University of Iowa College of Engineering Research Open House
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Creative Kick-Start Award Winners to Present Posters!
Twenty-two Creative Kick-Start Award Winners will be presenting posters showcasing their award-winning inventions at the College of Engineering Research Open House on Thursday, April 11, 2019!
The Creative Kick-Start is a program developed by the Engineering Library & the Engineering Technology Centers for engineering students (undergraduate and graduate) to submit a proposal to receive funding for prototyping/finishing their projects using the services offered through the Creative Space, Engineering Electronic Shop & Machine Shop.
Presentations will beheld in the 2nd Floor Lobby of the Seamans Center.
Kick-Start Presentations from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Adam Hoffman and Philip Abangan will be presenting their creation, Asonus Tech. The Asonus Tech is an alerting device which is designed to alert the user, via vibration, of important noises in the surrounding environment. It is a small, wearable device which will help those with hearing impairments be aware of doorbells, fire alarms, and other important sounds – including their name. Their project is sponsored by Lynn Allendorf.
Ashley Mathews designed a self-defense device, the Kineta. The Kineta is designed to shock attackers when they come into contact with the person wearing the device. It is designed to be worn as a wristband and uses voltage to deliver a shock to the perpetrator. Her project is sponsored by Dr. Gary Christensen.
Kick-Start Presentations from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Greg Beaver and Walker Jarvie will present their Car Turbo Jet Engine. Their goal was to take a turbocharger from a car and turn it into a jet engine. This required fabricating a combustion chamber, flame tube and the necessary piping to connect the system. It also required designing and building an oil system, and a fuel system. This project is sponsored by Dr. Albert Ratner.
Body Betty is an interactive toy which uses a doll and a fun app to teach anatomy. It was created and designed by Caroline Chelsvig and Emily Leibold. The app quizzes the user on basic anatomy and physiology. Body Betty has different outfits each of which may be connected to the doll. The app and Body Betty may both be used on their own. This toy will be ideal for teaching young girls STEM concepts. This project is sponsored by Dr. Jennifer Flegel.
Kick-Start Presentations from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Olivia Laux, Kaylin Slinskey, Lucinda Williamson, Jared McClung, and Bryan Williams developed the Air Chair. The goal is to produce a way to reduce damage to wheel chairs during commercial air travel. They created a shield which will have two hard sides which can fold down into tiles and put on the back of the chair. The sides would have a sturdy mesh and reinforcing rods used to interlock the hard portions of the shield to limit the effects of impressive forces. This group hopes their invention will encourage confident and independent travel experiences for those needing wheel chairs. Dr. Colleen Bringman is their sponsor.
The Root Canal Pal is a device created by Ethan Slater, Collin Zweifel, Annie Cahill, Shao Yang Zhang, and Nina VanDerZanden. Their idea is to create a device that will stimulate large nerve fibers in the facial area. It will mask the brain’s perception of pain and work in tandem with existing local anesthetic administration. It will utilize vibrational frequency to stimulate the larger nerves of the face to block out the pain perception of a dental procedure. Their project is sponsored by Dr. Colleen Bringman.
James Cory, Jayme Waite, Dakota Streit, Cecily Calcopietro, and Isaak Moore have devised Optimus Prone: Improved Shoulder Rehabilitation. Their goal is to create equipment and methods for proper, prone bilateral execution of prone Y’s, prone I’s, and prone T’s exercies for shoulder injury patients. Mike Shaffer is their sponsor.
Stop in to the Seamans Center 2nd Floor Lobby (in the new annex) and support all the students presenting posters at the Research Open House!