Air Traffic Control (ATC) and pilot radio communications are essential for flight safety and operational efficiency. For testing avionics based on AI technology that supports aviation communication, there is a need for realistic, generative conversations between ATC and pilots that include not only the textual dialogue but also nuanced details like accent, emotion, and ambient noise.

This project will involve:
1. Reviewing authentic ATC/pilot communication recordings to understand common phrasing, call structures, and communication styles.
2. Annotating raw human audio recordings with metadata specifying accents, emotional tone (e.g., calm, stressed, urgent), and background noise characteristics (e.g., cockpit chatter, static, airport sounds).
3. Designing an AI-powered generative system capable of creating realistic ATC/pilot conversations that simulate believable real-world flight scenarios.
4. Developing methods to ensure variability and authenticity in generated conversations, including simulating diverse global accents and environmental conditions.
5. Building a prototype software tool that can generate and output both text transcripts and synthetic audio based on the annotated metadata.
6. Testing and validating the realism of generated conversations against expert evaluations (e.g., aviation professionals).

Background: Northrop Grumman Space Systems develops leading edge aerospace technologies, especially in Hypersonic flight. Launch vehicles in this regime encounter environments with ultra-high temperatures, extreme vibrational shock, and large dynamic/structural loads. As their material temperature may change thousands of degrees in a few seconds, designs require the proper characterization of material strengths at high temperatures. However, existing material property data was generated from exposure to low temperatures for long durations. This is the impetus of this project: a desire to obtain short-duration exposure material properties at very high temperatures. This data will be used to assess material capability for hypersonics and drive design improvements.

Scope: (1) Work with Northrop Grumman Engineers to understand the needs and desires of the delivered project. (2) Establish and maintain a project management plan, timeline, and budget. (3) Design a Hypersonic Materials Characterization Apparatus that displays sample information, tensile load, and temperature over time for common dog-bone sample geometries. (4) Analyze the design to withstand loads and temperatures. (5) Perform a design concept trade study on factors such as accuracy, instrumentation, repeatability, cost, manufacturability, scalability, and ease of modeling/testing. (6) Construct a working prototype of the designed apparatus ahead of an in-depth test campaign. (7) As part of the design effort, conduct a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR) which are required to provide periodic updates and reviews by Northrop Grumman subject matter experts (SMEs) and leadership. (8) Demonstrate via a variety of tests to verify that all design requirements specified are met by the proposed design. (9) Provide final product to Northrop Grumman in the form of a working prototype and final report chronicling design, analysis, and test results. (10) Present final product at the Northrop Grumman Chandler Design Day fair with additional Northrop Grumman sponsored Arizona capstone teams such as ASU, ASU Polytechnic, and NAU.

The automated weight bearing 3D ultrasound foot scanner is a compact portable medical device that measures the stiffness of the structures supporting the arch of the foot. The foot scan results will be used clinically to screen patients at risk for impending arch collapse. The device consists of a medical grade platform, a servomotor actuator, an ultrasound probe, an ultrasound gel pad, a computer controller and a graphical user interface.

Performance Requirements
The bioprinter must consistently meet specific performance benchmarks critical for successful cell culture:
• Temperature maintained at 37 ± 0.5°C with uniformity within 1°C
• CO₂ concentration maintained at 5 ± 0.2%
• Sterility maintained without contamination for multi-week experiments
• Fluid dispensing accuracy within ±5% volume
• Positional accuracy of needle placement within ±1 µm
• High-quality fluorescence imaging at 20×–40× magnification without significant degradation; secondary imaging resolution around 10 µm
• Reliability and safe failure mechanisms ensuring continuous uptime during critical experiments
Project constraints
• budget approx $5,000 (part or all of which can be supplemented by my funding)
• Final prototype must be safe and functional.
• The control software and user interface will be developed in Python (a required technology for this project), allowing flexibility in hardware interfacing and data analysis.

The Hand Lab has a goal of improving finger dexterity deterioration associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. This interdisciplinary capstone project aims to design and prototype a novel sensory stimulation device for individual digits. The device will be integrated with tactile vibrators associated with individual digits. Stimulation will be delivered to individual digits in a random manner. A digit will be required to respond to the stimulation with digit flexion. This project presents an open-ended design challenge that spans mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and biomedical instrumentation. Students will need to investigate tactile vibrators, motor response recording, and electronically controlled randomization of stimulation delivery. This project must be completed within defined constraints of time, budget, and regulatory safety.

