Innovation and real‑world impact on display
May 4, 2026
As the semester drew to a close, the department came together for one of its signature traditions: the Senior Design showcase. Each year, students partner with real clients—from local governments and landowners to the National Park Service and community groups—to tackle an authentic engineering challenge.
Throughout the fall, teams conduct site visits, gather data, and map out their approach. By spring, they transition into full problem‑solving mode, transforming months of research into practical, innovative solutions. Their work culminates in a poster session held during the department’s spring banquet, where faculty, graduate students, and advisory board members evaluate each project. At the end of the session, three standout teams are selected and announced during the banquet. These teams go on to represent the department at a national conference—where, for the past five years, they have consistently placed in the top three.
This Year’s Senior Design Winners
3rd Place: FillBot Pit Crew
Ian Casasoz, Megan Luczko, Matthew Bryant, and Emma Copening
FillBot set out to improve the process of filling NMR tubes, a task traditionally done by hand, often inconsistently, and with fragile, sterile equipment. While automated systems exist, they tend to be expensive and take up valuable lab space. The team designed a compact, cost‑effective robot capable of filling NMR tubes with precision and reliability. Their solution aims to make high‑quality sample preparation more accessible, ultimately supporting more efficient drug discovery.
2nd Place: Kombucha Nanofibers
Katy More, Ben McNally, Braden Ross, and Ben Sapperstein
This team focused on improving wound‑care materials by targeting Candida tropicalis, a fungal pathogen responsible for roughly 2,500 hospital‑acquired infections in the U.S. each year, particularly among immunocompromised patients. Their goal was to engineer a hybrid antifungal material using kombucha‑derived bacterial cellulose combined with antimicrobial nanofibers. The cellulose provides an ideal scaffold due to its scalability, biodegradability, and compatibility with added fibers. The resulting material is designed to be durable, biocompatible, and resistant to microbial contamination, offering a promising new approach to wound protection.
1st Place: HydroLogic
Nate Foley, Cameron Brinson, Ella Lewis, and Cara Elledge
HydroLogic addressed a stormwater management crisis affecting a neighborhood in Bluefield, VA, where flooding from a nearby stream had repeatedly damaged homes. Previous mitigation attempts had unintentionally worsened the issue, causing water to back up into yards and basements—exacerbated further by Hurricane Helene, which left some homes with five feet of water. The team also had to account for the endangered Candy Darter fish living in the stream, ensuring their design protected the species’ habitat. Working closely with homeowners, HydroLogic developed a sustainable, affordable, and environmentally sensitive solution to reduce flooding and restore community resilience.
Congratulations to all the teams that participated this year. The department is proud to highlight the creativity, dedication, and impact of our seniors’ work. Their projects reflect not only technical skill but a commitment to solving real‑world problems.
