The two-semester capstone senior design sequence bridges concepts learned in the classroom with their practical application in an industrial setting. Teams of students work on real-world materials problems supported by industrial sponsors.
2026 Sponsors
- American Woodmark
- ATI Specialty Materials
- Eaton
- Georgia-Pacific
- Hallman Foundry
- Intake Health
- Kymera International
- TE Connectivity
- Wolfspeed
2026 Gallery
Past Senior Design Projects
2026
Poster Title – Material and Process Optimization of Glue Joint on Five-Piece Door Frames
Team Members: Kaden Figuerres, Trey Reed, Eli Rodrigues, Jackson Sitler
Mentor(s): Franky So, Paul Steinhoff (American Woodmark)Poster Title – Characterizing and Improving Marble Sink Top
Team Members: Anne Chabaneix, Lauren Dunlap, Morgan Rooney, Jonathan Till
Mentor(s): Yin Liu, and John Calow, Jake Leavy, Paul Steinhoff (American Woodmark)Poster Title – Eliminating Grain Size Banding from A286 Iron-Nickel-Chromium Super Alloy
Team Members: Cooper Gandolfo, Jack Rivituso, David Szympruch, Nicholas Thaxton
Mentor(s): Kinga Unocic, and Madeline Schroeder, Kristen Namminga (ATI Specialty Materials)Poster Title – Carbon Particle Size and Tube Structure Influence on Conductivity
Team Members: Rachel Register, Taylor Sharp, Benjamin Sheldon, Stephen Stewart
Mentor(s): Ruijuan Xu and James Hicks (Eaton)Poster Title – Temperature and Cyclic Compression Study of Rubber Rollers
Team Members: Dalia Coffman, Stephanie Trujillo, Grace Harvey, Grace Meyer
Mentor(s): Martin Thuo and Ryan Carignan (Georgia Pacific)Poster Title – Bio-Calcium Oxide Assisted Ferro-Silicon Magnesium for Magnesium Retention in Ductile Cast Iron
Team Members: Henna Aguilera, Eva Boyce, Ava Darling, Nathaniel Somppi
Mentor(s): Bharat Gwalani, and William Vanness, Melanie Folks (Hallman Foundry)Poster Title – Barrier Coating Strategies for Moisture Ingress Prevention in Electronic Housings
Team Members: Tamia Burgess, Olivia Haas, Brayden Moore, Vidhi Patel
Mentor(s): Aram Amassian and Brian Bender (Intake Health)Poster Title – Additive Manufacturing of Crack-Resistant Molybdenum
Team Members: Alex Lowell, Claudia Martinez-Martinez, Kaden Panico, Sebastian Zaatini
Mentor(s): Rajeev Gupta and Tom Pelletiers (Kymera International)Poster Title – Oxidation Kinetics of Tin vs. Silver Coatings for Electrical Contacts
Team Members: Apolo Domingos, Colton King, Joshua Peacock, Reilly Sellers
Mentor(s): Sharon Thorne and Veronica AugustynPoster Title – Investigation of Oxide Layer Growth and Interface Characterization on Silicon Carbide for Semiconductor Device Applications
Team Members: Alex Gilbert, Nicholas Luke, Cordelia McKelvy, Anthony Ottone
Mentor(s): Raymond Unocic and Simon Bubel (Wolfspeed)
2025
Poster Title – Investigation of Physical Properties of High Vanadium Nitride Inclusions in Steel
Team Members: Dalton Alexander Avant, Kara Krogh, Rachid Moumni, Fannie Xia
Mentor(s): Zachary Stroman (Nucor Steel South Carolina) and Professor Rajeev Gupta.Poster Title – Identify Suitable Sustainable Materials that can be used in Typical Paper Making Processes that Significantly Improve Thermal Insulation
Team Members: Team 1: Darien David Alpern, Shawn Fowler, Grace Scott Kiel, Patrick Ryan Moran
Team 2: Benjamin Robert Finley, Mary Josephine Hoult, Mason Patrick Shaffer, Kirby Ashford Smith
Mentor(s): Team 1 advised by Jose Garcia (Georgia Pacific) and Professor Joe Tracy. Team 2 advised by Jose Garcia (Georgia Pacific) and Professor Aram Amassian.Poster Title – Model, Production, and Study of EM Response of Layered Surfaces with Different Materials
