UI Engineering Design Expo Showcases Student Inventions; Couples with Mars Rover Challenge May 3
Wednesday, April 24 2002
April 24, 2002^MOSCOW – A showcase of engineering students' inventiveness, plus tours of University of Idaho engineering facilities are the main attractions at UI's Engineering Design Expo 2002 Friday, May 3, in the Student Union Building Ballroom.^Senior projects from engineering, computer science, environmental science, agriculture and other technical disciplines will be demonstrated, along with their industry sponsors. Projects include some with medical applications, environmental cleanups, palm technology, transportation innovation and remote sensing. (See attached tip sheet for a sampling of exhibits.)^UI President Bob Hoover kicks off the Expo at 8 a.m. with an opening ceremony; from 9 a.m. to noon, judges will pick award-winning exhibits and posters to present at the 4:30-6 p.m. Awards Reception. Technical presentations will be made throughout the day in the Borah Theater and Silver Room.^Simultaneously in the Kibbie Dome, from 9 a.m. throughout the afternoon, is the Idaho TECH Mars Rover Challenge. North and central Idaho, eastern Washington and northern Utah are sending 88 fifth- and sixth-grade teams (about 550 kids) to test their remote-controlled versions of a Mars Rover built with Legos© on a simulation of the rugged terrain of Mars. ^The top three teams from this Moscow competition will move on to the state finals, which are scheduled for 4 p.m. They’ll compete against the three top teams from earlier regional competitions in Boise and Idaho Falls. The NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium sponsors the Mars Rover Challenge.^Also at the event will be rocket activities sponsored by Window on the Universe Challenger Grant; the Idaho Mobile Space Station; NASA's John Sims, former astronaut trainer and chief of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility; and a competition sponsored by the Idaho Lottery and Vandal Athletics. At the latter, local school teachers scratch off as many of 300 lottery tickets as they can in five minutes, and the schools get to keep the money they win.^All Expo 2002 and Mars Rover events are free and open to the public. School groups are welcome. The biodiesel-powered Vandal Trolley will provide transportation between events during the day.^Engineering College and general campus tours begin at the Expo 2002 registration table on the first floor of the SUB on campus. They include: General campus (9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.); Wind Tunnel (9:30 and 10 a.m.) for a close up of the large, 'user-friendly' testing facility for lower-division projects; Biofuels lab (1 p.m.) where production of biofuels from mustard, rape and canola seeds will be demonstrated as will vehicle tests on the chassis dynamometer; Beowulf Supercomputer (2 and 2:30 p.m.); Design Suite/Small Engine Lab (3 p.m.) created in mechanical engineering to support capstone design and experimental projects.^For more Expo and Mars Rover details, see the website at www.uidaho.edu/expo/ or attached project samples.^CONTACTS: Steve Beyerlein, Expo co-chair and professor of mechanical engineering, (208) 882-7304, sbeyer@uidaho.edu; April Christenson, NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium, (208) 885-4934, aprilm@uidaho.edu; information specialists Barbara Smith, (208) 885-6183, bsmith@uidaho.edu or Nancy Hilliard, (208) 885-6567, hilliard@uidaho.edu^PHOTO OPS: Swarms of Mars Rovers, 10 a.m. Kibbie Dome; 12:30 p.m. lottery scratch; 3:30 p.m. awards ceremony; Student work -- Student Union Building Ballroom, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 5:15-5:45 p.m. awards for Expo Design exhibits and presentations^Sampling of student innovations and prototype projects:^INFANT MONITORING SYSTEM: This design improves detection and prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Current monitors on the market aren't so effective outside a closed environment like a crib. This prototype can be attached to an infant 24/7, and uses the latest wireless technology to keep the monitor as small and light as possible. The data processing is in an external device carried by the guardian. As soon as cellular technology advances, the device will be fitted with cellular access to communicate directly with an emergency operator if the monitor detects problems. Since the device uses "off-the-shelf" parts, it can be assembled with affordable electronics. Contacts: Eugene T. Bordenkircher, bord1480@yahoo.com; Sponsor: Electrical Engineering Prof. David Egolf; UI adviser Boris Bracio, whitecloud@mttacoma.ee.uidaho.edu^SLEEP APNEA HEADGEAR INNOVATION: Obstructive sleep apnea affects 30 million Americans, and stops breathing when airway passages collapse. A known effective treatment is wearing a nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure mask, which is attached to a machine that applies air pressure to the nasal cavity and opens the airway. The equipment can be cumbersome or uncomfortable, so UI engineering students designed a soft cap to interface with most CPAP masks and a storage unit to handle CPAP machines, accessories, and air hoses. The “helmet,” made of multiple layers of soft foam, creates a built-in pillow, and has embedded headphones to allow listening as one falls asleep. The mask has short straps, providing flexible fit and comfort. The storage unit is a cabinet with inverted split doors and a sliding shelf that elevates the device next to the bed. It enables less tangling or draping of the hoses, or tugging on the user’s face. A built-in 3-D motion system allows hoses to move as the sleeper tosses or turns. Contact: Andrew Hayes, ahayes11@hotmail.com or UI adviser Charles Peterson, (208) 885-7906, cpeterson@uidaho.edu; Sponsors: Gritman Sleep Center; Idaho Pulmonary Associates, Boise; Tri-State Allergy and Asthma, Clarkston, Wash., Northwest Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Spokane, Wash.