While chemical engineers may more commonly be known for working in areas of pharmaceutical development, materials processing, and petroleum industries, Kanisha Desai ’24 (ENG) is brewing up her own innovative idea for putting her chemical engineering degree to use.
Desai, along with engineering classmates Cameron Hubbard ’24 (ENG), Hailey Tam ’24 (ENG), and Ethan Krouskup ’24 (ENG), debuted their project—a non-alcoholic beer brewing process—during Senior Design Demonstration Day on April 26 in an energy-buzzed Gampel Pavilion. (View the photo gallery online here.)
“We wanted to solve a problem that most people wouldn’t normally classify as an ‘engineering problem,’” Desai says. “Brewing has always been a fascinating topic to us as chemical engineers, and since many people love the taste and creative flavors of craft beers, but don’t want the added alcohol, this project allows us to help small breweries develop a thriving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer brewing business.”
The team’s project, “Spirit of Sobriety: Of Non-Alcoholic Brews,” was among 242 student-led endeavors showcased during the 2024 Senior Design Demo Day. Sponsored by the College of Engineering (CoE) and under the mentorship of Associate Professor in Residence Jennifer Pascal, the project took first place of all senior designs from the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department.
Senior Design is two-semester capstone course where faculty and industry engineers mentor students as they work to solve real-world engineering problems for university and company sponsors. Through the experience, students learn about the principles of design, how ethics affect engineering decisions, and how professionals communicate ideas. In addition, they acquire valuable teamwork skills and professional skills while interacting with industry professionals and other mentors.
“Each year, dozens of leading manufacturing companies, pharmaceutical and medical firms, consulting practices and utilities present the College of Engineering with design challenges or problems they are encountering in their business,” explains CoE Dean Kazem Kazerounian. “For a modest fee, the companies suggest a particular problem and our senior engineering students, under the joint mentorship of engineering faculty and practicing experts from the sponsoring entities, work to properly frame the problem and develop meaningful solutions.”
Senior Design Demo Day provides the soon-to-be UConn graduates an opportunity to share the results of their independent research projects with fellow students, faculty, alumni, and community members.
“For our students, this experience is the culmination of their undergraduate education, and an opportunity to showcase their skills and education as they venture into the next steps of their careers,” says Daniel Burkey, associate dean for undergraduate education and Castleman Term Professor in Engineering Innovation. “Even after Demo Day, some students continue working on their project, especially if they accept a job with their project sponsor.”
While the “Spirit of Sobriety” team also implemented a pasteurization process on a home-brewing scale to ensure the safe drinkability of the non-alcoholic beer, materials science and engineering majors Charlotte Chen ’24 (ENG), Sanjana Nistala ’24 (ENG), Jenna Salvatore ’24 (ENG), and Allison Determan ’24 (ENG) designed a “Joint-On-A-Chip” to emulate the in vivo environment of a knee joint affected by osteoarthritis. The chip mimics the immune response and mechanical strain that cells in an affected joint experience in the human body.
Through their Senior Design project, “Deblurring of Digital Images,” electrical and computer engineering majors Andrew Feliciano ’24 (ENG) and Colby Powers ’24 (ENG) evaluated blur reduction or removal algorithms that could be implemented on imaging systems found on United States Coast Guard ships and naval vessels.
And Gary Zhu ’24 (ENG), Jack Crocamo ’24 (ENG), Ryka ChandraRaj ’24 (ENG), Alicia Chiu ’24 (ENG), Ryan Mercier ’24 (ENG), and Donny Sauer III ’24 (ENG) completed a systems engineering project titled, “Data Collection and Analysis for an Autonomous Electric Vehicle System.” With the support of sponsor Pratt & Whitney, the team developed a data analysis framework capable of precisely predicting a self-driving vehicle’s reactions to input directives. The foundation of this initiative rests upon a data-driven control system tailored for electric vehicles, harnessing the power of machine learning algorithms.
Solving Problems Statewide
One of the goals of Senior Design is to help solve problems on a local level.
In Madison, Conn., the Connecticut Department of Transportation wants to expand a rest stop along the heavily traveled Interstate 95. Environmental engineering majors Rory Cavicke ’24 (ENG), Kelsey DiCesare ’24 (ENG), and Alexander Brita ’24 (ENG) worked with industry sponsor CHA Consulting to design a septic system and stormwater infrastructure for an expanded tractor trailer rest stop. The team developed their designs in accordance with the CT Public Health Code 2023 Technical Standards and the CT Stormwater Quality Manual.
