5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Petersen Event Center 4.17.25
DESIGNEXPO
SWANSON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
April 17, 2025
Welcome to the Swanson School of Engineering’s Spring 2025 Design Expo! Tonight we celebrate our 21st Design Expo. For the first time ever, we are proud to bring Design Expo to the Petersen Event Center. We are thrilled to have you with us this evening to honor our students’ exceptional talents and achievements. Tonight’s showcase features 93 design projects across five departments, a prototyping course, and a new exciting exhibit featuring first-year engineering student projects.
Our students have undertaken rigorous capstone design courses to tackle real-world challenges presented by industry partners. Each team embarked on a journey through the entire design process – from identifying problems, defining objectives and constraints, conceptual development, and, in many cases, building actual prototypes. Through this Expo, students have a unique platform to demonstrate their creativity, technical skills, and problem-solving abilities.
The Swanson School of Engineering is proud to highlight the ENGR-0717: Foundation of Engineering Design students (the FEDs) who are showcasing their cornerstone projects. These First-Year Engineering student teams have worked on these projects for the past five weeks. Each project was inspired by an external stakeholder and/ or the students themselves. They integrated systems thinking, human-centered design, and techniques from our Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. They sought to validate problems and solutions through research, surveys and interviews, iteratively worked on their prototypes, and are excited to share what they’ve found. Please join us in celebrating our first-year honors students and seeing what creative solutions they’ve come up with. You will also find a display of projects from the Pitt chapter of Engineers without Borders near the Judges’ Lounge.
As is tradition, we invite all guests at the Expo to vote for their favorite project via text message. Voting instructions and the designated number are posted throughout the venue, and the project that receives the most votes will earn the coveted “People’s Choice Award.”
In addition, industry judges will evaluate each team’s project to determine the best design from each department, as well as the highest honor of the night – the “Best Overall Design.” Judging will take place from 5 to 7:45 p.m., after which the Expo team will tally the results and announce the winners.
Enclosed in this program, you’ll find a list of tonight’s design projects along with the names of team members; and in some cases the faculty and industry mentors who have guided these students in bringing their ideas to life. We encourage you to engage with the teams, learn more about their projects, and celebrate their hard work and dedication.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering Michele Manuel, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Mary Besterfield-Sacre, Swanson School of Engineering faculty, and our valued industry partners. Special thanks go to our esteemed judges. Whether this is your first time at Expo or you’ve been with us since the beginning, your support is invaluable in making this event possible. Finally, thank you to the friends, family, and community members here tonight to celebrate and support our students.
Enjoy the evening, and let’s celebrate the innovation, collaboration, and engineering excellence of the Swanson School!
Advisor: Mark Gartner
BIOE-1 The Re-Boot: Orthopedic Boot Redesign
Ritesh Shrivastav
Amna Imran
Danielle Scott
BIOE-2 Improved Speculum
Sofia Milone
Nalima Munyofu
Malini Harinath
Kate Bonifacic
Gabby Brubach
Zander Coleman
Isabella Gaydosh
Aashka Garg
Aadhira Arun
BIOE-3 Anti-Pressure Molded Ankle-Foot Orthosis (APMAFO)
Grace Melloy
Nathaniel Myers
Logan Marsalko
Aakash Kottakota
Andrew Hoang
Max Miller
Naa Kordei Botchway
Abigail Soskil
BIOE-4 Compact Assistance for Reliable Engagement (CARE)
Kasey Forsythe
Jason Cutitta
Nicholas Pho
Caroline Howard
Deran Beckwith
Charles Oduro Jr.
