The Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory's spring showcase took place on April 28 in the Bryce Jordan Center and from April 29-May 6 virtually. The event allowed senior engineering students to present their capstone design projects.
Engineering Learning Factory announces spring showcase winners
5/18/2022
By Sarah Small
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory has announced the winners from their spring showcase. The event, which took place on April 28 in the Bryce Jordan Center and from April 29-May 6 virtually, allowed senior engineering students to present their capstone design projects. All of the projects can be viewed here.
The three first-place teams for best project are:
In-person showcase awards:
- First-place “Best Project” winners:
Project: Protein purification for the people
Sponsor: Penn State Department of Biomedical Engineering
Team members: Marisa Flores, Xinwen Guan, Nicholas Pusloskie, Adim Seeler, Tyus Yeingst
Project: Additive manufactured hip broach instrumentation
Sponsor: Stryker
Team members: Ryan Frasca, Emily Fusco, James Hampson, John Hegemann, Jared Kines, Irene Krische, Malachi Lehman
Project: Soil compaction padfoot drum performance improvement exploration
Sponsor: Volvo Construction Equipment
Team members: Andrew Bachik, Benjamin Diffendal, Brian Dubots, McKenzie McLeod
- Second-place “Best Project” winners:
Project: Keyence VHX-5000 microscope stand
Sponsor: Niagara Cutter
Team members: Nicholas Bosak, Liam Boyd, Dartagnan Powlus, Michael Roth, Gregory Susi
Project: Design prototyping & production of test tube caps to expedite COVID testing — Team 1
Sponsor: Penn State COVID Testing and Surveillance Center
Team members: Brian Bixler, Emily Dennison, Saira Hussain, Nini Nguyen, Madison Onesko, Medha Prabhu, Ethan Trachtman
Project: Sustainability for plastics relative to plastic components used by the transportation industry
Sponsor: Volvo Group Trucks North America
Team members: Ethan Hauben, John Konieczny, Alivia Martelliti, Elias Papadopoulos, Ashley Sturgeon
- Third-place “Best Project” winners:
Project: Roadway energy capture and power generation
Sponsor: Bridge Gap Engineering LLC
Team members: Joseph Centobene, Wesley Hughes, Matthew Keeton, Ethan Kibbe, Ethan Lunas
Project: Design of test fixture for magneto-mechanical actuation
Sponsor: Penn State Convergence Center (LiMC2)
Team members: Asad Khalid Mubarak Al-Fori, Nino Efendic, Adam Renda, Haozhe Zheng
Project: Carlisle automated hub operating plan development
Sponsor: United Parcel Service
Team members: Rachel Bartuska, Amanda Kurtz, Karsen Meck, Abby O'Connell, Navya Suri, Nathan Zajdowicz
- “BP People’s Choice” winner:
Project: Shell eco-marathon urban concept car — Team 2 Powertrain
Sponsor: Shell
Team Members: James Flaherty, Ho Man Sin, Waldo Martinez, Brendan Murray, Jaroslaw Zdrok
- “Best Sponsor Award” winners:
Sponsor: Jeffrey Kutz
Company: Bridge Gap Engineering, LLC
Project: Roadway energy capture and power generation
Sponsor: Lauren Geldon
Company: Nort Port, LLC
Project: Nort Port packaging and shelf-life sustainability
Virtual showcase awards:
- “Best Poster” winners:
First place:
Project: Wholesale bakery line optimization
Sponsor: Choanie’s Bakery
Team members: Margaret Riggle, Brady Feuer, Kaitlyn Mincin, Kate Danczyk, Cory Cunningham, Enzo Duarte Garcia Costa Silva
Second place:
Project: Optimized space telescope structure using generative design
Sponsor: Autodesk
Team members: Jennifer Aklilu, Yanen Huang, Gracie Chiodo, Luke Fichner
Third place:
Project: Test tube caps for Penn State’s COVID-19 testing and surveillance center
Sponsor: Penn State COVID-19 Testing and Surveillance Center (TASC)
Team members: Medha Prabhu, Saira Hussain, Ethan Trachtman, Emily Dennison, Madison Onesko, Nini Nguyen, Brian Bixler
- “Best Video” winners:
First place:
Project: Test tube caps for Penn State’s COVID-19 testing and surveillance center
Sponsor: Penn State COVID-19 Testing and Surveillance Center (TASC)
Team members: Medha Prabhu, Saira Hussain, Ethan Trachtman, Emily Dennison, Madison Onesko, Nini Nguyen, Brian Bixler
Second place:
Project: Unbiased blood oxygen meter
Sponsor: Penn State Biomedical Engineering Department
Team members: Ryan Biskowitz, Ian Goetz, Mengde Liu, Blake Martin, Maan Murray
Third place:
Project: Optimized space telescope structure using generative design
Sponsor: Autodesk
Team members: Jennifer Aklilu, Yanen Huang, Gracie Chiodo, Luke Fichner
- “K-12 Engagement” winner:
Project: Together, tacit VR glove
Sponsor: Penn State Studio for Sustainability and Social Action
Team members: Noah Black, Catherine McAllister, Luke Sargen, Alberto Toledano
- “Amphenol Online People’s Choice” winner:
Project: Exhaust aftertreatment electrically heated catalyst retrofit
Sponsor: Volvo group trucks technology
Team members: Andre Baadsvik, John Belinsky, Xitao Liu, Joshua Wildonger
- “COE Sustainability Council Award” winner:
Project: Sustainable fuel cell filter
Sponsor: AB Volvo Penta
Team members: Ryan Stough, Owen Kraisinger, Jared Brown, Matthew Shaw
- “Gangnam Stylish” winner:
Project: Multi-rotor noise attenuation
Sponsor: The Boeing Company
Team members: James Leandri, Michael Crognale, Stephanie Huang, Ali Wreidan
In addition to the student awards, a mentoring award was presented by the Learning Factory this year for the first time. The Lamancusa/Soyster Learning Factory Mentoring Award, sponsored by John Lamancusa and Al Soyster, former faculty members who founded the Learning Factory, is given to a faculty member who provides exceptional mentorship to students through the capstone project experience.
- Inaugural “Lamancusa/Soyster Learning Factory Mentoring Award” winner:
Charlie Purdum, professor of practice and directory of industry relations, industrial engineering
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