And in Woodstock, residents are working to restore and preserve the historic Chamberlin Mill, which produced wood shingles in the 19th and early 20th centuries. For their senior design project, mechanical engineering majors Alexander Guzman ’24 (ENG), Will Goss ’24 (ENG), and Vinicius De Souza ’24 (ENG) conducted a mechanical analysis and working CAD model of the mill’s 1860s shingle machine, which will be used by the mill to teach future STEM students.
Catalyzing Campus
Other projects focused on benefiting UConn itself.
Under the guidance of faculty advisor Shinae Jang, civil engineering majors Joshua Maccione ’24 (ENG), Christian Maignan ’24 (ENG), Connor Behuniak ’24 (ENG), Ryan Baj ’24 (ENG), and Darren Lin ’24 (ENG) designed a multi-story, modernized building to accommodate the expanding engineering programs within the newly designated College of Engineering. The team obtained geotechnical data from past construction projects and identified an optimal new location for this proposed facility on campus. The design incorporated composite and non-composite beams, along with a combination of steel and braced frames. Their project, “Proposed College of Engineering Building at the University of Connecticut,” took second place of all civil engineering senior designs.
Also, mechanical engineering majors Christian Bjork ’24 (ENG), Alanna Barzola ’24 (ENG), and Nicholas Trottier ’24 (ENG), along with electrical engineering majors Patrick Place ’24 (ENG) and River Granniss ’24 (ENG), collaborated on the design, development, and analysis of a scaled-down, concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system (CPV/T) that could be integrated into a greenhouse roof at UConn. Photovoltaic and thermal systems are considered conventional green energy methods used to power a greenhouse, however combining them is relatively new concept. Because photovoltaic systems can become inefficient when they reach high temperatures, for this project, the team proposed cooling the photovoltaic system with a combined thermal system while simultaneously producing thermal energy to heat the greenhouse.
Their project, “Design and Development of PV/Thermal System for Greenhouses” was advised by Wajid Chishty, Nathan Lehman, and Ravi Gorthala and sponsored by Sonalysts, Inc. It received first place in systems engineering projects and third place in mechanical engineering project.
For Grannis, the senior design process proved to be challenging, but rewarding. With his electrical engineering knowledge, Grannis was tasked with making the system’s sun tracking device operate correctly, in a minimal amount of time.
“The tracking system design we ended up using was not finalized until about a month into the second semester of senior design. After that, I spent all of my time working on the electronics and software for the tracking system pretty much until Demo Day,” Grannis says. “The biggest thing I learned was coding in C++ for Arduino. In many cases the hardest parts of the project were not the most interesting to present, so learning to show off what is interesting while continuing to work on the hard stuff—while also informing sponsors and advisors about what difficulties there are—is a balance that needs to be found early on. The most important thing Senior Design reinforced is how important interpersonal communication is, even in engineering where things are heavily results-driven.”
A Little Competition …
Demo Day isn’t the only venue students share their novel projects. For Senior Design, Ashley Sciacca ’24 (ENG), Nathan Garala ’24 (ENG), Ryan Maguire ’24 (ENG), and Spencer Alsup ’24 (ENG) fabricated a fully electric-powered, waterproof boat. Along with other members of UConn’s Promoting Electric Propulsion team— Christopher Capozzi, Andrews Marsigliano, Ian Pichs, and Xavier Purandah—the group competed in a five-mile course in Virginia, sponsored by the American Society of Naval Engineers. Students designed the boat using a simulation software and combined this data with test results to determine power requirements.
“This was the first year of competition for the UConn team, and of 39 schools, we finished in the top 10, which is a great accomplishment,” said project advisor Vito Moreno, professor in residence of mechanical engineering.
Similarly, electrical and computer engineering majors Matthew Silverman ’24 (ENG), Spencer Albano ’24 (ENG), and Nicholas Wycoff ’24 (ENG) participated in a Software Defined Radio (SDR) university challenge in Ohio with their Senior Design project, “Physical Layer Network Slicing.” They created an access point that can establish a network and communicate across both Wi-Fi and Zigbee (a Wi-Fi alternative) devices. The competition, hosted by the Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) and Air Force Research Laboratory, encouraged hands-on skill building and explore experimentation through SDR hardware. UConn’s team was among the top 8 finalists and received the Most Outstanding Project Award. Shengli Zhou, professor of electrical and computer engineering, served as the team’s advisor.
“There are some routers that can communicate over both Wi-Fi and Zigbee but are typically two separate devices bundled in the same enclosure,” Albano explains. “Having one device that communicates across both standards provides ease to a network administrator that can manage devices in both standards. The benefits include efficiency, flexibility, and security.”