BIOE-5 CLIPS: Clothing-Integrated Prosthetic Suspension
Sarah Shegogue
Gavin Buiting
Ryan Brogunier
Allison Brunswick
Shlok Ven
Sindhu Nalamothu
Gabriel Minot
BIOE-6 Fall Prevention Device for Independent
Sitting/Standing
Colin Devine
Carter Jones
Amber Costello
Ruhani Gill
Jayson Baggett
Jake Doran
Nikia Fairchild
BIOE-7 Improved Junctional Tourniquet
Zachary Nellas
Hallie Maytin
Moriah Eley
Amirtha Maria
Kassidy Felsinger
Kyle Norcross
Taylor Orr
BIOE-8 Improving Bag Valve Masks in Emergency Medicine
Connor LaMarca
Erica Taylor
Rebecca Miller
Madison Smith
Brock Pemberton
Ben McCutcheon
Kelly Isola
BIOE-9 Innovating Pediatric IV Covers by Providing Nuanced Protective Shields and Interactive Distraction Mechanisms
Ryan Fry
Zachary Miller
Virginia Yu
Sofia Bear
David Wang
Jared Kolarcik-Schmitt
Julia Walker
BIOE-10 Novel Adjustable Long-Term Use Forearm Crutches
Joshua Lawter
Liam Tena
BIOE-11 Improving Fit and Comfortability of Post Surgical ACL Braces (For Patients Recovering from ACL Reconstruction)
Ridwon Khaliqi
Yugma Patel
Prakruti Jajoo
Emily Heyman
Logan Reilley
BIOE-12 IV Management System
Nicholas Vasas
Louis Sauter
Nikhil Madaka
Juniper Smyth
Jiaxuan Kong
Karina Atiegha
Sachin Srikar
Divya Narayan
DEPARTMENT OF BIOENGINEERING (continued )
BIOE-13 Adjustable Pediatric AFO with Locking
Flexion Hinge for Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
Kshitija Koli
Semira Kizhakkey
Danielle Yakubisin
Aritra Ghatak
Andrea Moore
Francine Sanoy
BIOE-14 Needle Nightmares: Alleviating Anxiety from Needles in Pediatric Patients
Kevork Zeibari
Siddharth Krishnan
Mia Chupein
Joseph O’Sullivan
Yingli Wang
Kennedy Snook
Emily Stephens
BIOE-15 Improving Organ Transport Mechanisms for Organ Viability
Victoria Lieu
Jiaheng Wu
Kara Nghiem
BIOE-16 Four Ligament Knee Anthrometer
Jaspreet Chera
Shaaz Nadeem
Matthew Lettieri
Mark Sarachman
Mark Morgan
Anna Randolph
BIOE-17 Still Grip: Ergonomic Surgical Grip
Ryan Ging
Maya Franklin
Michael Christofidis
Peter Wood
Tarini Ravikumar
Suyash Sinkar
Eileen Zhang
Delaney Moskowitz
Viral Shah
Amila Niksic
CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Advisor: Ogul Doygun
CEE-1 BNY Mellon Center Retrofit
Faculty Mentors: Kent Harries, John Brigham
Industry Mentor: Mark LeCornu, BNY
Michael Makowski Jr
Grace Walker
Trey Blystone
Michael Constantine
Ashley Lucente
Daneil Schaub
William Schmidt
CEE-2 Highmark Stadium Renovation
Faculty Mentors: Steve Sachs, Piervincenzo Rizzo
Industry Mentor: Tonny Ream & Jason Fuller, HDR
Anthony Decostello
Benjamin Hardy
Joseph Hunker
Jacob Krawczyk
Jack Parkhurst
Aaron Fleshler
CEE-3 Bullock-Pens Park Project
Faculty Mentors: Mark Magalotti, Ramin Shabanpour
Industry Mentor: Matt Geary, Duquesne Light
Brandyn D’Amico
Madelynn Bennett
Paige Mancia
Erica Beigi
Connor Kane
Nick Rocco
CEE-4 ALCOSAN Wet Weather Pump Station
Faculty Mentors: Alessandro Fascetti, Amir Alavi, Ogul Doygun, Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero
Industry Mentor: Jeff Argyros, ALCOSAN
Sophia Edwards
Simon Lingle
Avery Dittner
Robert Jordan
