Develop an industrial scale process for converting coffee grounds to biodiesel.

Evaluate feasibility of options to recover water from cooling towers in water stressed areas.

Build a web based platform to present data to area growers from transmitted data from Li-Cor 710 Team Database. The web based platform shall give area growers a unique login capability to access real time information and stored historical data from the Li-Cor 710 agricultural sensor in an easy to use platform.

To collect transmitted data from Li-Cor 710 agricultural sensor, automatically process data to remove anomalous data, reformat and transmit useable data to Li-Cor 710 team dashboard.

Scope:
Create hardware and software capable of understanding a given cube’s existing configuration, determining a solution, and physically manipulating the cube to a solved state.

NEED:
Automated robot capable of taking a Rubik’s cube in any configuration and solving it.

Requirements:
Solve a Rubik’s cube
• Capable of solving a 3x3 cube
o Stretch goal – solve 2x2, 4x4, 5x5…
• Open and accessible solution
o Solution implemented must be understandable/digestible by an interested bystander
• User GUI – share optimal solution with the user before solving the cube

Design and integrate a modular telescope subsystem combining COTS optics with custom fabricated subsystems for automated tracking, imaging, power management, data processing, and wireless telemetry to enable fully autonomous celestial observation and analysis. The student team will be responsible to develop as much of the needed capability organically and only rely on COTS to a minimal extent.

ASTRA (Autonomous Sky Tracking & Reconnaissance Apparatus) is intended to be a fully integrated optical telescope designed for precise, hands-free observation of celestial targets. The design centers on a COTS telescope as the primary optical element. All other subsystems, including pan-tilt actuation, power delivery, imaging integration, and wireless telemetry, are expected to be developed from individual components or custom, student fabricated modules. At its core, ASTRA is focused on high quality astrophotography and the ability to identify celestial objects, capture clear images of space, and utilize on board algorithms to analyze and post process images. The system shall include automated tracking, motorized optical zoom, dynamic focusing, active light filtering, and self-calibration using celestial reference points. Additionally, the ASTRA system shall support simultaneous viewing with naked-eye and camera-based viewing, allowing both direct visual observation and real time digital imaging. The system shall utilize a GUI in conjunction with visual data, collected from the on-board camera system, to enable seamless remote operation

Carnival games require incredible skills and precision. Most of the time they are scams, tricks, or money sinks. We are looking to have a system created to help us win every target-based carnival game we come across. This system needs to be able to be fully autonomous, we will be focused on distracting the attendant while the system operates. Low profile, I cannot pull up a car sized system to a carnival booth, it will need to be low profile enough to carry on my back before deployment. Highly efficient, I only want the best prizes, so the system should be able to target, recognize, and only shoot at the highest priority targets. Accurate, the system will need to be able to hit targets of varying sizes/colors and moving at varying speeds.

***This project will be conducting interviews both online and in person - please choose one or the other, not both. For online, please visit this link - https://bit.ly/RTX26074 ***

Project Description: The recent COVID pandemic revealed the importance of sterile, enclosed, and properly fitting face coverings for minimizing the spread of the pathogens and for protecting one’s health, particularly for health care workers routinely exposed to infectious pathogens. Furthermore, recent measles, mpox, and bird flu outbreaks have infectious disease experts concerned about our preparedness for the next pandemic. Frontline healthcare workers often use multiple face masks and shields every day to minimize potential exposure to pathogens. Frequent mask or shield changing risks pathogen exposure from contaminated external surfaces, while insufficient masks and shields also risks contamination, and overall, heavy consumption of this PPE (personal protective equipment) generates significant and potentially hazardous biomedical waste. Facemasks such as the N95 type don’t seal well and they cover most of the wearer’s face making it impossible to read lips or emotions. A reusable, well-fitting, self-sterilizing, enclosed face shield could protect the wearer, allow for mor effective communication, and would generate much less biomedical waste. Ultraviolet (UV)light has proven to be an effective disinfectant for decades and the UVC band (100 - 280nm) particularly has demonstrated the most effective antimicrobial properties. However, UVC light can damage the eyes and skin and even cause skin cancer. Surprisingly, a recently discovered narrow band within the UVC band (200 – 230nm), often referred to as far UVC (fUVC), does not harm skin or eyes yet still retains excellent disinfecting properties. The project goal is to create a process for making custom form-fitted face shields that can be used by itself or with a modular ventilation system and/or a modular UV disinfecting light source.
Scope:
(1) Identify a 3D facial scanning tool to produce accurate models of a person’s face.
(2) Identify and develop a method to shape the plastic shield material to conform precisely to the person’s face.
(3) Identify optimal light weight materials, shape, and volume of air to be enclosed by face shield for comfort, respiratory mechanics and ease of use
(4) Identify optimal HEPA filtration method to achieve disinfection while maintaining respiratory mechanics
(5) Integrate raw HEPA filter material to enable adequate passive ventilation without blocking the face.
(6) Integrate a commercial off-the-shelf COTS active (air pump-based) ventilation system incorporating HEPA air filtration.
(7) Stretch Goal: Integrate commercial fUVC light source to face shield to uniformly disinfect surfaces when activated. This can utilize the previous work completed on a capstone project last year that included: fUVC light source, drive electronics and exposure control.
(8) Build a prototype system and manufacturing method, complete with system diagrams, mechanical drawings, electrical diagrams, and manufacturing work instructions.
(9) Assess and incorporate appropriate bio-medical design elements to maintain optimal respiratory mechanics for the face shield user.
(10) Present results in a PowerPoint presentation.

Design, build, and bench test an optical metrology module that measures the size, velocity, and particle trajectory of microspheres between the size of 100-500 um.

Problem and Capstone Statement (using microspheres):

The detection and qualification of Sn debris after the creation of plasma is critical for informing the extent of contamination in the scanner. This information can be used to tune system design to minimize debris creation and ensure a high yield of wafers. It is desirable to produce a metrology system that measures the size, velocity, and trajectory of moving targets - microspheres - for quantifying the extent of Sn debris within the EUV system to inform Sn management strategies.

The project task is to design and build a prototype system using commercial off-the-shelf parts, supplemented by 3D-printed or locally-machined parts, to deliver a unit that will be tested on a UA test bench. The approximate size of the system (metrology unit) consisting of the microsphere launch system, light source, and detector should fit inside a cube of no more than 2ft on each side – additional circuitry for collecting and displaying outputs need not be included in the contained metrology unit. Further details will be explored by the team during conversations with ASML leads.

Hypersonic flight is a developing field in aerospace engineering that is very important to both military and civilian applications and is an area of interest for Northrop Grumman. There are currently many different methods of launching a hypersonic projectile, including railguns, rocket stages, and gas-powered guns. This opportunity requires innovation in areas like aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and materials science. Designing a low altitude hypersonic system requires consideration of multiple factors stemming from efficiency and viability. Current hypersonic systems require large quantities of both research and man hours, leading to incredible designs that suffer due to their high production cost and lack of specific functional requirements. This project provides an opportunity to develop a hypersonic flight vehicle that maximizes range and minimizes cost, using principal manufacturing/design methods to create a highly effective hypersonic flight vehicle. Additionally, this project provides an opportunity to submit the projectile design to the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics Undergraduate Hypersonic Flight Design Competition and to test the design in the Army Research Lab upon winning.