And the Winners Are …
Senior Design Demo Day began more than 40 years ago. Today, it features the projects of students majoring in biomedical engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering; civil and environmental engineering; electrical and computer engineering; environmental engineering; materials science and engineering; systems engineering; management and engineering manufacturing; multidisciplinary engineering; the School of Computing; and the School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering.
Each CoE department and school awarded prizes for the best poster presentations. The 2024 winners are:
Biomedical Engineering
1st place: “Joint-On-A-Chip Osteoarthritis Disease Modeling for Evaluating Anti-Inflammatory Drug Performance,” by Charlotte Chen (MSE), Sanjana Nistala, Jenna Salvatore, and Allison Determan. Advisor: Syam Nukavarapu. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.
2nd place: Singular Part 3D-Printed External Prosthetics for Mastectomy Patients Without Reconstruction,” by Yukti Ummaneni, Ashwini Patel, Mia Haynes, and Jamie Trinh. Advisor: Liisa Kuhn. Sponsor: Beekley Lab for Biosymmetrix
3rd place (tie): “Circuit and Sensor Design for Smartphone-Based Electroretinography,” by Rory Harris, Rodrigo Tuesta, and Yuexi Hao. Advisor: Hugo Posada-Quintero. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.
3rd place (tie): “In Vitro Model for the Study of Traumatic Brain Injury” by Mark Cristino, Rudin Lloga, and Kaiya Pringle. Advisor: Kazunori Hoshino. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
1st place: “Spirit of Sobriety: Of Non-Alcoholic Brews,” by Cameron Hubbard, Kanisha Desai, Hailey Tam, and Ethan Krouskup. Advisor: Jennifer Pascal. Sponsor: UConn College of Engineering.
2nd place: “Design And Optimization Of A Multi-Effect Desalination Unit Integrated With A Gas Turbine Plan,” by Wasif Zaman, Katelyn Honegger, Alanna Smith, and David Gan. Advisor: Burcu Beykal. Sponsor: UConn College of Engineering.
3rd place: “Redefining How to Process Body Wash: Creating A More Efficient and Agile Supply Chain,” by Aadil Shahzad, Samantha Miel, Megan Shiring, and Matthew Silver. Advisor: Anson Ma. Sponsor: Unilever.
Civil Engineering
1st place: “Blue Line Extension,” by Anson Lau, Yuanlong Dai, Helen Pruchniak, Nicholas Vestergaard. Advisor: Wei Zhang. Sponsor: Construction Industries of Massachusetts-Labor Relations Division (CIM-LRD).
2nd place: “Proposed College of Engineering Building at the University of Connecticut,” by Joshua Maccione, Christian Maignan, Connor Behuniak, Ryan Baj, and Darren Lin. Advisor: Shinae Jang. Sponsor: Slam Collaborative.
3rd place (tie): “Design of Pedestrian Walkway For The Gold Star Memorial,” by Shaun McGuire, Kayla Turner, Steven Anderson, Juan Javier Mejia. Advisor: Manish Roy. Sponsor: HNTB Corporation.
3rd place (tie): “Worcester Union Station Center Island Platform Project,” by Conor Murphy, Harley Jeanty, Jakub Patrosz, Benjamin Ragozzine. Advisor: Wei Zhang. Sponsor: HDR, Inc.
Environmental Engineering
1st place: “Remedial Design of a PFAS Contaminated Site in Connecticut,” by Valentine Falsetta, Wilmalis Rodriguez, and Nicola Bacon. Advisor: Alexander Agrios. Sponsor: Amine Dahmani.
2nd place: “Stormwater/Septic Design,” by Rory Cavicke, Kelsey DiCesare, and Alexander Brita. Advisor: Alexander Agrios. Sponsor: CHA Consulting, Inc.
3rd place: “Stones Ranch Road Drainage Upgrades and Erosion Control,” by Grace Carravone, Amanda Jacobson, Sara Makula, and Jason Contreras. Advisor: Manish Roy. Sponsor: Connecticut National Guard.
School of Computing
1st place: “Solubility Data Management,” by John Bogacz, Connor Brush, Maniza Shaikh, Jianhua Zhu, Walson Li, and Peter Filip. Advisor: Qian Yang. Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim.
2nd place: “Light Scattering Automation,” by Zachary Hall, Nikolas Anagnostou, Alden Dus, Jacob Montanez, Avaneesh Sathish, Zakarya Zahhal, and Nikolas Kallicharan. Advisor: Qian Yang. Sponsor: UConn School of Computing.
3rd place: “Responsive Multimodal Care Coordinator (MCC) Development,” by Randy Yu, James Frederick, Betul Agirman, Cameron Ky, Quincy Miller, and Mir Zaman. Advisor: Suining He. Sponsor: University of Connecticut and Bastion.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Projects
1st place: “Robotic Perception Sensor Characterization Platform,” by Hritish Bhargava and Samuel Gresh. Advisor: Shan Zuo. Sponsor: Draper Laboratory.
