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  1. Home
  2. School of Science, Engineering, and Technology
  3. Capstone Design Conference

Capstone Award Winners

2022

Program: Civil Engineering/Structural Design and Construction Engineering Technology

Project: Members 1st Federal Credit Union – Structural Expansion and Quality Improvement
Team Members: Jacob Bertha, Prabin Bhattarai, Christopher Cruz, Megan Hall, Alain Izabayo and Madisan Zechman
Faculty Advisers: Shashi Marikunte, Sofia Vidalis and Saravanan Gurupackiam

The structural expansion and quality improvement project focuses on improving productivity of employees at Member’s 1st Headquarters by providing them an opportunity to spend time outdoors, either during lunchtime or to work outdoors. The group plans to expand the existing structure by constructing a three-story outdoor patio and workspace, which also includes parking for electric vehicles and a redesign of the roof for green energy. To reduce carbon emissions due to traffic, a bus stop and shelter are proposed and additional special parking lots for carpoolers to encourage public transportation and the provision of biking paths and parking spots are proposed. Additionally, the transportation team will analyze the traffic flow and will determine if a traffic signal is required for the major road going to the building.

Program: Computer Science

Project: Dark Night Hero
Team Members: Collin Barletta, Cristopher Herrera, Justin Ostopick and Micah Wenger
Faculty Adviser: Hyuntae Na

Dark Night Hero is a 3D rogue lite role-playing game that allows the player to use magic spells and fight monsters. The game features a fantasy dungeon environment and action-based combat system with a heads-up display, inventory and equipment system, character status, nonplayable characters and merchants, advanced enemy AI, and challenging boss enemies. The game can be played in single-player and multiplayer with an internet connection.

Program: Electrical Engineering/Electrical Engineering Technology

Project:  ‘Farrad’ – Regenerative Bicycle Assist
Team Members: Aidan Carrigan, Christian Knade​​​​​​​
Faculty Adviser: Seth Wolpert

This product is designed as a bicycle pedaling assist system for use over shorter distances compared to traditional electronic bicycles. This system will be sold as a kit that can be installed on a variety of bicycle models. Electrical power will be collected during the braking process and used to maintain charge in a supercapacitor bank. The supercapacitors allow for rapid charging and discharging rates in short amounts of time. The user can release this energy as needed to provide motorized pedaling assistance. Typical applications may include climbing hills, getting up to speed, or maintaining speed.

Program: Design and Development of In Vitro Medical Induction Heating Experimental Setup
Supported by: Penn State College of Medicine – Center for Medical Innovation.
Team Members: Julian Low, Mark Pollock, Robert Yasalonis​​​​​​​
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Anilchandra Attaluri

Noncontact induction heating (NCIH) is an attractive method to treat metallic orthopedic implant- related infections. The goal of this project is to develop a high throughput in vitro NCIH system to establish an optimal thermal dose for eradication of biofilms synergistically with antibiotics.

Simulation-driven product development was used to design the inductor capable of simultaneously heating three metal coupons to a target temperature of 85 degrees Celsius within 10 seconds. A proportional-integral-derivative controller was implemented to maintain the coupon temperature. The developed system is housed on an equipment cart to facilitate transportation of equipment. This modular, user-friendly system can heat common implant materials: 316L steel, TI64 and Cobalt-chrome.

2021

Program: Civil Engineering/Structural Design and Construction Engineering Technology

Project: Comfort Inn Design-Build Restaurant 
Team Members: Kyle Anderson, Muricio Barrera, Atticus Bierbaum, Lang Chen, Brent Gauntlett, Joshua Howell, Daryn I. Kingsborough, John Porter and Bradley Sweger
Faculty Advisers: Joseph Cecere and Grady Mathews IV

The student team produced a structural layout, exterior shell, and construction preliminary schedule for the addition of a restaurant to the Comfort Inn Hotel in Middletown, Pennsylvania, during the fall. In the spring, the team designed the building’s structural components, a detailed construction schedule, and assessed the cost, energy efficiency, and sustainability of their designs.

Program: Computer Science

Project: Furever Friends​​​​​​​
Team Members: Jean Pierre Astudillo Guerra, Sarah Kettell, Disha Patel and Surabhi Sahay​​​​​​​
Faculty Adviser: Jeremy Blum

Students developed Furever Friends, a mobile-friendly web application that integrates machine learning techniques to help match people with their perfect pets. Using Furever Friends, users can browse local listings for pets that are available, take the matching quiz to find the ones that best fit their personality and life­style, and utilize the lost and found to help reunite friends that have been separated. Users also can set up a customizable pet profile and show off their pet’s most adorable features with the pet photo booth and cuteness enhancing filters.

Program: Electrical Engineering/Electrical Engineering Technology

Project: Electromagnetic Railgun
Team Members: Steven Barlok, Jacob Langer and Cole Ryder​​​​​​​
Faculty Adviser: Mohammad Tofighi

The project goal is to design a railgun that uses the Lorentz force to launch a projectile. This project uses a boost converter to build up a high voltage in a large capacitor bank. This charge is released to one rail using a gate driver and power MOSFET system. The projectile is propelled by it making contact between the two rails. A microcontroller is used to control all of the different subsystems and provide user input and output.

Program: Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Engineering Technology and James A. Andrews Award for Excellence in Capstone Design
Project: Structural Steel Lifting Device 
Supported by: Kinsley Manufacturing Co.
Team Members: Matthew Lynerd, Jacob Myers, Ashley Ruch and Robert Sirk
Faculty Adviser: Hessam Taherian

This project’s mission is to design an efficient lifting device that allows for a reduction of time required for moving structural steel beams and columns. The lifting device will be designed to save the customer time by lifting a greater quantity of members than the existing solutions and will utilize the customer’s gantry crane. The final goal for the customer is to load and unload a flatbed trailer up to 40,000 pounds in one pick.

