A crucial component to conducting stem cell research is maintaining a low-oxygen, or hypoxic, growing environment where cells can thrive.

Current commercial devices, known as hypoxia chambers, are expensive. Our interdisciplinary team of Vandal engineers, Andrew Hartman, Jacob Knudson, Colin Marchus, Alexandra Morrison and Isabell Strawn are working toward developing a functional, simple and low-cost hypoxia chamber for stem cell research that is specifically designed to be customizable and more accessible for researchers.

The team also plans to publish a paper on the project by the end of the semester so other researchers can utilize their design.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

In 2020, 10.3 million acres were burned by wildfire, up from 4.7 million in 2019. These disasters cause major destruction, yet our primary tool for detecting wildfire is simply smelling smoke.

The scientific world only recently discovered large wildfires generate infrasonic waves, or sound below the frequency of what the average human can hear, under 20 hertz.

Our interdisciplinary team of engineering and computer science seniors, Meridian Haas, Cory Holt, Andrew Malinowski and Carlos Santos, are developing a device that uses infrasonic detection and signal processing to detect wildfires.

These devices, deployed in batches, can be used to create a communications network to relay detection information to responders along with GPS coordinates and timestamps at regular intervals.

“The ability to signal to firefighters to pinpoint a wildfire location when it’s still small could help save thousands of acres and homes,” Haas said. “We want to make this device as cheap as possible and have as many as we can.”

Using a long-range and low-power data transmit network, Holt said the team has verified device communication up to 12 miles so far, well past their ½ mile goal.

The team has developed a compact, low-cost, prototype that could eventually be constructed from decomposable materials to reduce environmental impact.

The long-term goal would be to drop these devices on a location by air. Materials testing is ongoing.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

The current bridge over Deep Creek near the City of Potlatch, Idaho, is well-aged and no longer up to current safety and design specifications including bridge width, shoulder width, guardrail, and more.

The bridge will be replaced this year, and civil engineering seniors Daniel Brands, Anthony Clay, Cody Peters and Jade Williams are designing a new, up-to-spec, safe and affordable bridge to help the public and all who drive US-95 daily.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Vandal engineers are helping improve NASA satellite communication by building better CubeSats!

These miniature satellites are expensive, but individual components are less so. Our large team of computer science, electrical and mechanical engineers are reducing cost by integrating commercially available orientation control and communication systems.

Another focus is on radiation shielding materials to enable the use of advanced processors on subsequent space flights. The solutions created will allow for more advanced features onboard CubeSats and higher rates of data transmission with ground.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Computer science seniors Victoria Gehring, Isabel Hinkle, Jon Gift and Oshan Karki are building a pre-trained artificial neural network to detect various types of crops and weeds to improve agricultural weed control using artificial intelligence.

The small computing system, atop a drone, is more cost-effective, accurate, and requires brief human interaction.

This device could be used to replace personal plane flights currently used to spray pesticides, and eliminate fuel consumption and cost.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Seniors Jake Varney, Mohamed Hasan, Kate Antonov, Grace Frazier, Kiran Pelluri, Shubhangi Kaushik and Max Moore are constructing and programming an electroencephalogram, or EEG, a device to measure human brain activity that will be cheap and easy-to-use. Their goal is to produce a device that high school teachers could use to easily get students interested in STEM fields.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Superheated embers can travel up to a mile away from a wildfire, starting smaller fires near homes and property along the way.

Biological and mechanical engineering students Garrett Borth, Kaitlyn Lindholm, Jacob Roy, Zach Schirado and Addie White are designing and prototyping an ember-generating device to mimic these glowing wood materials to help students in the U of I College of Natural Resources better study means to stop wildfire spread and design better fire-resistant construction materials.

"The damage and destruction wildfires cause create a great impact on our economy and more importantly, our safety,” said mechanical engineering senior Jacob Roy. “Constant work is being done to mitigate the billions of dollars per year and lives lost to these disasters, and our project has the goal of adding to that effort.”

Their device provides a realistic way of testing different wildfire scenarios using a scaled down and safe method. Their current design of metal stove pipe in an “S” shape utilizes a blower at the bottom to push embers through the pipe.