Nick Kravits
CEE-5 Brownsville Observation Platform
Faculty Mentors: Lev Khazanovich, Werner Loehlein
Industry Mentors: Joe Barantovic, freelancing consultant; Terry McMillen, McMillen Engineering; Mike Walter, Brownsville Borough
Ian Kehinde
Ian Ndiangui
Dylan Grass
Johnson Yang
Rachel Towler
Olivia Dodge
CEE-6 Neville Island Grand Avenue Repurpose
Faculty Mentors: Mark Magalotti, Alex Stevanovic
Industry Mentor: Jason Molinero, Allegheny County Public Works
Farrah Alkanaan
Grace Lamb
Paul Pelletier
Austin Knoll
Riley Rodriguez
CEE-7 Kenmawr Ave Bridge Foundation
Replacement
Faculty Mentors: Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero, Ogul Doygun
Industry Mentor: Taylor DaCanal, AGES
Joshua Fiorentino
Ethan Panek
Ben Lascelles
Max Wasserman
Cooper Hall
Tyler Jacobson
CEE-8 Sylvan Ave Slope Stabilization Project
Faculty Mentors: Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero, Ogul Doygun
Industry Mentor: Taylor DaCanal, AGES
Fernanda Morales-Viveros
Daniel Parks
Cora Nevel
Liam McLaughlin
Chris Moran
CEE-9 Jackson Ceramix Superfund Site
Faculty Mentors: Radisav Vidic, Meng Wang
Industry Mentor: Brenda McEver, AECOM
Hope Blair
Jordan DeWeese
Samantha Eckenrod
Bredt Leon
Keera Melenhorst
Rae Templeton
CEE-10 Landfill Gas Renewables
Faculty Mentors: Joe Duckett, Leonard Casson
Industry Mentor: Jeff Pierce, ETR Group
Cody Carnes
Emma Isenberg
Jana Kimball
Jackson Laskos
Henry Polaski
Amy Zhang
CEE-11 Hydraulic Fracturing Water Management
Faculty Mentors: Leonard Casson, David Sanchez, Andrew Bunger
Industry Mentor: Holly Churman, Churman Water Advisors LLC
Matthew Brancaccio
Luke Fatula
Rebecca Jalboot
Brigit O’Bannon
Patrick Wertz
ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Advisors: Mohamed Bayoumy, Guangyong Li, Mai Abdelhakim
ECE-1 Smart Motorcycle Helmet - A
Allison Hastings
Isabella Terick
Daniel Stoller Cara Buck
ECE-2 Smart Motorcycle Helmet - B
Albert Sommar
John Deibert
ECE-3 Project Spider-Verse
Ryan Cabrera
Faculty Mentors: Zhi-Hong Mao, James Lyle, William McGahey
Asher Goodwin
Yun Dong
Kyle Kessler Alek Barter
ECE-4 Cheap High-Performance Advanced Storm Equipment (CHASE)
Faculty Mentors: Ronald Stenz, Sean Waugh
Ruizhe Gao
Beryl Sin
Rohan Ari
Noah French
Natan Herzog
ECE-5 CAVEMAN - Cave Autonomous Vehicle for Exploration, Mapping, and Navigation
Faculty Mentor: Samuel Dickerson
Tyler Hansen
Kushal Parekh
Benjamin Esquieres
Pavel Serhiayenka
David Zhang
ECE-6 Satellite Tracking Directional Antenna Array (STARR-LOC)
Faculty Mentor: Steven Jacobs
Aidan Gresko
Thomas Eckrich
Kaye Baron
Adam Nichols
ECE-7 Bluetooth Audio Mixer with Dynamic Gain Control
Faculty Mentor: Mark Kahrs
Bella Lardin
Abby Maier
ECE-8 Multi-Bluetooth Mixer
Noah Trostle
Caden Schiffer
Tyrique Campbell
ECE-9 Adaptive Noise-Suppressing Headset
Faculty Mentor: Ahmed Dallal
John Darnall
Alexander Ivensky
Ross Gardner
Nick Chase
ECE-10 Selective Noise Canceling Headphones
Joel Berns
Lamine Mezali
Michael Mejalli
Sophia Shoemaker
ECE-11 Monophonic Music Transcription
Zachary Fairfull
Emily Bichard
