Awarding engineering students for their work is one of the main purposes behind the annual open house and awards banquet hosted by Wichita State University’s College of Engineering.
The 2010 event, on April 30-May 1, featured about 70 student research projects.
Many of the projects came from senior engineer design classes that allow students to apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems.
WSU engineering students received more than $6,500 in awards provided by sponsors Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, Cessna, MKEC Engineering Consultants and the National Institute for Aviation Research. Other awards were provided by engineering societies and individual departments within the College of Engineering.
The Boeing Co. awarded five projects. "Best in Show" and $350 went to the project "A Fully Bayesian Approach for Sample Size Determination," by student Nasser Safaie.
Spirit AeroSystems awarded two projects. First place and $500 went to the project "Robotic Friction Stir Welding End Effector," by teammates James Gross and Joseph Marshall.
Cessna Aircraft Co. awarded two projects. The Outstanding Project award and $250 went to the project "Assembly Line Analysis: Cessna Caravan Wing Buildup," by the team of Noel Aistrup, Brent Garber and Andrew Niles.
MKEC Engineering Consultants awarded three projects. Innovation in Engineering Design and $100 went to the project "Vornado Fan Grill," by the team of Chase Hoppock, Derek Plowman, Tyler Yung, Cameron Cox, Prawinath Aponso and Yet Terng Tan. The Sound Principles and Clean Design award and $150 went to the project "HD Plasma Speakers," by the team of Tristan Tullis, Blake Hurley and Alex Siemer.
National Institute for Aviation Research awarded three student engineering projects with its annual Excellence in Aviation Research award. First place and $250 went to the project "TB24 Design, Validate and Compete Aircraft," by the team of Brian Kollar, Tyler Higgs, Mark Holliday, Austin Reed and Nick Steinbrink for their electric-powered remote-controlled aircraft.
The Clark Beck Excellence in Communication award and $500 went to the project "Assembly Line Analysis: Cessna Caravan Wing Buildup," by the team of Noel Aistrup, Brent Garber and Andrew Niles.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Best Computer and Electrical Engineering Project award and $300 went to "Robotic Spider," by the team of Clint Houchin, Izzah Cheema, Osman Rasheed and Riley Epperson.
For more information, visit http://www.wichita.edu/engineeringopenhouse.