The "S" shape allows for an effective and efficient airflow path for the embers to follow while creating a horizontal flow that mimics that of natural wildfires. The system will also be connected to a wind tunnel in the future for more advanced testing and research.

A fuel source – wood chips, pine needles, etc. – are introduced above the lower elbow via a hopper, and prevented from escaping the pipe via a mesh trap. A large torch also at that lower elbow generates embers to be lifted and blown horizontally from the top exit.

The team is currently testing at CNR’s Idaho Fire Lab to finalize their design and verify what fuel sources generate the best embers.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Currently, 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels, leading to harmful emissions and pollution. Because of their fast growth rate, microalgae are an increasingly attractive replacement.
Breaking down algae through anaerobic digestion, or the breaking down of organic material without oxygen, produces a biogas that can be used for energy, but large-scale production remains unfeasible due to technical restraints.

Biological engineering seniors Maggi Laan and Kyle Yates, along with computer engineering senior Amani Al Fulaiti and electrical engineering senior Michael Nguy, are designing a four-phase anaerobic digester based on a compound stomach. The device is similar to a cow’s ruminant stomach, which optimizes specific microbes to break down plant material.

Their device will allow the Department of Biological Engineering to perform research important to studying the steps of anaerobic digestion of algae and biogas production.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Football half-time performances are getting another lightshow upgrade thanks to our engineering student capstone teams!

An interdisciplinary team of mechanical engineering and computer science students are continuing a collaborative effort to bring an electrically-driven, remote-controlled stage to University of Idaho Vandal Marching Band halftime shows.

This year’s capstone team includes Cole Brusven, Annika Esau, Ben Randall, Zachary Laymon, Kaitlin Tabaracci and Jacob Thorngate.

The team is working to expand and improve previous designs to build a platform capable of moving forward, backward and diagonally, as well as spinning in circles. The platforms would allow band performers, as well as large instruments like their piano and drum kit, to easily move about the field.

Since 2011, our college has collaborated with the Vandal Marching Band to bring performances to life with light-up glasses and triangle instruments, and more. In 2012, student teams developed the Band-Beesten, a robotic drum set balanced on a ballbot, a common basketball fitted with three motors, enabling the robot to move in any direction.

Over the years, the design was updated with a triangular platform and directional wheels. In 2016, the platform was modified to support both the drum kit and piano.

Civil engineering seniors Josh Ellingson, Erik Eyre, Christopher Holder and Emily MacCoy are designing an environmentally friendly and more efficient wastewater pipeline that could one day run across a bridge spanning 770 feet over the Kootenai River in Idaho.

The city of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, recently updated the forcemain there, but student work is being used to discover a more efficient design that could possibly be used in the future.

With weight an issue, the team is considering three options but is leaning toward PVC, a lightweight plastic capable of withstanding extreme cold, hot temperatures and corrosion.

Check out their project and more at the Engineering Design EXPO!

In Darwin’s Demons VR, players put on a virtual reality headset and shoot evolving populations of aliens in space. Computer science and electrical and computer engineering students Clara Cannon, Samantha Heck and Jorge Olivas created the game by adapting Polymorphic Game Studio's first release.

The studio will use the game at outreach events such as conferences and STEM fairs to introduce engineering and STEM concepts to K-12 students.

Check out their project and more at the Engineering Design EXPO!

Using agriculture-based feedstocks to produce biofuels and bio-based products often requires debaling agricultural materials.

Mechanical engineering seniors Yaser Alghreeb, Loren Jenkins and Sean Leonard, along with biological engineering senior Steven Mortensen, have designed and built a small-scale model to turn compressed agricultural materials into a loose, consistent density flow while reducing damage and loss via dust.

Their prototype and design are sponsored by Forest Concepts LLC, a bioenergy feedstocks and environmental restoration research and development company in Auburn, Washington.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Chemical engineering seniors Clay Allred, Addyson Barnes, Sahara Waymire and Nicole Yu are working to help BP America choose the best alternative fuel source to boost biodiesel production at the oil industry company’s Cherry Point Refinery in western Washington.

In BP’s quest to be carbon net zero by 2050, the refinery already churns out a biodiesel blend using 10 percent beef tallow, but has capacity for more production. Using the tallow blend as a baseline, our student team is assessing eight different feedstock options, including canola oil and tall oil from pine trees, chosen for their availability as a resource as well as reactions within the diesel unit.

