More than 70 students display 15 innovative projects at Engineering Design EXPO

SUNY New Paltz students in mechanical, electrical and computer engineering showcased a wide variety of unique projects and original prototypes at the 2022 Engineering Design EXPO on Friday, May 6.

The EXPO marked the return of a fully in-person showcase, the first since 2019, for this capstone event for Division of Engineering Programs students. The Senior Design curriculum is required for all undergraduate engineering majors as a final, team-based experience that challenges them to find innovative solutions with both scientific and commercial potential.

Projects are presented to an audience of faculty and industry professionals, giving seniors the chance to network with potential employers before graduation.

Some of this year’s 15 offerings included experiments geared towards advancing renewable energy technologies, including solar energy and hydropower.

“At SUNY New Paltz, students are interested in projects that can positively impact the environment around them,” said Division of Engineering Programs Chair Kevin Shanley.

Other projects sought to make life on campus a little easier.

One team put together an autonomous delivery robot that uses GPS technology to bring anything you need at your command.

 

“Sometimes you don’t want to go out and get Starbucks,” said Ian Kirk ’22 (Electrical Engineering) of Highland, New York, “so we can just put your drink in the cooler, and we’ll send it your way.”

Unlike previous years, the projects this year were not up for competition. That gave the event a somewhat more relaxed vibe, but students still brought their very best work for presentations delivered to hundreds of guests over the course of the afternoon.

“There’s nothing like being able to hold this live with a lot of members of the engineering community from the mid- Hudson Valley,” said Dan Freedman, dean of the School of Science and Engineering.

The Division of Engineering Programs thanks the following sponsors for their support of the spring 2022 Engineering Design EXPO: ELNA Magnetics, Central Hudson® and Selux.