davis community by improving
the infrastructure and enhancing the safety needs and ecofriendly possibilities.
TEAM #115: CANNERY PROJECT DESIGN AND
IMPROVEMENTS
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Alvin Lei, John David
Vergara, Amber Zhang, Calvin Zhou
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
This project serves to analyze the proposed Cannery project,
located in the Northern sector of Davis,California, and suggest
potential improvements to the project based on community
values, calculated considerations, and sustainability goals.
TEAM #116: APPROACHING ZERO NET ELECTRIC
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Gisselle Andaya,
Vicki Luu, Daniel Tan, Szewai Yu
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
GHG emission has been a significant contributor to global
warming. In order to mitigate the effects of climate change and
reach the 2050 GHG emission goal, the Cannery should be
retrofitted to be Zero Net Electric. This can be accomplished
by implementing a new photovoltaic (PV) panel system that
TEAM #118: REVISION OF THE CANNERY
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: Victor Lemus, Jon
Roldan, Khon Tram, Jocelyn Wong
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
Our project tackles two primary issues associated with the
development of The Cannery: reducing GHG emissions an
improving livability.
TEAM #119: WATER CONSERVATION OF THE
CANNERY
• Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Team members: William Diaz, Ben
Hadick, Matt Havey, Allison Langius
• Adviser: Dr. Deb Niemeier
There are several methods in which we plan to conserve
water and resourcing water effectively within the Cannery.
The implementation of a natural drainage system would help
reduce a large amount of the water required for irrigating
turf landscape. The development of a dual pipe water system
would allow the use of reclaimed water and potable water
for specific needs. Specialized water catch systems could
utilize cisterns and botanical cell systems for efficient use of
storm water. Strategically designed educational and incentive
programs would assist the community in making living choices
and encourage smart water use practices.
TEAM #120: INVESTIGATION OF DIFFUSION
of diffusion bonding of NiFe alloys as an alternative to the
current processing methods for creating the NiFe housing
to address issues related to processing cost and material
quality. Current machining techniques are costly and
introduce internal stresses and dislocations that degrade the
magnetic properties of the alloy. Diffusion bonding, a solid
state joining process that involves relatively low pressures and
temperatures, can eliminate these issues by enabling costeffective bonding of multiple layers of material, resulting in
preservation of the bulk magnetic properties throughout the
material. Bonding parameter optimization was carried out
as a function of surface roughness of the starting stock and
microstructural characterization of the quality of bonding was
carried out using electron microscopy and ultrasonic imaging.
Finally the magnetic properties of the prototype housing were
tested. When taken together, the results strongly suggest the
viability of diffusion bonding as a superior alternative to the
existing processing method.
BONDING OF NIFE ALLOYS FOR MAGNETIC HOUSING
OF RF OSCILLATORS
• Department: Chemical Engineering
& Materials Science
• Team members: Steven Kawula, Zhiyi Luo, Benjamin
Molinari, Christian Rosko, Haruka Sugahara, Sereh
Thomas, Willie Truong, Riley Yaylian, Steven Zhang
• Adviser: Dr. Sabayashi Sen
Radiofrequency (RF) oscillators play a key role in modern
telecommunications industry where they are used in
applications such as bandpass filters for antennas and other
microwave communication technology. The ferrimagnetic
properties of single crystal Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) allow
the crystal to resonate at a frequency proportional to an
external DC magnetic field applied and tuned via running
electric current through an electromagnetic NiFe housing.
This resonance frequency of YIG is used for signal filtering.
In this design project we have investigated the feasibility
UC DAVIS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING: INCREASINGLY SELECTIVE
UC Davis College of Engineering: Increasingly Selective
680
70.0%
676
63.1%
60.2%
670
60.0%
660
47.6%
50.0%
51.2%
660
654
50.7%
649
650
45.5%
649
40.0%
636
36.2%
638
640
30.0%
627
630
Mean Math SAT: Enrolled First Year Students
Percentage of Applications Granted Admission
52.0%
20.0%
620
Admitted Selectivity
10.0%
610
Mean Math SAT
600
0.0%
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Year
Source: UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions, D. Owfook, Fall Quarter 2013.
Source: UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions, D. Owfook, Fall Quarter 2013.
2011
2012
2013
ENGINEERING STUDENT STARTUP CENTER
Entrepreneurial students at the UC Davis College of Engineering have a dedicated
on-campus space to prototype their ideas and collaborate on technology ventures.
Located in Room 2060 of the Academic Surge building on the university campus, the
Engineering Student Startup Center (ESSC) unleashes the creative potential of engineering
students by facilitating ideation, prototyping, collaboration, and ultimately, the formation
of student-led technology startups.
More info: http://bit.ly/ucdavisstartup
Working Together.....Doing Amazing Things
Students begin their job search at
http://boeing.com/careers/collegecareers
Click on the Interns & Graduates page for college student information
85 innovation
careers.slb.com
years of
>110,000
employees
>140
nationalities
~ 80
countries of
operation
Who are we?
We are the world’s largest oilfield services company1.
Working globally—often in remote and challenging locations—we invent, design,
engineer, and apply technology to help our customers find and produce oil and gas safely.
Who are we looking for?
We need more than 5,000 graduates to begin dynamic careers in the
following domains:
n
Engineering, Research and Operations
n
Geoscience and Petrotechnical
n
Commercial and Business
What will you be?
