Engineering Strategies and Practice
Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto
Tel: 416-946-3406 ● Fax: 416-978-1866 ● esp@ecf.utoronto.ca ● http://www.esp.engineering.utoronto.ca
Examples of Client Project Proposals from Winter 2015
Device or Structure
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We would like the ESP group to explore the possibilities of a playground or alternate outside
engagement options for children in the neighbourhood of Lotherton.
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Our advisors work with students all over campus. Many of the locations are public, and we want
to protect the confidentiality of our discussions with students. Therefore, we need a portable,
discrete, stand-alone structure that allows us to meet with students in public places on campus.
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The University of Toronto Supermileage team designs and builds a one-seater prototype race
vehicle to compete in the Shell Eco-Marathon Competition. The design also requires the use of
multiple heavy molds that are hard to move. Design a modular cart that can carry the heavy
molds as well as transport the car.
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Design a syringe for which the plunger cannot be expelled from the barrel, regardless of the
internal pressure. Or, design a safe transfer process of liquid chemicals that does not use a
syringe.
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Device to reduce RSI risk in musicians. Repetitive strains or injuries (RSIs) are common for both
professional and amateur musicians, and sizable percentages of orchestral musicians develop a
severe musculoskeletal problem at some time during their career. One class of instrumentalists
who often develop these types of problems is oboe and English horn players. A few solutions
which help to relieve strain on wrist, arms, shoulders and neck exist on the market but many
players find they do not address the problems well. As well, since the two types of instruments
are a different size and weight and require different body mechanics to play, a device may work
for one instrument or the other but not for both. A single design or device that can be adapted to
work for both instruments would be ideal since musicians who play oboe usually are also
expected to play English horn. We therefore turn to ESP students for a budget-conscious single
design solution that helps oboe and English horn players by: relieving stress on wrists, arms,
shoulders and neck, maintaining good playing posture, and reducing or eliminating strain on the
thumb.
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Design a mechanical device as a modular attachment to garbage cans/containers that can be
actuated to manipulate the resident plastic garbage bag. Desired manipulation should include
compression of garbage inside of the bag, and tying the bag in preparation for disposal. The
design should be affordable as an accessory and operable for the average consumer, and the
manipulation and removal/replacement processes of the garbage bag should be convenient for
the user. The device would ideally be suitable for a variety of plastic garbage bag and consumer
sized garbage can/container sizes and types.
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Spending a day at the beach is a popular summer past-time for many people, and protection from
the sun is important. Conventional sun shades consist of tents or umbrellas that are heavy, large,
and may require multiple people to set up. I would like a design for a very light-weight and
compact sunshade for an individual person. It must be easily transported on a bicycle; quickly
assemble to be big enough to shade a sitting person, but have few connections; and sturdy
enough to not be blown away in light winds.
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What has come up repeatedly is condo owners having a way to grow food, reliably, at home. This
project would be to envision a smart urban window garden setup (SWG) that is suitable to grow a
set of essential edible plants (herbs, small vegetables, fruits, etc.). This “setup” would be
designed to sit in front of a window in a condo or a house.
Energy, Environment, or Nature’s Complications
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How best to deal with extreme heat events in high rise buildings: passive approach, green roof,
physical technologies, central or unit systems, cost benefits, environmental, cost to residents?
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Design a solar powered watering system for our tree nursery and resource vegetable garden that
recycles the water as water is at a premium in the dry season.
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Climate Change Green Building Design. Provide design input to a proposed 16 acre mixed use
green development project to be built in Burlington Ontario using cutting edge and innovative
techniques such as the Planet Traveller Hotel and Don Mills Shopping Centre in Toronto (e.g. a
stormwater/green roof system or energy saving low pollution ground or air source heat pumps on
some of the sustainable buildings).