Gianni Diacopoulos
ECE-12 LED Checkers Game Controlled with Voice Recognition
Devin James
Yubin Wu
Audrey Gross
Charles Prather
ECE-13 LED Checkers Game Controlled with Voice Recognition: Speak Your Piece
Alexander Sleigher
Alex Smith
Lillian Jones
Dillon Hepler
ECE-14 Exploiting Optical Communications and Public Key Cryptography
Bridget Lobo
Abby Magistro
Sean Van Alen
ECE-15 PHOB - Authentication Exploiting Optical Communications and Public Key Cryptography
Nathan Carozza
Jay Suggs
Zachariah Higgins
Max Ludwig
Sam Pratley
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING
ECE-16 Classic Game Console with Multiplayer Capability
Faculty Mentor: Torres Quiñones
Annabelle Werner
Rafik Ibrahim Anh Nguyen Tanvi Verma
ECE-17 Solar Powered Offline Communication System (SPOCS)
Hannah Nestlerode
Guhan Kumaran
John Marsala
ECE-18 VR Controlled Robotic Arm: Manubot
Faculty Mentor: Samuel Dickerson
Graham Hoover
Son Vu
Dominique Pantin
Moaz Ibrahim
ECE-19 VITAL - Virtual Interface for Tangibly Accessible Learning
Faculty Mentor: Samuel Dickerson
Oday Abushaban
Nasser Abdulwahab
Felipe Junqueira George Panousis
ECE-20 Vision-Language-Action Model for a Generalist Robotic Manipulator
Evan Sokolson
Benjamin Carnovale
Alexander McMoil
Samarth Chopra
ECE-21 Chess Playing Robot (CPR)
Nischal Kharel
Lambert Zhang
Dikchhya Kharel
ECE-22 sEMG Sensing for Prosthetic Hand Grasping Classification and Rehabilitation
Nathaniel Ginck
Daniel Richardson
Peter Kutschke
Ben Shuttleworth
Advisor: Scott Streiner
ENGINEERING
IE-1 Boxed In: The Axle Packaging Crisis
Industry Mentor: Alstom
Emily Bosworth
Juliana Capozzi
Tianyi Hu
Nathaniel O’Stafy Dechen Xie
IE-2 Strategic Warehouse Analysis for Armada’s Food Service Distribution
Industry Mentor: Armada Supply Chain Solutions
Camryn Grizzeti
Andrew Ladd
Siyuan Liu
Jerome Poravanthattil
Ziang Wang
IE-3 Enhancing Harmonized Tariff Classification with Machine Learning and Image Recognition
Industry Mentor: FedEx
Wenyi Lin
James Pottieger
Harper Segal
Beisi Song
Alexa Velasquez
IE-4 Using RFID Data to Improve Manual Processes and Visibility at FedEx Facilities
Industry Mentor: FedEx
Jack Kaye
Maggie Piro
Abigail Small
Yuru Zhang Haoyan Zhang
IE-5 Balancing Trailer Movements at FedEx
Industry Mentor: FedEx
Xiaoyi Huang
Juan Ma Lugo
Ark Marwah
Ethan Shodi
Haoji Wang
IE-6 Standardizing Starline’s Warehouse Pickings
Industry Mentor: Legrand
Maggie Altschaffl
Bikai Fang
Sarai Morato
IE-7 Lunar Intelligence and Reconnaissance Initiative (LIRI)
Industry Mentor: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Connor Cosgrove
Katherine Gonzalez
Felicity Thatcher
Andrea Toader
Brian Trieu
IE-8 NurturePA: Streamlining Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (PMAD) Assessment
Industry Mentor: Nurture PA
Hannah Bradfield
Xiangyy Cheng
Jordan Henry
Xinkai Li Roan McCall
IE-9 Standardizing the Medication Delivery and Return Process at UPMC Presbyterian
Industry Mentor: UPMC
Camryn Augustine
Alison Haflett
Cameron Kiebort
Lianna Robbins Jiayi Yao
IE-10 Medicine Inventory System Supply (MISS)