2nd place: “Air Force Research Laboratory Software Defined Radio (SDR) University Challenge: Physical Layer Network Slicing,” by Spencer Albano, Matthew Silverman, and Nicholas Wycoff Advisor: Shengli Zhou. Sponsor: UConn Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
3rd place: “Automated Angle Table for AS5,” by Alexander ReCouper and Mitchell Bronson. Advisor: Liang Zhang. Sponsor: OEM Controls.
Materials Science and Engineering
1st place and Student Choice Award (tie): “Joint-On-A-Chip Osteoarthritis Disease Modeling for Evaluating Anti-Inflammatory Drug Performance,” by Charlotte Chen, Sanjana Nistala, Jenna Salvatore, and Allison Determan. Advisor: Fiona Leek. Sponsor: UConn Biomedical Engineering Department.
2nd place and Student Choice Award (tie): “Citric Acid Passivation Process Development,” by Kevin Li and Matthew Maramo. Advisor: Alexander Dupuy. Sponsor: ARKA.
3rd place: “Bio-Based Material Commercial Door Components Footprint,” by Yuexuan Gu and Jaclyn Grace. Advisor: Fiona Leek. Sponsor: ASSA ABLOY.
Management and Engineering for Manufacturing
1st place: “Enhancing Smartfood Popcorn Line Efficiency to Reduce Downtime And Boost Production Performance,” by Anna Lidsky, Valeria Nieto, Isabelle Bunosso, and Lauren Hart. Advisor: Craig Calvert. Sponsor: PepsiCo Frito-Lay.
2nd place: “Modernizing Raw Material Marking and Inventory System To Enhance Traceability,” by Nimai Browning, Quinn Reelitz, Steven Jaret, and Austin Muzzy. Advisors: Craig Calvert and Rajiv Naik. Sponsor: HORST Engineering.
3rd place: “Reliability Testing and Design Risk Assessment to Enhance Product Quality and Business Sustainability,” by Alex Domingo, Madeline Corbett, Brett Pierce, and Alexander Pearl. Advisor: Rajiv Naik. Sponsor: Belimo Americas.
School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering
Professors Award: “Designing and Operating An Experimental Facility To Study Non-Premixed Flames Of Pre-Heated (And Pre-Vaporized) Reactants,” by Al-Yaman Zoghol and Tyler Dickey. Advisor: Francesco Carbone. Sponsor: UConn College of Engineering.
1st place: “Multifunctional Metamaterial to Attenuate Acoustic and Elastic Waves,” by Evan Kluge and Lindsey Japa. Advisor: Osama Bilal. Sponsor: ACC Masters.
2nd place (tie): “Improved Performance of Magnetic Speed Sensor Analyzer,” by Kristen Angeli and Emily Root. Advisor: Farhad Imani. Sponsor: AI-Tek Instruments.
2nd place (tie): “Belt Based Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission Prototype,” by Ajeeth Vellore, Luka Ligouri, Ethan Wicko, and Ryan Zwick. Advisor: David Pierce. Sponsor: Transcend Bicycle LLC.
3rd place: “Design and Development of PV/Thermal System for Greenhouses,” by Christian Bjork, Alanna Barzola, Nicholas Trottier, Patrick Place and River Granniss. Advisors: Wajid Chishty, Nathan Lehman, and Ravi Gorthala. Sponsor: Sonalysts, Inc.
Systems Engineering
1st place (tie): “Robotic Perception Sensor Characterization Platform,” by Isabella Fabrizi, Liam Mohan, Samuel Gresh, Aveline Mills, Gerardo Robles-Luna, and Hritish Bhargava. Advisor: Osama Bilal. Sponsor: Draper.
1st place (tie): “Design and Development of PV/Thermal System for Greenhouses,” by Christian Bjork, Alanna Barzola, Nicholas Trottier, Patrick Place and River Granniss. Advisors: Wajid Chishty, Nathan Lehman, and Ravi Gorthala. Sponsor: Sonalysts, Inc.
Multidisciplinary Engineering
In addition to the Demo Day awards, six seniors were honored for being among UConn’s first multidisciplinary engineering majors: Edward Wilkinson, Matthew Koniecko, Sean Tan, Patricio Salomon-Mir, Josephine Luby, and Kelly Russell.
Distinguished Educator Engineering Award (nominated by students)
Jasna Jankovic, associate professor of materials science and engineering, and Manish Roy, assistant professor in residence of civil and environmental engineering.