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We are located in the St James Town community which is a community of 18 high rise buildings
set on 1 sq km in downtown Toronto. A large part of the above ground green space, parking lots,
garbage areas sit on top of an extensive underground garage system. We are presently looking
at "re-greening” some of this space and will be dealing with the issues of how much and what
type of construction, gardens, soil etc. can safely be put on top of this area. We are seeking
support and input on a design such as the feasibility of green technologies for the space in mind
(green roofs, bioswales, gardens with storm water under drainage).
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We have a $2500 grant from TD Bank to build a community garden at Glendon Campus. Our
intention for this outdoor garden is for it to be used year round as a site for learning across
disciplines, as well as a place to enjoy gardening. We need a design that fits within the budget
and will allow us to harvest in all seasons.
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We have a home in the country with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side. Each spring, a robin
sees his reflection in the window and attacks it. Not only does he startle us with his attacks, he
scares the poop (to be polite) out of himself all over our deck and windows. We have tried taping
newspaper to the windows and hanging balloons on them. We've closed the curtain in hopes of
reducing the reflection. Nothing seems to work. How can we stop alpha robin?
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Geese prevention at Camp Trillium, Rainbow Lake. There are hundreds of geese all summer long
that pose a physical threat (while nesting); and very unpleasant fields, docks and lakefront due to
their defecation. We have tried relocating during nesting but we are a part of a migratory pattern
for hundreds of flocks. We would love some help solving this problem.
Space or Accessibility
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Rethinking the Dupont/Annette/Dundas St.W intersection (link to news article)
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Project 1 - Safety. 1) Identify pedestrian/cycling/driving hazards created by the complexity
of the Dupont/Annette/Dundas St. W intersection. 2) Identify possible solutions to make
this intersection safer for all of its users. 3) Identify possible ways of making the flow of
traffic more efficient for drivers.
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Project 2 - Appearance. 1) Suggest how to make the intersection and immediate
associated areas more community friendly and more shared, where appropriate, with all
users, i.e. drivers, pedestrians, the disabled and cyclists. 2) Identify ways that current
stranded land in this intersection can be reclaimed for quality public space for use by the
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community. 3) Identify possible ways of beautifying the intersection so that it fits into the
neighbourhood in a more friendly manner.
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The City of Toronto is currently undertaking a project to improve the Lower Don Trail. As part of
this project there will be improvements to staircases for accessing the trail from street level.
Making our ravine trails accessible to as many users as possible is an important part of our
mandate, however we were not able to address this issue at this time given time and budget
constraints. How can we create accessible entry points from street level to the Lower Don Trail
between Bloor St. and Queen St.?
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Bikechain is forecasting 3,500 visits from people trying to repair their bicycles for the 2014-15
year. In 2013, we moved into a new space on Bancroft Ave and had 3,100 recorded visits from
2013-14. The increase demand puts a lot of strain on the small "waiting area" where people may
have to wait for several hours. Our waitlist had over 1,000 names on it for 2013-14. I would like if
an ESP team(s) could assist me with redesigning the front "reception area" where people (1) wait
to use a stand (2) enter with their bicycles (3) purchase parts and supplies (4) ask questions or
ask for more information. The space is multi-use, where people wait, staff/volunteer use for food
preparation (fridge and toaster oven), and people also purchase bike parts at the reception desk.
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We need a design for a community kitchen and eating stations that would provide a public space
for participants to share skills, socialize and reduce meal costs by cooking collectively.
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We provide services for individuals that are intellectually disabled, often with additional physical
handicaps the affect mobility and more often now compounded by age related issues. It is a
policy of the government and our association that individuals live in an environment that is as
home like as possible while providing for personal safety. We are facing new requirements under
the fire code for evacuation capabilities and conventional housing is somewhat problematic in
many cases for rapid removal of individuals that are confined to beds or wheelchairs. We would
like to visualize the ideal house for 5 to 6 individuals and caregivers that addresses these issues.
There are regulatory requirements from building code, fire code and the city that we need to be
prepared to address.