1
Based on Fortune 500 ranking, 2011.Copyright © 2011 Schlumberger. All rights reserved.
Ultrasound engineer Katherine Ferrara elected to NAE
Professor Katherine Ferrara, whose research has pioneered
using ultrasound to image cancer and heart disease and who
played a leadership role in establishing the Department of
Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis,
has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the
highest professional recognition for an engineer. Ferrara was
elected for her contributions to the theory and applications of
biomedical ultrasound.
UC Davis Joins NIH
Multi-Campus Health Network
Laura Marcu, UC Davis Department of Biomedical
Engineering, a professor in the UC Davis Department
of Biomedical Engineering, has been named “Domain
Leader” of the UC Davis branch of the University of
California BRAID (Biomedical Research Acceleration,
Integration and Development) Center for Accelerated
Innovation. The new center — teaming the campuses at
Davis, Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego and San Francisco
— is one of three inaugural, multi-institution National
Institute of Health Centers for Accelerated Innovation
(NCAIs) established through the NIH’s National Heart,
Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), via grants totaling
$31.5 million.
The other two NCAIs are the Boston Biomedical
We’re Looking for
Engineers Like You!
EOE/AA Employer, M/F/D/V
Bio-Rad, a leader in life science and clinical
diagnostics products is looking for qualified
engineers to join our team and help build on
the success of our company.
If your background is mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing,
industrial, or safety engineering, we want to hear from you!
Our employees voted Bio-Rad one of the “Best Places to Work
in the Bay Area” 5 years in a row! That's because we offer a
supportive environment, excellent benefits, outstanding opportunities
for professional growth, and a chance to help life science researchers
Bio-Rad is proud to be one of the Be
and diagnostics labs around the world. Your best opportunities are
to Work in the Bay Area—5 years in
yet to come at Bio-Rad. See for yourself!
We are in this tog
Visit our website at bio-rad.com/careers
to view our current openings and apply online.
General Hospital, and the President and Fellows of
Harvard College; and the Cleveland Clinic Innovation
Accelerator, teaming the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College
of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland),
the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University
(Columbus) and the University of Cincinnati.
Apply online at bio-ra
Join us on Linkedin: http://linkd.in/1j9XjH2
Innovation Center, teaming Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts
We have offices lo
globe and are alw
new candidates to
EEO/AA Employer/Veterans/Disa
EEO/AA Employer/Veterans/Disabled/Race/Ethnicity/Gender/Age
YOU: CONNECTING
with
w
ith a T
Top
op 2
20
0E
Employer
mployer ffor
o
New Grads and Interns.
Let’s power your career
We’re proud of our long-standing reputation as one of
the best places to work and we’re always seeking
talented people. Put your skills to use at SMUD and
help create a brighter future for you and for our
community. Learn more at smud.org.
Follow us on:
Facebook
Powering forward.
Together.
© SMUD 0553-14
At Northrop Grumman, our employees
comprise a team with a mission: global
security. Safeguarding the world isn’t
an easy job, so if you’re looking to
solve the world’s toughest challenges,
you’re exploring the right company.
We’ll support you through training and
employee resource groups as you work
side-by-side with skilled professionals. In
fact, we have been consistently voted a top employer for new grads
and interns just like you.
Across our career areas and around the globe, we see the value
of our performance every day. We are Northrop Grumman. And
connecting to you is at the heart of what we do.
Discover more about our careers at
careers.northropgrumman.com
Twitter
©2014 Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We
are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions
without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.
For our complete EEO/AA statement, please visit www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S.
Citizenship is required for most positions.
UC Davis
Engineering
PRODUCTION ONLY
4/20/2014
3049554-WA25970
NORTHX
4” x 5”
Ashley Murr v.2
#18
US News & World Report
Best Graduate School
(Public), 2015
Control Solutions for Evolving Plants...
in the Life Science Industry
and Industrial Process Automation
Contact:
Greg Banks, President 707.451.1100 Ext. 203 • Cell 707.330.5860
600 E. Main Street, Suite 200, Vacaville, CA 95688 • www.BanksIntegration.com
AGGIE ENGINEER?
REPRESENT!
GET YOUR UC DAVIS
ENGINEERING GEAR!
Visit the UC Davis Store at the Memorial Union or
shop online for a range of items to demonstrate your
College of Engineering pride.
Memorial Union Store Hours
Monday—Friday, 8:30 a.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday: 12 — 5:00 p.m.
http://ucdavisstores.com
ENGINEERING TRANSLATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY CENTER (ETTC)
The Engineering Translational Technology Center (ETTC) is a technology incubator at the UC
Davis College of Engineering designed to speed the transfer of high-impact, innovative ideas
to the marketplace to meet society’s needs. ETTC supports technology transfer by facilitating
the development of startups, supporting tenure-track professors during a critical stage of idea
development, in a familiar, secure environment, while remaining close to their research and
teaching mission. ETTC has already launched two firms, Dysonics and Ennetix, and currently
has 10 resident startups.
More info: http://bit.ly/ucdavisettc
UC DAVIS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
4,016
1,130
198
7
Departments
50
NSF Early Career Awards (PECASE/CAREER)
15
National Academy of Engineering Members
22,500
$91.7M
#18
#17
Undergrads
Faculty
Alumni
Best Public Graduate Program
(US News, 2015)
Grad Students
Research Expenditures 2012-13
Best Public Undergraduate Program
(US News, 2014)