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¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ’s College of Engineering (COE) will be holding a Senior Design Symposium on April 29, 2016 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Cherry Engineering Building atrium to highlight seniors’ projects in four of the COE’s five academic departments.

The symposium will focus on innovative student-led projects in the fields of chemical, civil and environmental, industrial, electrical and mechanical engineering. The content of the projects include sustainability and beautification efforts on campus, the implementation of enhanced technology for local industries, the creation of energy efficient vehicles and the advent of systems to better track employee or medication scheduling.

Chemical engineering students were challenged to create designs for an ethylene facility that would produce 1.5 million metric tons of pipeline grade ethylene annually. Six teams will present their design plans.

Civil and environmental projects include a sustainability plan for LU incorporating elements such as solar energy, rainwater harvesting and a wind-powered fountain; a study of Neches Waterway dredge spoil stabilization and a beautification project for Lamar aimed at the evaluation and enhancement of pond water quality, sustainability, and esthetics at the John Gray Center.

Electrical engineering projects a project to create an eye-tracking system to adjust a vehicle’s mirrors to avoid blind spots; a mouseless browsing and wireless proximity sensor as disabled assistive device; a wearable safety module that detects falls, temperature, gas and voltage leaks to protect workers in high risk areas; an adaptive light-control module to improve productivity in work and office environments; a sun-tracking solar panel; a universal motion mechanical support arm with touch sensors and motor actuators; a smart door with keyless biometric recognition, automatic doorbell, camera and automatic operation; a camera system that activates when firearms are removed from their holster; and radio-frequency charging of multiple low-voltage devices at twice the rate of a traditional plug-in charger.

Industrial projects include the automation of pH testing and level controls in wastewater tank farms, applying the DMAIC method to a chemical production plant, engineering a new processing system for Boutte’s Boudin in Lumberton, Classic Southeast Texas facility optimization, a scheduling tracker for cast members at Walt Disney World Resort, and the design of a voice system to enter and retrieve medical information.

Mechanical engineering projects include the design and creation of a mini dune buggy fit to face endurance tests in national competition, a Texas Space Grant Consortium sample handling system which would operate on the Mars automated drill, the creation of the shell and workings of a human powered vehicle, the re-engineering of a semi-V hull boat motor to add speed while increasing working load, and the construction of an ultra fuel efficient vehicle fit for competition in the 2016 Shell Eco Marathon later this month in Detroit.