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This co-op currently has 9 units that are considered “accessible” and 6 units that have “accessible
modifications.” Both types of units do not have fully accessible washrooms (especially bathing
area) which are equipped with regular tubs for all units. We are a co-op that is dealing with aging
in place and would like to request your service to help come up with bathroom designs for these
units that are compliant with AODA regulations.
Process or System
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Operation on the facility site uses many tools to run production effectively. These tools include
wrenches and tote openers. They are usually placed in different parts of the facility close to
operation work stations. There is an existing design and arrangement of the tools but they were
found to be not practiced properly or not used as expected. Re-evaluate and plan effective
organization of tools and their placement.
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Our fraternity generates a lot of waste as a result of the ten people living in our house, the rest of
the undergraduate chapter that spends time here, and the various events that we hold. Currently
the way we manage this waste, in particular during weeks where we have an excessive amount,
is impractical, ineffective and makes the house look like garbage. How do we manage our waste
issue more effectively?
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Design the ideal signage/ flagging system to indicate that a beach or recreational water area has
failed to meet water quality standards. This flagging system would be used by non-profit groups
who run water quality monitoring programs in regions where there are no formal government
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monitoring/signing programs. This includes both fresh and marine water sites. The public needs
to understand when and how their health is a risk from the contaminants in the water. These
signs also need to let people know when the water has met water quality criteria and entice them
to swim. What signs/flags convey the information most clearly? How many signs/ flags should be
displayed? Where should they be displayed? What colours and symbols are most effective in
alerting people to the current quality of the water? How do you ensure people understand the
signs if English isn't their first language? During what hours should you post the signs/ flags?
During what season(s)? Our affiliates are non-profit organizations so how this flagging system
should be affordable as well as effective.
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iConnect International Mentorship program needs a more effective matching approach. We have
30 graduate and undergraduate students and 150 mentees that apply any time between June
and September. The mentees receive a long application form, and often are dissuaded from
completing this form because of the required information. Mentors and Mentees are matched
during the summer on an ongoing basis. Formal introductions of the matched pair ensure that
they are more familiar with each other. The amount of time to match far outweighs the allotted
hours/week. The matching process could be much more user-friendly and student-focused.
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As a university student advisor (who works on a team with 4 other advisors), we are expected to
track each interaction/meeting we have with students. Each interaction may include discussing a
series of topics (culture, adjustment, taxes, health, and so on). We have these interactions across
campus at places we call 'embedded locations'. It’s challenging for us to keep track of these
interactions on our laptops on spreadsheets. The interaction details require us to list the number
of sensitive details (emails, number of students, locations, topics). In addition, we need help to
schedule and manage appointments with students for us at embedded locations as well as send
reminders to students about interaction/meeting times. It could ideally be a comprehensive
student-case management system such that the other advisors can also securely share notes of
students’ interactions/meetings we've had within our team and with other university offices (e.g.
Registrar's offices). The maintenance of privacy and confidentiality of the students’ information is
up utmost importance.
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Ensuring that we have a good waiting room structure and that our students are being seen in
order and efficiently between several portfolios.
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We need a design for a system of borrowing and design for a borrowing center, which is essential
a library of items that are not commonly owned, but often used. Items include outdoor and sports
equipment, tools, event equipment, costumes, and other such infrequently used items.
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I run a number of outreach programs for the math department. We would like to find ways to
communicate more effectively with participants, schools parents, etc.
Other
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Let's Talk Science (LTS) is a national science outreach organization that aims to improve science
literacy in the community through innovative educational programs. We would like the ESP team
to design an "engineering world health" classroom outreach kit for students in grades 9 or 10
which includes both an educational component and a hands-on workshop relating to a specific
global health issue. The design must include a justification of the health issue targeted, an
educational tool for conveying the necessary information for the workshop, a hands-on activity,
and a justification of how the hands-on activity will convey the desired message.
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