Last fall, the team traveled to the refinery to get a closer look at the biodiesel production process.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

Lasers are being used more and more frequently in scientific instrumentation and optical research. They can be used as optical “tweezers” to grab a single atom or for noninvasive bioimaging.

This type of precision and accuracy requires expensive dedicated hardware. A team of electrical engineering seniors, John Ashby and Jared Reichle, and computer engineering senior Alexis Wilson, are working to produce a cheap, modular and extendable control system for laser instruments.

Sponsored by optical equipment company @thorlabs, the project is intended to allow researchers to produce high quality optical research less expensively.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

While elderly care can require a level of monitoring to ensure individual safety, maintaining a person’s sense of privacy is also important.

Using small, remotely accessible devices that do not use cameras, microphones or other intrusive methods, electrical and computer engineering seniors Fanghao Han, Xiao Liu, Jeremy Perhac and Yizhou Ye are building a prototype of small sensors to monitor appliances and actions within a household.

These devices could sense the opening and closing of doors and track the placement of objects, things like whether or not a vehicle is in a garage or not.

The studio will use the game at outreach events such as conferences and STEM fairs to introduce engineering and STEM concepts to K-12 students.

Check out their project and more at the Engineering Design EXPO!

Having trouble finding a parking spot? @uicda students can help. Computer science seniors Amanda Ward and Alex Parenti are prototyping a parking spot location app in Coeur d'Alene!

Read more at KREM 2 News Article.

Check out their project and more at the Engineering Design EXPO!

The Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise is looking to incorporate interactive exhibits that expose K-12 students to modern robotics technology. Mechanical and computer science seniors Chaeun Kim, Evangelos Stratigakes, Austyn Sullivan-Watson and Zhihui Wang are developing code for a robotic arm that can mimic the hand motions of a user to perform a number of sorting activities.

Check out their project and more at the Engineering Design EXPO!

As solar panel roofs and wind turbines become more prevalent, companies like Avista Utilities are looking into how energy generated by these forward-thinking consumers can be bought and sold to minimize energy loss and better serve communities.

Electrical engineering seniors Christine Page and Nikki Tran are working with computer science seniors Karstin Neil and James Todd to conduct a feasibility study on ways a power utility could manage transactions between prosumers, energy consumers who are also generating more power than they actually need, to others on a power grid with minimal utility interaction.

The team aims to create a robust simulation of a small-scale power system integrated with automated pricing software. “In class, everything is pretty theoretical, like a toy or an example,” said Neil, “It’s amazing to think about how this study could impact real people. This is way more than just a school project.”

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!

The University of Idaho and Idaho State University are partnering to study the effects of exercise on early muscle development using rats. The treadmill currently used to perform research is tedious to operate and breaks often.

Mechanical and biological engineering seniors Colin Burkhalter, Stuart Sater, Stephen Schoonen and Mitchell Williams have designed a new treadmill that is robust and simple to control, allowing for less downtime and headache.

Check out their project and more at the Engineering Design EXPO!

GPS-based animal monitoring systems for cattle and other livestock can be an economical and more humane alternative to fencing methods like barbed wire.

Using a long-range, low-power radio receiver, electrical and computer engineering seniors YiXun Qian, Wenhao Chen, ZiQi Zhang and Dan Zhang are building a system that could work remotely in areas with no internet connection to keep animals in or out of a pre-determined area.

Check out their project and more at the Engineering Design EXPO!

All virtual fencing for rangeland cattle on the market are GPS-based, making them difficult to use in remote locations where a signal isn’t available.

Electrical engineering seniors Samantha Baran, Xuyue Gu, Lauren Smith and Ziqing Zhu, and mechanical engineering senior Austin Grieve, are coding their own virtual system using signals between local beacons to keep cattle within a specific boundary without fencing.

Cows within the system will wear a device allowing them to be located, identified, and if necessary, a small shock can be administered to encourage the animal back within boundaries.

Students in the U of I College of Agricultural & Life Sciences and College of Natural Resources are also working on companion projects within this interdisciplinary research.

Learn more about this project and all the ways U of I students are pushing the boundaries of science and technology at the VIRTUAL Engineering Design EXPO!