UPMC: Applying Lean Principles to Pharmacy Work Design
Industry Mentor: UPMC
Vanni Bansal
Lakshanyaa Venkatesan
Jackson Warters
Zhiyong Zhang Feiyue Zhao
IE-11 Transforming Tomorrow: Strategic Solutions for WE, The World
Industry Mentor: WE, The World
Haoyu Ding
Julia Roselli
Xindi Shao
Matt Tarone
Heather Wittmer
Qingyu Zhang
IE-12 Optimizing Material Flow: Zoll Gamma Facility
Industry Mentor: Zoll
Sam Alfieri
Weitian Chen
Keith Mawhinney
John Murray Yuhong Xia
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE
Advisor: David Schmidt
MEMS-1 Multimodal UAV Detection
Faculty Mentor: Paul Leu
Industry Mentor: Army Sponsor (DEVCOM)
Matthew Houston
Dmitri Asay
Alex Schehadi Jayden Provance
MEMS-2 Development of a Simulation-Based Approach for Cable Cleats
Industry Mentor: Anthony Immormino, Atkore
Chris Jakuboski
Jean Chen
Sarah Needham
MEMS-3 Remote Control Vehicle for Use in Contaminated Environments
Industry Mentor: Jared Andes, Naval Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)
Andrew Cohen
David Hosken
Benjamin Krauss
William Lichauer
MEMS-4 Development of an Automated Hydroponics System
Academic Mentor: Hydroponics Club & Dave Schmidt
Michael Manko
Maya Connors
Anagha Venkaresh
MEMS-5 A Platform for the Development of Solutions to Reduce Acoustic Noise in Homeless Encampments
Academic Mentor: Dr Fisher, Pitt Street Medicine
Ryan Aiken
Jayden Coffey
William Hoover
Li Huang
Katherine Ranallo
Rose Sharga
MEMS-6 Acoustic Noise Reduction for Urban Homeless Populations
Academic Mentor: Dr Fisher, Pitt Street Medicine
Rebekah Burns
Elizabeth Fillman
Ben Fidler
Maia Gulley
MEMS-7 FlexiHold: Revolutionizing Metallographic
Sample Preparation for Advanced Materials Analysis
Faculty Mentor: Wei Xiong
Pocket Pizzutillo
Everett Sweger-Eisenhart
Chen Wang
Daniel Weiler
MEMS-8 Design and Development of Metalized 3D Woven Fabrics for EMI Shielding Applications NASA
Faculty Mentor: Paul Leu
Industry Mentor: NASA
Paul McPartland
Brian Obaid
Anthony Sandone
Ryan Vidal
MEMS-9 Development of a Variable-Stiffness
Electromagnetic Actuator for Fish-Like Locomotion
Faculty Mentor: Nikhil Bajaj
Jack Berkowitz
Adam Browning
Zhemeng Chen
Emily McShane
Jackson Morrow
Adam Raible
MEMS-10 Novel Electromagnetic Actuator for a Fish-Like Robot
Faculty Mentor: Nikhil Bajaj
Luke Ittyachen
Phoebe Katz
Noah Karow
Claire Rossi
Parra Wang
MEMS-11 Design of Lightweight Broad-Band
Microwave Absorbers
Faculty Mentor: Paul Leu
Industry Mentor: Army Research Lab
Kristian Borysiak
Anton Brunick
Benjamin Carr
Brendan Lang
Hannah Muschinski
Steven Panico
Bryce Patterson
Joseph Valinis
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE
MEMS-12 Vibration Durability of Printed Electronics for UAVs
Faculty Mentor: Paul Leu
Industry Mentor: Army Sponsor (DEVCOM)
Ezra Dugosh
David Engler
Adam Gosden
Nathan Hoffeditz
Minh Nguyen
Brittany Sadej
MEMS-13 Multi-Layer Platform Adapter for Binder Jet 3D Printing
Faculty Mentor: Markus Chmielus
Maxwell Langer
Jintian Xu
Chenyuan Ye
MEMS-14 Development of Thermal Management Solutions for AI Datacenters Using High Thermal Conductivity Materials - A
