Welcome Letter From the Dean

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Welcome to 2024 Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Day

Teams display projects ranging from a crop-monitoring robot to a carpal tunnel treatment bracelet.

Craig M. Berge Design Day is a story of remarkable student success and all the ways engineers help people.

With 91 incredible capstone projects, 70 dedicated project sponsors, 125 seasoned industry judges, and $49,000 in prize money, I am so proud of this year’s Design Day.

Something for Everyone

As they looked toward professional careers, graduate studies and entrepreneurial endeavors, 470 seniors collaborated in labs and workshops on smart energy technology, medical devices and surgical tools, space systems and aircraft improvements. Their designs are a testament to the technical agility and creativity of our students and mentors.

Teams developed ways to 3D print entire structures using mine tailings and make ethylene from vodka production. They designed systems to test, reclaim and treat water, and plans for a plastics recycling plant. Students created crop-monitoring and basketball-playing robots; rocket launchers and lunar rovers; first-responder reconnaissance and ocean-monitoring drones. They refined a throw phone for crisis negotiations, designed a Coast Guard dispatch system, and prototyped an aesthetically inspired grab bar.

These feats of engineering show why the college’s graduates are highly sought after in industry and government.

Don’t be shy about asking questions as you take in the dazzling displays of ingenuity. Students are thrilled to tell you about these fantastic projects they’ve worked on throughout the academic year. There is a lot to see! If you miss anything, you can learn about the projects in the students’ presentation videos, which will be available online (b.link/DesignDay2024) following the awards ceremony.

Join us for the 4 p.m. Design Day Awards Ceremony, where standout seniors will collect 35-plus prizes in all, from the Fish Out of Water to the Most Outstanding Project.

Thank You for Your Support

Design Day and the Interdisciplinary Capstone Course are part of a lineup of competitions, maker fests, major-specific design classes, entrepreneurial and business mentorship, and industry and community projects in the Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program. The program immerses undergraduates at all levels in real-world experiences that integrate design, manufacturing and commercialization.

We are especially grateful to the donors, program mentors, university and industry partners, sponsors, judges, faculty, staff and alumni who help make the design program and Design Day a highly successful enterprise.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to Nancy Berge and her family for their generosity, and to Larry Head, director of the Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program, for his commitment to an unparalleled experiential learning program and design curriculum in higher education.

Bear Down, and support our Wildcat engineers!

David W. Hahn

Craig M. Berge Dean, College of Engineering