On Wednesday, May 14, the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) hosted the 5th annual Pelton Senior Design Competition and Senior-Alumni BBQ.
The event is made possible by an endowed fund—The Pelton Award for Outstanding Senior Project—from former SEAS faculty member Joe Pelton. Held annually the Wednesday before graduation, the event showcases the best SEAS senior projects of the year from their respective discipline’s senior design showcase.
Cash prizes are awarded for first through third place and for whether the project is deemed patentable and/or green. This year, more than 150 guests watched the five teams compete.
Audience members were given the opportunity to ask questions of each team at the conclusion of their presentation. A panel of judges—four alumni, five faculty, and one friend of SEAS—reviewed each project during a private session and then again during the public presentation portion of the program.
First place and $1,200 was awarded to Geneva Goldwood and Johnathon Johnson, representing the mechanical and aerospace engineering department. Their project, “A Tissue-engineered Scaffold and Phototherapy for Nerve Tissue Regeneration,” was deemed patentable.
Second place and $600 was award to electrical and computer engineering department students Brandon Bernier and Srinivas Tapa for their project “Collision Avoidance System for the Visually Impaired.” This project was also deemed patentable.
Third place went to biomedical engineering students Daniel Gil and Ben Nakamura for the project “Energy-efficient Electric Wheelchair.” They received $300 and their project was deemed “green.”
After the awards were presented, the evening concluded with the Senior-Alumni BBQ, where students and alumni have the chance to network and get to know one another.
Three SEAS alumni—GW Trustee Scott Amey, MS ’75; Ashok Jha, BS ’86, MS ’92; and Howard Tischler, MS ’80—annually sponsor the barbeque that culminates the evening’s celebration of innovation. All three alumni serve on the SEAS National Advisory Council.
–Buthaina Shukri
View the photo album to see the evening’s festivities!
