Design Day project innovates solution for Chesapeake Bay

Design Day project innovates solution for Chesapeake Bay

Design Day project innovates solution for Chesapeake Bay


How can engineers help combat oyster poaching threatening the Chesapeake Bay? Aid the recovery of physically impaired stroke survivors? Provide light to the 1.2 billion people worldwide without reliable electricity?

Mechanical engineering students presented solutions to these problems and more on May 8 at the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Spring 2018 Design Day, a semesterly event that highlights the innovative design strategies and product development of seniors in ENME 472: Integrated Product and Process Development.

Students showcased their semester-in-the-making design concepts and prototypes to other students, faculty, staff, and community members who joined for the event, while alumni and corporate representatives participated as volunteer judges. The large range of possibilities within mechanical engineering was seen in the variety of projects, including safety features for construction workers, devices to aid the blind or patients recovering from strokes, alternative power sources for developing nations, small modular nuclear reactors, and advanced sporting equipment for amature athletes.

One project that stood out thanks to its relevance and applicability to a notable Maryland-area estuary was team Oyster Boys’ dredge-detecting device. Oyster farms and sanctuaries are at high risk for oyster theft, a threat detrimental to the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters are natural filter feeders, meaning they feed by pumping water through their gills and, in turn, push out cleaner water. According to the Oyster Boys’ research, $1.5 million of tax-paying dollars are used to repopulate the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster sanctuaries, only for 80% of those oysters to be stolen through dredging. Their solution: Bay Watcher.

Winner of Design Day’s Sustainability Award, the Bay Watcher prototype is a beacon capable of listening for the sound of dredging and, upon detecting that specific sound, alerting the necessary authorities to this illegal and destructive practice. Having tested their latest prototype in the Chesapeake Bay, the Oyster Boys created Bay Watcher using hydrophones, electronic systems, and 3D printing done in Terrapin WorksMakerBot Innovation Center. With the goal of saving so many oysters, an imperative member to the bay’s ecosystem, Bay Watcher has the potential to create serious impact on Maryland’s unique ecological community.

The Oyster Boys team is made up of six mechanical engineering majors graduating in Spring 2018: Noah Todd, Kyle Thibeault, Noah Suttner, Chris Buckley, Patrick O'shea, and Steve Powers.

Though the Sustainability Award was chosen by a group of distinguished judges, participants of the day’s event were able to cast their own votes for the People’s Choice Award.

First place winner of the People’s Choice Award was the ReStruders, who created a product that recycles used PLA, or polylactic acid, and extrudes it into repurposed filament for 3D printing. Team UCA placed second with their Universal Cart Assist, which aids individuals lifting heavy or bulky items into and out of their shopping carts. Super Sluggers won third place for their electromechanical batting tee, an all-ages baseball training device that places a baseball in a user-specified strike zone location.

The range and scope of this semester’s Design Day projects was reflected in the versatility of the award winners’ products, which hone in on innovative design, user need, and impact—all product development strategies that will guide Clark School mechanical engineering graduates as they continue their work beyond the university.

Related Articles:
Powering a Greener Future
Electrified Plastic Recycling Toward A Sustainable Future
Giving back: New solar panels support a local urban farm
UMD Scientists Develop Wood-MOF for Greater Sustainability
A Greener Alternative for Food Disposal
Acevedo Wins Outstanding Student Paper Award at IEEE MEMS Conference for 3D Nanoprinting Breakthrough
Thin Wood Film Amplifies Speaker Technology
The Future of Cool: Additive Manufacturing and Ni-Ti Metal Bolster Cooling Technology
A Greener Alternative to Hot-Mix Asphalt
Engineering Sustainable Solutions…Globally!

May 15, 2018


Prev   Next

Current Headlines

Three UMD Students Receive SAMPE Leadership Awards

International Energy Cooperation Center Established at University of Maryland

Maryland Researchers Awarded $1.5 Million to Pioneer Batteries for Electric Rail and Maritime Transportation

Researcher’s Pacific Dive Spurred Innovations in Robotics with Machine Intelligence to Create Biodegradable Plastic Substitutes

UMD Professor and Alum Among 2024 VFS Awardees

Agents of Positive Change: Highlighting Women Maryland Engineers

Celebrating Women in Aerospace Engineering: Christine Hartzell

Batteries, Building Efficiency, and More: Innovating in Energy

News Resources

Return to Newsroom

Search News

Archived News

Events Resources

Events Calendar