IPF helps advance student engineering projects

Infrastructure Planning and Facilities sponsored various student teams to assist in completing their capstone projects for Michigan State University's College of Engineering Design Day. Students gain real-world experience and have considerable access to expertise, equipment and resources they would otherwise not have. Students help in solving technical issues and make recommendations that have a positive effect on the campus community.

The fall 2019 semester student capstone projects include:

• Intelligent Defense System (IDS), a sponsorship between MSU Bike Service Center and the Resource Center for Person's with Disabilities. The ECE 480 team developed a defense system that alerts bicyclists and drivers of a potential collision, lowering the rate of cyclist injuries and fatalities. The team won third place in the Electrical and Computer Engineering competition. This project is being extended for a fourth semester in Spring 2020.
• Food Waste Cart Coating, a sponsorship with the MSU Recycling Center. The ME 481 team is continuing development of a nonstick coating for food waste collection bins, helping to reduce the time it takes to clean the bins after dumping. This project is being carried over to Spring 2020.
• Autonomous Mowing and Snow Removal, a sponsorship with MSU's Landscape Services. The ME 481 team that tested the safety and reliability of the Mow-bot/Snowbot autonomous mowing and snow removing machine to provide data and recommendations to MSU Risk Management regarding its deployment on campus.
• Salt Brine Development, a sponsorship with MSU's Landscape Services. The ME 481 team that sought to create a brine alternative that could be applied to hard surfaces prior to snowfall. Their work resulted in the creation of a less corrosive and economically viable product using discarded by-products from local distilleries.