Valparaiso University Design Expo 2023 to Showcase Creative Technology and Partnerships

April 20, 2023 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Valparaiso University’s College of Engineering will host the 2023 Engineering Design Expo on Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gellersen Center and Fites Innovation Center. Twelve of Valpo engineering senior design teams will present their work to friends, family, and the community. The event is free and open to the public, and will include a free lunch cookout. 

“Engineering students put hundreds of hours of work into their senior design projects, which represent the culmination of their work at Valpo,” said Doug Tougaw ’05 MBA, Ph.D., P.E., dean of the College of Engineering. “The design expo gives those students an opportunity to share their projects while giving our visitors an opportunity to learn more about engineering and the work our students do.”

Projects at the Expo are required to have both mechanical and electrical engineering elements in order to teach students of different disciplines important cooperative skills. This year’s projects include a remote-controlled surveillance robot for the Valparaiso University Police Department and a “smart barbell” system for athletes to better monitor their weightlifting habits. Six civil and environmental engineering teams will also share their work alongside the electrical and mechanical engineers. 

The projects are also a potential means of partnering with other community organizations. One machine will simplify the process of cutting rubber tubes into bands for use by Opportunity Enterprises, Inc., a local non-profit organization that — among other services — provides meaningful employment to individuals with developmental disabilities.

For more information on the 2023 Design Expo, please contact Georges El-Howayek, Ph.D., associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at georges.el-howayek@valpo.edu. 

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