Stony Brook University recently held its inaugural Engineering Senior Design Showcase, highlighting the innovative work of its senior engineering students. The event took place on May 8 at the Student Activities Center and featured 73 posters and 285 students from various engineering departments, including Biomedical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Materials Science and Chemical, and Mechanical Engineering.
Students worked in teams of three to five members under the guidance of faculty, industry, or clinical mentors to tackle real-world engineering problems. Andrew Singer, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, remarked on the collaborative effort: “As engineers, we’re committed to service to our community, and when we put our collective talents and skills together to solve a problem, we’re at our best.”
Projects displayed ranged from devices aiding Parkinson’s patients to navigation systems for the visually impaired. Shanen Howard ’25 presented a project called "VapORsafe Alcohol Detection in the OR," aimed at preventing surgical fires by detecting isopropyl alcohol in operating rooms. Howard explained that approximately 100 surgical fires occur annually in the US: “It’s a rare occurrence, but they still happen... That’s where our device comes in.”
Another team led by Alfred Burredo ’25 focused on designing a brewery waste pretreatment system for a local brewery overwhelmed with waste. Burredo detailed their two-stage trickling filter system designed to handle excess flow while maintaining pollutant removal efficiency.
A project from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering involved developing a Quadcopter Drone. Raisul Arifen ’25 shared that their drone met specific criteria such as flight time and weight limits: “We went through a lot of different components, but we achieved all of that and more.”
Participating companies benefited from viable solutions developed by students. Greg Myhill from Belimo praised the innovative approach taken by students on an automation project: “They came up with an idea that we didn’t know about... It was nice to end up with a solution we wouldn’t have come up with on our own.”
Rigoberto Burgueño, professor and chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, expressed satisfaction with the showcase's success: “It exceeded our expectations... This event was a powerful reminder that our greatest asset is our students.” Dean Singer echoed this sentiment: “I am proud of what they achieved... I look forward to continuing this tradition.”