- Design and build a cost-effective, multiparametric monitoring platform for rodent surgical procedures.
- Integrate a temperature regulation system (with a thermostat and heat support), sensors for respiratory and heart rates, n integrate an SpO₂ sensor for oxygen saturation.
-Enable wireless connectivity (Bluetooth and/or WiFi) for real-time data transmission and remote monitoring.
-Develop a mobile application to display live data and support secure data logging and analysis.
-Ensure system functionality with optional onboard display and storage (LCD and microSD) for offline reliability.
-Prototype must be tested and validated under simulated and live surgical conditions as part of an IACUC-approved protocol.
-Provide thorough documentation and design recommendations for scalability to larger rodent species and integration into research workflows.

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) are increasingly used in modern conflicts and civilian applications, posing challenges for airspace security. This project aims to develop a distributed Counter Uncrewed Aircraft System (CUAS) capable of detecting and tracking UAS using innovative sensing and processing techniques. The system will consist of multiple modules that operate collaboratively to identify and localize UAS in a defined area.
Student teams will work to:
1. Explore sensing technologies (e.g., acoustic, visual, or other) to detect UAS signatures.
2. Investigate methods for processing and sharing data between distributed modules.
3. Design and prototype hardware and software solutions for detection, localization, and visualization of UAS.

Trees, in particular topical trees, have a large impact on the global carbon cycling and with increasing climate change we need to understand the feedbacks of natural ecosystems on the global atmosphere. Trees interact with the surrounding air mainly through their leaves, so it is of particular interest for ecosystem ecologists to understand how individual leaves interact with the air in real-time and under conditions we humans do not thrive in.
Researchers have measured leaf gas exchange for many years, either with handheld instruments (slow and not easily repeatable) or with leaf/branch bags or leaf cuvettes. Most of these have a strong impact on the leaf environmental conditions by modifying the light, temperature or humidity. These modifications also impact the leaf functioning and these methods thus do not yield reliable results. Recent development of autonomous small leaf cuvettes that can be 3D printed (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10516825) appears to be a new method that might help ecologists to measure leaf gas exchange with minimal impact on leaves.

Scope: 1) with the sponsors research the current design (connect with the researchers who have developed it) and see how it can be improved upon, 2) evaluate the control requirements for reliable and controllable closure of the cuvette design, 3) design the small autonomous leaf cuvette, the electronic control system, and computer code to control the system 4) build (3D print the cuvette and control electronics box) a proto-type complete with mechanical and electronic diagrams and computer code, 5) test the proto-type in the Biosphere 2 rainforest ecosystem to test the system under realistic environmental conditions; 6) develop the plans to transform the prototype into a system that can be deployed on leaves of multiple species in the Biosphere 2 rainforest, and 7) present the results at design day and potentially at a conference.

The sponsor will supply the instrumentation needed to make gas exchange measurements.

1. Pack Design for Single Cells (1.56V, 13Ah, 1S1P) – for characterizing cells and understanding heating/insulation requirements
1.1. Single Cell Pack design
1.1.1. Cells will be provided
1.1.2. Housing/pack
1.1.3. Insulation
1.1.4. Heating element (w/ controller)
1.1.5. Temperature feedback
1.2. Testing
1.2.1. Means of charging/discharging cells
1.2.2. Characterize cells through a range of temperatures (room temp down to -60C or less ideally)
1.2.3. Characterize cells through a range of pressures – sub atmospheric – target pressure will depend on what is available
1.2.4. Data collection and review
2. 12V Pack design (12.5V, 13Ah, 8S1P) – Final design
2.1. Pack design
2.1.1. Cells will be provided
2.1.2. Housing/pack
2.1.3. Insulation
2.1.4. Heating element (w/ controller)
2.1.5. Temperature feedback
2.2. Testing
2.2.1. Means of charging/discharging cells
2.2.2. Characterize pack through a range of temperatures (room temp down to -60C or less ideally)
2.2.3. Characterize pack through a range of pressures – sub atmospheric – target pressure will depend on what is available
2.2.4. Data collection and review

Project Title: DENSITY MATTERS: Optimizing Aluminum Scrap Bale Density Through Equipment Design and Remelt Analysis

This capstone project proposes a partnership between Logemann—an industry leader in scrap processing equipment with over 140 years of manufacturing legacy—and the University of Arizona College of Engineering to analyze and optimize aluminum bale density for remelt efficiency. Students will work directly with Logemann’s engineering team and participating foundries to measure the impact of bale density on yield, dross formation, energy consumption, carbon output, and transportation efficiency. A key focus of the project will be the mechanical review and design modification of existing Logemann balers to produce the highest density, highest throughput aluminum bales possible. The team will evaluate structural and hydraulic parameters to improve compaction force and material flow. Results will support the development of an industry-validated density standard and contribute to circular manufacturing goals. The project offers students real-world experience in applied mechanical design, sustainability metrics, and industrial process optimization.