^DROP-N-GLOW: This team designed a device to rapidly insert objects into a radioactively contaminated glove box for Argonne National Laboratories-West. To demonstrate the features of the prototype, they will use fans to get the glove box at a lower pressure and fill it with fog to simulate nuclear radiation, then insert objects and show that the radiation does not escape. Contact: Kristy Stevens, stev9876@uidaho.edu; drop-n-glow@uidaho.edu or see http://seniordesign.engr.uidaho.edu/dropnglow; UI advisers Edwin Odom, (208) 885-7330, eodom@uidaho.edu, or Karl Rink, (208) 885-9447, karlrink@uidaho.edu^INTERACTIVE PALM CAMPUS GUIDE: The goal of this project is to eliminate the need for confusing time schedules, course catalogs or maps for people who have access to a PDA device. The palm guide will provide an interactive experience in which the user can explore the campus and be provided with a simple view of different locations on campus. A poster will show screenshots and a brief explanation. Contact: Tony Kom, kom6188@cs.uidaho.edu, (208) 892-9886^POTLATCH TRAIN DEPOT: Washington, Idaho and Montana Historic Preservation Group purchased an historical building in Potlatch, and engaged the UI students to do a feasibility study for moving it to a more accessible spot. The UI students have designed a way to move the 100-foot-long, 90-year-old wooden building 200 yards away, where it will become a civic center/museum in 2003. They will display drawings of the site design, and plans for parking, drainage and transportation access. Contacts: Kipp Richter, rich9880@uidaho.edu, or adviser Ed Schmeckpeper, (208) 885-6702, eds@uidaho.edu^A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: This project involves rehabilitation and hydrologic design of a small wetland that was constructed last fall without taking into account hydrologic principles. The wetland was created by constructing a small earth dam on the watershed; but, due to original lack of planning, the dam overtopped and partially washed out. The UI team re-designed the wetland reservoir, recommended the locations of overflow spillways, and provided overall dimensions of the earth dam. Contact: Mike Conn, conn_mike@hotmail.com or UI Adviser Fritz Fiedler, fritz@uidaho.edu, (208) 885-2980; Sponsor: UI Civil Engineering Department^BIOFILTERING EMISSIONS FROM POTLATCH: Four UI students have been conducting sampling of a pilot biofilter two to three times a week at Potlatch Pulp and Paper Mill in Lewiston. The pilot biofilter was installed in February by Bioreaction Industries to degrade methanol and formaldehyde components of a waste gas stream. Biofilters are in limited use in the U.S. pulp and paper industry, so the project provided a unique opportunity for these students. Contact: Michael C Koelsch, koel9576@uidaho.edu; Sponsor: Potlatch Corporation and Bioreaction Industries Inc.; UI Advisers Charles Peterson, cpeterson@uidaho.edu, 885-7906, or Tom Hess, (208) 885-7461, tfhess@uidaho.edu^REMOVAL OF URANIUM FROM DRINKING WATER: Many homes in northern New Mexico get their drinking water from private wells. Because of erosion, naturally occurring uranium has contaminated this water, producing concentration levels greatly exceeding the EPA's maximum contaminant level for drinking water of 30 micrograms per liter. Using enhanced activated alumina as an ion exchange resin, this team designed a simple-to-use, inexpensive, under-the-sink unit that will reduce starting concentrations measuring well over 1,000 micrograms per liter to less than 5 micrograms per liter, well under the EPA's limit. A PowerPoint presentation and poster will tell the story. Sponsor: Environmental Technology Institute. Contact: (208) 883-3529, 334-8945 (cell phone), Elizabeth Herbst, LizH@TurboNet.com^ROBOTIC TRAIL VISION TEAM: The RTV project tests and evaluates a computer program that calculates trail headings from cameras mounted on an autonomous log skidder. The project will determine the accuracy with which the computer program can calculate the trail heading for a variety of sample pictures taken with a camera. Contact: James Angell, LizH@TurboNet.com, (208) 892-2782^GPS-ENHANCED IRRIGATION SYSTEM: The activation of the end gun on existing center pivot irrigation systems is error prone, and can lead to tedious set-up procedures and waste electricity, groundwater and surface water. The project uses Global Positioning System, a computer and solenoid valve to improve efficiency on the end gun irrigation center pivot. Computer programming recognizes certain GPS coordinates. When the coordinates are read, the solenoid valve will turn on or off. GPS will save setup man-hours and precious natural resources. Sponsor: Brad King, Aberdeen Research and Extension Center. Contacts: Alan Jackson, jack8866@uidaho.edu and Ryan Madsen, madsen_ryan@hotmail.edu; Adviser: Charles Peterson, (208) 885-7906, cpeterson@uidaho.edu^CARS, CANOES, BRIDGES, SNOWMOBILE: The UI student-designed FutureTruck, Clean Snowmobile, Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridges, and the biofuels experimental BioBug, Vandal Trolley and other competition projects also will be on display. Contacts: Snowmobile, Karen Den Braven, (208) 885-7655, kdenb@uidaho.edu; hybrid electric Chevie Suburban and Ford Explorer, Don Blackketter, dblack@uidaho.edu, 885-5228; Bio-diesel VW Beetle and Vandal Trolley, Chuck Peterson, cpeterson@uidaho.edu, 885-7906; Concrete Canoe, Kipp Richter, rich9880@uidaho.edu; Steel Bridge, Seth Stapleton, seth_stapleton@yahoo.com^--30-^NH/BS-4/24/02-ENGR/NASA^
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