Team Members: Ava Manzi DeLucia, Liam Andrew McWhorter, Shannon Woiccak, Xiaoyan Zhang
Mentor(s): Joseph Hunt (Naval Surface Warfare Center-Dahlgren Laboratory) and Professor Yin Liu.Poster Title – Using Selective Laser Melting to Create Metal Bond Abrasive Products
Team Members: Team 1: Sofia Patricia Elsie Antinozzi, James Deren Austin, Caitlyn Elyse Obrero, Zoe Anna Margarete Watts
Team 2: Taylor Hildreth, Sophia Isacco, Gabriel James Ossi, Maureen Walsh
Mentor(s): Team 1 advised by David Gebb (Saint-Gobain) and Michael Greene. Team 2 advised by David Gebb (Saint-Gobain) and Professor Bharat Gwalani.Poster Title – Understanding the Processing-Structure-Property Relationships of a High-Strength Cobalt-Based Alloy
Team Members: Aidan Patrick Hennessee, Nethra Vasudevan, Seth Jeremiah Wardlaw
Mentor(s): Mark Zaun, Madeline Schroeder (ATI Specialty Materials), and Professor Kinga Unocic.Poster Title – Cost-Effective Shielding System to Reduce Electric Field Intensity of Current Limiting Fuses in Testing
Team Members: Team 1: Khia Renee Cotton, Joshua Sawyer McClure, Vedika Shah
Team 2: Kaley Grace Edgington, Robert Anthony Grant, Jack Leonard Maggiore, Emily Grace Morris
Mentor(s): Team 1 advised by Abdelghafour Bouaicha (Hitachi Energy) and Professor Ruijuan Xu. Team 2 advised by Abdelghafour Bouaicha (Hitachi Energy) and Professor Franky So.
2024
Poster Title – Energy Sustainable Bonds for Adhesives
Team Members: Nadia Chapple, Tori Crunkleton, Abhay Murali, Kristie Panner
Mentor(s): Joseph Tracy, David Gebb (Saint Gobain)Poster Title – Method Development to Separate Grinding Debris
Team Members: Sydney Cook, Casen English, Taylor Sanborn, Carolyn Szempruch
Mentor(s): Rajeev Gupta, David Gebb (Saint Gobain)Poster Title – Curie temperature testing apparatus design
Team Members: Saabiq Bondre, JaiShaun Boyd, Ian Mercer, John Shepherd
Mentor(s): Yin Liu, Fritz Sprecher (Temopsonics)Poster Title – NDE Process Design for Cast Steel Ingots
Team Members: Ian Bower, Ariel Gomez Arellano, Jonah Hughes, Zisu Meng
Mentor(s): Ruijuan Xu, Fritz Sprecher (Temopsonics)Poster Title – Metal 3D Printer Powder Rake Design
Team Members: Logan Gregory, Krystyn Hewitt, Sid Lohia, Charles Perkins
Mentor(s): Martin Thuo, Cathy Kammerer (Aerojet Rocketdyne)Poster Title – Processing of 13-8 ST (TM)
Team Members: Vivian Gutierrez, Sarah Trantham, Michael Witcher, Judong Zhang
Mentor(s): Bharat Gwalani, Keannu Cleote (ATI Specialty Materials)Poster Title – Coating formulation and process optimization
Team Members: Sky Kanoy, Andrew Liao, Chen Zhangng
Mentor(s): Martin Thuo, Elizabeth Cates (Akzo-Nobel Wood Coatings)
2023
Poster Title – Accelerated Aging of Plastic
Team Members: Oluwaseun Temidayo Ajasa, Grant Blankenbeckler, Dillon Kotecha, Brenna Rita Tryon
Mentor(s): Ruijuan Xu, Brian Bender (Intake Health)Poster Title – Additive Manufacturing of ATI Titan 171TM
Team Members: Alan Ferris, Ethan Joseph Frey, Daniel Carter Hutchinson-Kausch
Mentor(s): Carl Koch, David Brice (ATI Materials)Poster Title – Characterizing The Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Next-Generation UV-Curable Slurries
Team Members: Rachel Lauren Beall, Sydney Lauren Buck, Anna Leonard, Seth David Murray
Mentor(s): Veronica Augustyn, David Gebb, Tim Coogan (Saint-Gobain Abrasives)Poster Title – Investigation of the Structure-Property Relationship of Select Geopolymer Compositions
