Mechanical Engineering Seniors Showcase Innovation at Senior Design Presentations
On May 15, seniors from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stony Brook University presented their Senior Design projects, marking the culmination of four years of engineering education, collaboration, and hands-on problem solving.
The two-semester Senior Design course, taught by Professors Jay Mendelson and Jon Longtin, challenges students to apply the knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their undergraduate careers to real-world engineering problems. Working in teams, students select a project, conduct technical research, develop design proposals, prepare progress reports, and present their work throughout the design process. They then complete the engineering cycle by building and testing prototypes, analyzing performance, documenting results and delivering final presentations.
This year, 21 teams showcased projects spanning a broad range of engineering disciplines and applications. Students designed and built innovative solutions including racing car and boat components, competitive rockets, medical devices, and new systems for heating and cooling, recycling, and manufacturing.
“The level of creativity, ingenuity, and excitement that these students have brought has been remarkable,” said Professor Jon Longtin. “I am particularly impressed with the breadth of the projects and the ambition that our students have undertaken. In many respects, this is the first time they have really had the challenge of bringing together everything they have learned. It is not an easy task, especially with the demands of their other classes, and it has been impressive to see what they have accomplished.”
Professor Mendelson expressed pride in his students and their presentations, saying that for him, the best part was watching the videos each group created to showcase their projects. “YouTube can’t hold a candle to our students!” he said.
Following the presentations, the department awarded the Golden Gear Award, which recognizes the top Senior Design team based on overall project performance, including prototype development, teamwork, and engineering problem-solving.
This year’s Golden Gear Award was presented to Group 14 for their project, "Test Platform for Ferrofluidic Cooling of Electric Vehicle Batteries," The winning team was advised by Professor Spencer Zimmerman and included:
- Daria Armiyaeva
- Gianna Uliano
- Samantha Zborovsky
- Neinei Du
The team's project involved designing and building a recirculating turbulent-flow channel capable of operating with a wide variety of working fluids. To create the fully transparent rectangular test section, the students engineered custom couplings with multiple sealing systems while also selecting pumps, wiring motor controllers, and plumbing the complete apparatus. The finished platform will enable researchers to study how fluids—including those that respond to magnetic fields—can be used to improve heat transfer from heated surfaces, with potential applications in liquid cooling systems for electric vehicle battery packs and other advanced thermal management technologies.
Reflecting on the team's accomplishments, Professor Zimmerman praised both the quality of their work and their dedication throughout the project.
"The team went far beyond even my most optimistic expectations. Supervising a team aiming for an 'A' is always rewarding, but this group seemed even more motivated by a genuine sense of pride and ownership in the project. All four students spent nights and weekends this spring designing, redesigning, machining, assembling, and testing a truly finished-quality system. Their work will undoubtedly serve as a key piece of infrastructure in my laboratory for many years."
The department also recognized the runner-up team, Group 1 for their project, "Shock Absorber Dynamometer," Team members included:
- Nick Clement
- Kevin Zhuo
- Ashton Gomes
- William Ouzounian
- Arib Chowdhury
With the help of faculty advisor Noah Machtay, Group 1 designed and built a fully automated system to characterize the damping forces of a shock absorber used on the Stony Brook Motorsports off-road vehicle. The system allows users to vary both the speed and stroke length of the shock while capturing its performance in real time. Professionally packaged with an ergonomic interface, the design also incorporated safety features including protective guards, interlocks, and an emergency stop.
Department Chair P. Scott Carney emphasized the impact of the students’ work and the role of Senior Design in preparing future engineering leaders.
“Stony Brook engineers are not only people who go out and work in the industry. They’re people who go out and define the industry, and we see the start of it here in their senior design projects.”
The annual Senior Design showcase celebrates the innovation, dedication, and engineering excellence of Stony Brook Mechanical Engineering students as they transform ideas into working solutions and prepare to make meaningful contributions to the engineering profession.