Mechanical EngineeringSenior Design2015

from the chair Design is at both the foundation and the apex of our mechanical engineers’ experience

here at Hopkins. Engineers are, at heart, problem solvers. So, beginning freshmen year, we

challenge our students to put into practical use all of the skills and knowledge they are

learning in classrooms and laboratories.

The students’ capstone experience is, of course, the Senior Design Project. Senior

Design is an opportunity for our students not only to demonstrate a knowledge of

theories and scientific principles, but also to apply their deep understanding of engineer-

ing principles to tackle design projects offered by sponsors from industry, non-profit, and

government organizations.

The results are nothing short of remarkable—for both sponsors and students. Sponsors

come away with working prototypes, complete with user manuals, specifications and

design histories. In addition, they get an up-close-and-personal look at promising

potential employees. The students get access to the sponsors’ resources, and technical

contacts, and learn to work within a budget to create real solutions to problems.

L O U I S L . W H I T C O M B

Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering

“Senior Design taught me the design process,

which I use every day at my job. More importantly,

I gained valuable insight into teamwork on

engineering projects. For students looking

to become engineers, practical and hands-on

experience is so valuable. In fact, through my

Senior Design teacher, I contacted an engineer

at SBD, and after sending him pictures of my

senior design project, I was asked for an interview.

Now I work there.”

— J E N N I H E R C H E K ‘ 1 4

D E S I G N E N G I N E E R AT STA N L E Y B L A C K & D E C K E R ( TO W S O N , M D )

What is Mechanical Engineering Senior Design at Hopkins?

Why sponsor a Student Design Team?

f.

Working with these teams brings fresh

perspectives and new insights to bear on some

of the technical challenges we face. There have

definitely been successful developments of

product components as a result of this program,

and it also helps us identify and hire

talented young engineers.”

— D O U G L A S T R OT TA , B A LT I M O R E A I R C O I L C O .

“

Every organization has a nagging problem that it just

can’t seem to solve. Johns Hopkins engineering students excel at solving such problems.

With their strong technical backgrounds, JHU students offer sponsors innovative

approaches, solutions, and knowledge of the latest tools.

We can provide you with access to prospective employees who have the skills and

qualities you need.

By sponsoring a senior design project, you can observe students’ teamwork and

problem-solving skills firsthand and determine if a student is a good fit for your

company’s culture. The senior design program provides an effective and efficient means

to build relationships and identify top talent.

The capstone experience in

mechanical engineering at Hopkins, the Senior Design Project, challenges small teams

of students to tackle design challenges posed by industry, government, and non-profit

organizations. Sponsors provide teams with funds for materials, access to world-class

resources and technical contacts, and students provide sponsors with a real-world

prototypes that have been tested.

1. SPONSOR: AAI TEXTRON

Team AAI: Greg Langer, Alexander Spinos, William Wagers,

Martha Whiting, Kiana Duncan*

Designed a mechanism to allow a quadcopter to land in, and

take off from, a tree.

Technical contact: Matthew Velazquez

2. SPONSOR: AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB

Team AFRL: Yvana Adhab, Samuel Frishman, Maxwell Yaron

Designed a system to keep soldiers cool in hot, humid climates.

Technical contact: n/a

3. SPONSOR: JHU APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY

Team APL: Tucker Kearney, Jack Riley, Jonathan Ung,

Ian Wilkes

Demonstrated new methods to improve modularity,

vibration attenuation and thermal management in spacecraft

electronics packaging.

Technical contact: Clint Apland

4. SPONSOR: ORBITAL ATK

Team ATK: Roger Banks, Ronald Caspers, Ted Staley,

Alex Szigeti

Designed a robotic lighting system to replicate the motion of

the sun within the Robotic Rendezvous and Proximity Opera-

tions (RPO) lab.

Technical contact: Jeffrey Braden

5. SPONSOR: BALTIMORE AIRCOIL COMPANY (BAC)

Team BAC: Jacob Dooling, Catarina Neves, Demilade

Obayomi, Ned Samson

Designed and constructed a full-scale, pump test stand to

simulate the water distribution systems on a variety of

evaporative cooling products.

Technical contacts: Michael Leibel ’13 and Douglas Trotta

6. SPONSOR: BALTIMORE GAS & ELECTRIC,

DIVISION OF EXELON

Team BGE: Andrew Ceruzzi, Jacob Enterlin, Alexander

Naticchia, Austin Stecklair, Trevor Holmgren*

Designed an electrically actuated drain plug with filter for use

in a transformer as secondary containment when oil is

detected.

Technical contacts: Alan Pressman, Cigashamwa Akilimali,

and José Santiago

Senior Design Day: Tuesday, May 5, 2015

“My senior design project was

the thing on my résumé that

potential employers most wanted

to talk about during interviews.

It showed that . . . I had been

able to successfully apply my

knowledge on a project with

a real budget and a real client.