Team Members: Tiancong Liao, Kennedy Alexis Misher, Michael Richard Mizak, Eric Christopher States
Mentor(s): Martin Thuo, Carolyn Grimley (Lucideon)Poster Title – Micro and Nanoscale Analysis of Powder Compaction
Team Members: Kiran Anwar, Lucas Everett Horton, Graham Scott Roy, Minyu Zhang
Mentor(s): Rich Spontak, Grayson Jackson (Flexsys)Poster Title – Promoting Human Health in Manual Grinding by Dampening Vibration
Team Members: Joseph Thomas Casey, Isabella DiCristofaro, Amanda Isabela Plasencia, Ashley Noelle Simpson
Mentor(s): Yin Liu, David Gebb, Chris Arcona, Nathan Maldonado (Saint-Gobain Abrasives)Poster Title – Quality of PA12 Powder for Additive Manufacturing
Team Members: Logan Elliot Hutchens, Ryan Merwan Mehta, Paulo David Morillo, Ryan Cole Prentiss Ording
Mentor(s): Aram Amassian, Carter Fraser (Protolabs)Poster Title – Reuse of SS 17-4 PH Powder for LPBF Additive Manufacturing
Team Members: Harry Nicholas Antoniades, Leah Renee Bellcase, Belicia I Castillo, Stanley Seung Gi Jeon
Mentor(s): Bharat Gwalani, David Bentley, Alex Devon (Protolabs)Poster Title – Ultrafast High-Temperature Sintering of Advanced Ceramics
Team Members: Olivia Taylor Earnhardt, Jackson Louis Goedjen, Jackson Robert Salido, ZhenYun Yang
Mentor(s): Rajeev Gupta, Carolyn Grimley (Lucideon)
2022
Poster Title – Biodegradable Foams
Team Members: Cory Campbell, Davis Wood, Ryan Rumple, Zizhi Zhuang
Mentor(s): Jacob Jones, Colin Holloway (Hanes)Poster Title – Characterization of Critical to Quality Structural Parameters in Wood Composites as Related to Finishing and Finishing Quality
Team Members: Daniel Flint, Mackenzie Vinson, Jerush Christopher, Travis Ramsey
Mentor(s): Jag Kasichainula, Heath Saunders (Akzo-Nobel)Poster Title – Evaluation of Hyperbranched Acrylates to Reduce the Use of Reactive Diluents in Radiation-Curable Coatings
Team Members: Katie Shaffer, Jordyn Jacobs, Daisy Sawyer, Ash McGee
Mentor(s): Rajeev Gupta, Brent Neal (Akzo-Nobel)Poster Title – Exploring Powder Metallurgy Applications for a New Era of Electrified Vehicles
Team Members: Rebecca Hunt, Trey Tolston, Jacob Vandermeulen, Tajah Trapier
Mentor(s): Franky So, Joe Croteau (Kymera)Poster Title – Plant-Based Polymers for Apparel Applications
Team Members: Ashlyn Presson, Murphy McNeill, Chris Davis, Aj Fathi
Mentor(s): Aram Amassian, Colin Holloway (Hanes)Poster Title – Predicting Thermal Conductivity
Team Members: Garrett Baucom, Isa Huryn, Brandon Donovan, Keyshawn Brown
Mentor(s): Donald BrennerPoster Title – Materials Research for Coastal Science
Team Members: Kaitlyn Khachadoorian, Tiernan Baucom, Michael Meade, Kanishq Nema
Mentor(s): Wenpei GaoPoster Title – Maximizing Strength Through Chemistry for a Solid Solution Strengthened Alloy
Team Members: Nicolas Muecke, Travis Elmore, Marcelo Mateus, Ian Turowski
Mentor(s): Carl Koch, Joe Howell (ATI Materials)Poster Title – Memristive Materials for Reservoir Computing Applications
Team Members: Evan DelVecchio, Jay Kothari, Sam Poage, Je Park
Mentor(s): Thomas LaBeanPoster Title – Syringe Design for Foam Sclerotherapy for Treatment of Varicose Veins
Team Members: Lynne Dale, Katarina McGarry, Tal Dor-El, Alex Almaraz
Mentor(s): Jerry Cuomo, Vinay Sakhrani (TriboFilm Research)Poster Title – Vapor Barrier for Flexible Elastomeric Foam Insulation
Team Members: Ibrahim Ahmad, Mitch Hayes, Nina Godbold, Abhiram Kondagunta
Mentor(s): Rich Spontak, Tim Ledden (Armacell)
Senior Design Showcase Playlist
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