2019

Program: Civil Engineering, Structural Design and Construction Engineering Technology

Group: Olmsted Contractors and BCEP Engineering 
Members: Kayla Grabiec, Monica Grosh, Brandon Hall, Ethan Hoover, Nicholas Krakowski, Patrick Meadows, Chase Vilga, and Nathan Weaver

Program: Computer Science (this team also won the James A. Andrews Memorial Award)

Group: HTML Forge
Members: Hsuan Han Lai, Waqas Latif, and Khalid Qubbaj

Program: Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology

Group: Multigig Wafer Load Vision Inspection System
Members: Brandon Smith, Ian Jones, and Dylan Drueding

Program: Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology

Group: Exo-Bionics
Members: Jordan Coulter, Scott Hammond Corbin Hoenicke, Michael Hoptak, Adam Malave, Kameron Stevick, Steven Wilke, Nolan Hoenicke, and Ira Matthews

2018

Program: Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology

Award: The James A. Andrews Memorial Award for Excellence in Capstone Design
Project: Personalized 3D Printed Implant for Pediatric Oncology Bone Loss 
Sponsors: Four Diamonds and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Group Members: Joshua Adams, Ali Elakkari, Alex Preniczky, Phu Trinh
External Advisers: Dr. Gregory Lewis and Dr. Edward Fox, M.D. (Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center)
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Anilchandra Attaluri

Program: Civil Engineering, Structural Design and Construction Engineering Technology

Project: Green Infrastructure - Ash Recycling and Processing Facility Construction 
Sponsors: York County Solid Waste and Refuse Authority and Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C.
Group Members: Sergio Aguilar, Matthew Baker, Mason Brandt, Jacob Fenby, Jared Harbold, Jaryd Olweiler, Nicholas Vereb
Faculty Advisers: Dr. Shashi Marikunte, Dr. Saravanan Gurupackiam, and Dr. Roger Subramanian

Program: Computer Science

Project: KittyPath Assistant
Group Members: Abderrazzak Asmaayni, Jakub Grzegorzewski, Joseph Hernandez, Joshua Holden, Azalee Mcalpine, and Neil Pasricha
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Linda Null

Program: Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology

Project: Drowsiness Detection System
Group Members: Raghu Acharya, Raja Suryadevara
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Aldo Morales

Program: Multi-disciplinary Project

Project: 3D Scanning Drone
Group Members: Tyler Benner, Matthew Maisano, Joshua Smay, James Then
Faculty Advisers: Dr. Ola Rashwan, Dr. Mohammad Tofighi, and Dr. Scott van Tonningen

2017

First Place

Project: Planet Foobar
Group Members: Kamal Amouarak, Long Bui, CJ Hernaez, Matthew Mericle, Varun Patel
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Omar El Ariss

Second Place

Project: Pick and Place Machine
Group Members: Edward Gilbert, Vernon Weaver
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Javad Khazaei, Dr. Scott van Tonningen

Third Place

Project: Formula SAE Structure and Vehicle Dynamics
Group Members: Shubham Annaldas, Cody Franssen, Athreya Nagesh, Thomas A. Palmer
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Ma’moun Abu-Ayyad

Honorable Mention

Project: Coppermine Athletic Facility with Rooftop Field
Group Members: Shakir Cohen, Evan Foster, Trung Nguyen, Melissa Orlandini, Ryan Schuster, Jordan Wenk, Howard Wilson, Robert Zenzal
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Shashi Marikunte, Dr. Saravanan Gurupackiam, Dr. Roger Subramanian

2016

First Place

Project: Log Splitter
Group Members: Randy Day, Erinik Halliday, Joshua Johnson, Luke Stouffer
Faculty Adviser: Dan Massey

Second Place

Project: LionHub
Group Members: Brandon Davis, John Deebel, Clarence LaShier, Ngan Ngyuen
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Sukmoon Chang, Donna Howard (Office of Student Life)

Third Place

Project: Inspired, Compact Multi-Story Parking Facility
Group Members: Kyle Purcell (Group Leader), Gregory Cooper, Rieley Loch, Patrick Lumsden, Wesley Ovens, Kristin Peckman, Barry Porter
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Shashi Marikunte, Dr. Sofia Vidalis

Honorable Mention

Project: Remote Mechanized Harness Release
Group Members: Juan Aguirre, Mark Brazee, Alessandro DeBernardo, Edgar Makimoto
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Ola Rashwan, Dr. Scott Van Tonningen

2015

First Place

Project: Student Enrichment Center - Student Perspective
Group Members: John Minchoff, Carson Au, Richard Bernard, Stephen Hamel, Joseph Hochstetler, Joseph Murphy, Tyler Smith
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Shashi Marikunte, Dr. Sofia Vidalis

Second Place

Project: Smart Security System
Group Members: Guriqbal Singh, Ibrahim Rogers, Viktar Rybaltouski
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Robert Gray

Third Place

Project: Bot!Battle!
Group Members: Austin Barket, Randall Hudson, Steven Erb
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Jeremy Blum

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SSET News

Annual Mathcounts event to be held at Penn State Harrisburg on Feb. 4

Collage of six photos of the Penn State Harrisburg student marshals

Penn State Harrisburg announces fall 2022 commencement marshals

At the Grace Hopper Celebration, eight women sit and stand on giant letters reading GHC.

Penn State Harrisburg students learn, network at Grace Hopper tech conference

All SSET News
Pennsylvania map showing Penn State campuses with Penn State Harrisburg highlighted

Penn State Harrisburg

A comprehensive college in southcentral Pennsylvania offering more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs.
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