Faculty Mentor: Paul Leu
Industry Mentor: Coherent
Xingze Li
Chentong Lu
Hongyu Piao
Sicheng Yu Jihao Zhang
MEMS-15 Development of Thermal Management Solutions for AI Datacenters Using High Thermal Conductivity Materials – B
Faculty Mentor: Paul Leu
Industry Mentor: Coherent
Lauren Beck
Ryan Carroll
Emma Murphy
Ganesh Selvakumar
Taorui Su
Ruiqi Wang
MEMS-16 A High Precision Pedestal for Mechanical Testing
Academic Sponsor: Patrick Smolinski
Brady Dolan
Jared Fedosick
Jake Jarosh
Hanming Zhang
MEMS-17 Flexural Single-Drive Linear Travel Stage for Coarse and Fine Motion Control
Industry Mentor: Aerotech
Aiden Giles
Chenbowen Li
Austin Pierce
Austin Schmidt Rigel Voelker
MEMS-18 Microsurgery Re-Envisioned: A Portable, Low-Cost Intraoperative Magnification System - A
Faculty Mentor: Justin Beiriger, UPMC Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Timothy Chango Gassett
Nathan Mock
Thuc Tran
Shunsuke Uemura
MEMS-19 Microsurgery Re-Envisioned: A Portable, Low-Cost Intraoperative Magnification System – B
Faculty Mentor: Justin Beiriger, UPMC Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery)
Tamara Adjin-Tettey
Yuxiang Chen
Yuanxiang Gong
Ethan Martin
Samuel Melchior
Timothy Sullivan
Haojin Zhang
MEMS-20 Projects in the Ocular Biomechanics Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Ian Sigal, Laboratory of Ocular Biomechanics
Juliette Davoine
Meilin Gao
Isabelle McGowan
Jose Morales
Carina Rose
MEMS-21 Full Body Recovery Roller System: Wall-Mounted Frame
Industry Mentor: Tim Taylor, Cobra System
Aidan Davis
Reyhan Faizi
Samuel Little
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE (continued )
MEMS-22 Full Body Recovery Roller System: Mechanical Interface for Vibrating Roller
Industry Mentor: Tim Taylor, Cobra System
Drew Curci
Conor Fallon
Luke Wilson
MEMS-23 Calibration and Validation Test Fixture of Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications
Faculty Mentor: Paul Ohodnicki
Industry Mentor: Bechtel Plant Machinery
Brennan Donnelly
Isaac Ellis
Joseph Kearney
Julia Loffredi
Steven Smith
PRODUCT REALIZATION
Advisor: Eric Winter
PR-1 “Smart” Medicine Dispenser
Jeremy Fresh
Cindy Lkhagvasuren
Jessica Wong
Danielle Yakubisin
PR-2 Non-invasive Medical Diagnostics for Rapid Analysis and Results
Lily Armstrong
Derrick Gonzalez
Annabella Peretti
Yingli Wang
PR-3 Wearable Fall Injury Protection via Expandable Foam
Shane Conlin
Eric Eversbusch
Kenechukwu Nnake
PR-4 Optimized Solar PV Usage under Time-of-Day (TOD) Pricing Models
Weitian Chen
Nicholas LaMantia
MEMS-24 FSAE Team – Motor Selection and Design
Faculty Mentor: Will Slaughter
Edward Disy
Logan Huwe
Matthew Renda
Bodhi Wilson
Joshua Summers
Sicheng Yu
PR-5 “Canales” Cleaning Mechanism Demonstration
Mia Chupein
Eli Marks
Katie Mcguire
Evan Peluso
PR-6 Alternate (Renewable) Energy Sourcing at Commercial Scale
Arjun Bains
Bhargav Gadiparthi
John Nelligan
Brigit O’Bannon
PR-7 Locatable, Trackable Cane for Elderly
Aritra Ghatak
Daniel Orrego
Viral Shah
Aaron Williams
