More than 75 projects are part of Senior Design, a capstone course for engineering and computer science disciplines at 麻豆映画传媒. Students take Senior Design I to brainstorm and design a project before bringing it to life in Senior Design II the following semester. Many projects are sponsored by corporate clients. Graduating students present their projects to a panel of faculty, staff and engineering professionals at the end of the semester to prove their knowledge and that they are job-ready.

“Our students’ undergraduate education culminates with senior design,” said Charles Reilly, associate dean for Academic Affairs, 麻豆映画传媒 College of Engineering &Computer Science. “Their rigorous academic experience at 麻豆映画传媒 is enhanced with resources such as our Maker Space labs, and senior design ‘boot camps’ to spur students’ leadership, teamwork and ingenuity.”

The showcase also gives employers a chance to check out the talent pool. 麻豆映画传媒 is the nation’s No. 1 workforce supplier to the aerospace and defense industry, and is among the nation’s top producers of engineers and computer scientists

From 9 to 10:30 a.m., the showcase will feature the Duke Energy Symposium on Renewable and Sustainable Technology, with keynote speaker Tamara Waldmann, director of Florida Distributed Generation Strategy for Duke Energy. Two earth-friendly student projects will be presented: a water conservation system that shuts off irrigation based on ground-saturation levels, and a dual energy-harvesting platform that collects energy from the sun and human foot traffic.

See the event program with .

Here are just a few of the projects that will be on display:

“ELLE:” Learn a Second Language with Virtual Reality Game

Developed in collaboration with 麻豆映画传媒 language instructors, this computer science project enables users to learn a language through immersive and entertaining gameplay. Players navigate in the game environment while answering language-comprehension questions. The downloadable game can be played with virtual reality or on a desktop computer. The project uses Portuguese, but the system can be developed to teach any language. 麻豆映画传媒 faculty will test the virtual reality version against the desktop version to understand which method is more effective.

Attendance Made Easy in a Single Picture

This computer science project enables instructors to quickly take attendance using a single photo of the class and facial recognition technology.

Water-Conserving Ground Probe that Monitors Saturation Levels

No more watering lawns when it’s raining. Made for sponsor client Guard Dog Valves by mechanical engineering students, this system can save thousands of gallons of water by shutting off an irrigation system based on ground saturation, not a timer. The system uses a high-tech ground probe that senses water saturation and sends a signal via Wi-Fi to shut off the sprinkler.

Drone-Mounted Inventory-Taking Scanner

Taking inventory can be a long and labor-intensive process for any business or organization. This electrical and computer engineering project involves a radio frequency identification reader scanner that can attach to a variety of mobile platforms to easily, quickly and safely scan inventory. It can be used on industry-grade drones for scanning a variety of environments, such as warehouses, cargo ships and cattle fields. The system is designed to collect and report the data.

Luggage-carrying robot: “FollowBot”

This smart luggage cart, designed by electrical engineering students, follows the user with Bluetooth technology synced to a smartphone. It was designed for parents traveling with kids and strollers, travelers in wheelchairs, and others who need an extra set of hands. The idea is for airports to have FollowBots available for rent in airports to assist travelers as they make their way to the gate, but it could be expanded for use in other venues where heavy equipment is frequently transported, such as convention centers, concert halls and event halls.

“Batpack”: Hands-Free Navigator for Visually Impaired

This wearable system created by electrical engineering and computer engineering students can help visually impaired people navigate around obstacles hands-free, without the need to hold a cane or an assistive-dog leash. The wearable system uses sensors on the back and around the waist that provide vibration feedback. The vibrations get increasingly stronger as the person walks closer to an obstacle.

In his remarks, 麻豆映画传媒 President John C. Hitt talked about the risks the Class of 2014 had taken. They enrolled in a brand new medical school that was not yet fully accredited, and unlike the charter class, they didn鈥檛 have full scholarships to help negate the risk. 鈥淵ou chose this medical school before its campus was finished. You came to this medical school when it was not accredited. And you arrived at this medical school without full scholarships,鈥� Hitt said. 鈥淵ou took a big chance on 麻豆映画传媒 鈥� and your leap of faith has paid off.鈥�

The graduates now enter residency programs across Orlando, Florida and the nation. One-hundred percent of this year鈥檚 graduates matched into residencies in specialties ranging from pediatrics to internal medicine, dermatology to surgery. As they prepare for their graduate medical training, student graduation speaker Omar Shakeel reminded his colleagues, 鈥淩emember that sometimes the smallest of things we will do in our career may take up the most room in someone鈥檚 heart. Never give up on making a difference.鈥�

The day had multiple special moments:

Mentioned often during graduation was The Good Doctor, a 麻豆映画传媒 tradition that begins with each class鈥� White Coat ceremony, where first-year students are recognized as colleagues in patient care. During White Coat, Dr. German asks students to name the characteristics they want to see in a doctor caring for their most beloved person. She writes the traits on a blackboard, which stays on display at the medical school throughout the class鈥� first year. 鈥淗ave you become The Good Doctor?鈥� Dr. German asked during graduation. 鈥淒oes that question make you feel uncomfortable? I think the reason you feel this way is because you now know that becoming The Good Doctor is a lifelong endeavor.鈥�

Graduation, at the Venue on the main 麻豆映画传媒 campus, even had its own selfie moment. Faculty speaker Dr. James Sanders, an assistant professor and neurosurgeon, began his remarks by taking a selfie on stage, drawing laughter from the crowd. He urged graduates to do the same as a record of their special day. 鈥淚t is a privilege to be a physician and have the opportunity to care for others,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou will have days that test your metal and passions to practice medicine.聽 It will be on those days that I ask you to remember today, the day you had the suffix, M.D., added to your name.鈥�

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