It allows employers to put more

trust in you from day one.”

— M AT T H E W PA R M A N , ‘ 1 3

M E C H A N I C A L E N G I N E E R , S PA C E SY ST E M / LO R A L

( PA LO A LTO, C A )

current projects

12. SPONSOR: ALLEGION

Team KRPT: Jonah Eidman, Gideon Hou, Thomas Liu,

Ryan Stolz

Explore different materials to produce a theft-resistant bike lock.

Technical contacts: Daniel Kindstrand, Alison Donlan, and

Samir Tamer

13. SPONSOR: WALTER REED NATIONAL MILITARY

MEDICAL CENTER

Team LIFT: Jorge Alvarado, Matthew Daum, Ryan Johnston,

Walter Mayfield, Samantha Lott*

Designed a prosthetic foot for use with “shortie” prostheses,

to improve gait and reduce rehabilitation time.

Technical contacts: LeRoy Oddie, with additional support

from Dr. James Gilman

14. SPONSOR: LOCKHEED MARTIN

Team LMC: Alexander Demas, Joshua Friedman, Dev Patel,

Thomas Schwietz, Luke Moloznik*

Developed a system to move a heavy shipping container

within confined spaces aboard a ship.

Technical contacts: Jordan Ledford and Erik Phillips ’08

15. SPONSOR: JHU MILITARY AND VETERANS

HEALTH INSTITUTE & JHU CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

Team MAL: Rachael Guess, Juan Carlos Villalonga

Developed a biochamber with drug concentration control

for malaria research.

Technical contacts: Theresa Shapiro, Rahul Bakshi,

and Elizabeth Nenortas; with additional support from

Dr. James Gilman

16. SPONSOR: SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE

INSTITUTE

Team STAR: Bobak Kiani, David Morra, Evan Rodbell,

Sri Krishna Uppaluri, Joonghyun Ahn*

Developed an atmosphere light attenuation measurement

system which is carried aloft by a balloon, and returns

autonomously to “home base.”

Technical contact: Susana Deustua

* indicates team member is a Junior classman and a student in the

Junior level Engineering Design Process course

7. SPONSOR: JHU BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC

HEALTH CENTER FOR INJURY RESEARCH AND

POLICY

Team CIRP: Megan Carney, Joseph Hajj, Joseph Heaney,

Welles Sakmar

Designed an anti-theft and tamper-resistant portable opioid

pill dispenser.

Technical contacts: Andrea Gielen and Kavi Bhalla

8. SPONSOR: JHU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL

AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING

Team HFE: Lucas Broganer, Patrick Carney, Kanav Kathuria,

Omar Randall

Developed a research-grade etching rig for a powerful acid,

enabling quality etching with much less liquid volume.

Technical contacts: Zachary Gagnon and Dan Kuespert

9. SPONSOR: HONDA R&D AMERICAS INC.

Team HRA: Abdulmohsen Al Belushi, John Bacon,

Wesley Cohen, Kyle Wall

Designed a system to determine the heat transfer

coefficients of automotive radiators.

Technical contact: Adam Baumgartner ’10

10. SPONSOR: JHU INTERNATIONAL INJURY

RESEARCH UNIT

Team IIRU: Yun Ahn, Young Jae Hue, Karen Kim, Sean Lee

Designed a low-cost helmet impact testing system for use

with helmets manufactured in developing countries.

Technical contact: Kavi Bhalla

11. SPONSOR: SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE

INSTITUTE

Team JWST: Nicole Cade-Ferreira, Wesley Ericksen,

Bailey Hannon, Michael Levidy, Rami Bedewi*, Colin Egan*,

David Levi*, Bailey Surtees*

Designed a one-fifth scale deployable model of the James

Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space

Telescope. The model captures the complicated folding and

deployment of the real telescope and will be featured by

STScI in exhibits worldwide.

Technical contacts: Jason Kalirai and Hussein Jirdeh

Senior Design was enormously helpful. I learned

how to properly attack a design problem, how to

communicate with suppliers, how to effectively

prototype and iterate and many more skills.”

— K I E L A N C R O W, ‘ 1 3 , A S S O C I AT E M E C H A N I C A L E N G I N E E R , G O P R O

( S A N M AT E O, C A )

“

To sponsor a project or for more information, contact Nathan Scott (nscott@jhu.edu) or visit the Department of Mechanical Engineering at me.jhu.edu.

“Sponsoring a JHU senior design team

is a meaningful way for AAI Textron to

support and advance education in the field

of engineering and have an opportunity to

evaluate prospective talent. It’s always a

pleasure interacting with the students and

seeing the creative solutions they develop.”

—J E R E M Y B L E Y, M E C H A N I C A L E N G I N E E R ,

A A I T E X T R O N A I R V E H I C L E D E S I G N & D E V E LO P M E N T

Department of Mechanical

EngineeringSeniorDesign