Engineering seniors' Design Day projects improve medicine, aircraft, mining and energy production
May 1, 2025
- What: College of Engineering Craig M. Berge Design Day
- When: Monday, May 5, 1-5 p.m.
- Where: Student Union Memorial Center Grand Ballroom and University of Arizona Mall
TUCSON, Ariz. – University of Arizona engineering seniors have spent the last year collaborating on capstone design projects for industry and university sponsors. On May 5, the 79 student teams will present their projects and compete for $51,750 in prizes at Craig M. Berge Design Day.
"The members of the class of 2025 collaborated in labs and workshops on aircraft designs, medical devices and diagnostics, communication networks and recycling methods," said David W. Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the college. "It's about designing, prototyping, testing, failing, trying again and leaning on teammates. But ultimately, it's about making the world a better place."
Design Day is open to the public beginning at 1 p.m. on May 5. The awards ceremony – in which students receive cash prizes from award sponsors, including a $7,500 grand prize – is from 4 to 5 p.m.
Many student teams are available for interviews at Design Day, including groups working on:
- A suspension tank for burned or severely injured patients that facilitates healing and alleviates the problems caused by bed rest.
- A portable, low-cost device for detecting microplastics and other contaminants in water.
- A lighting system that will enable researchers at the U of A's Biosphere 2 to reintroduce corals into the facility's ocean after 25 years of its reef being too damaged to support life.
- A treatment system for mine-influenced water that uses fungi to remove heavy metals.
- A production facility that turns the waste generated by growing corn into ethanol, a renewable fuel source.
A full list of projects is available on the College of Engineering website.
Design Day is the culminating event of the Craig M. Berge Design Program, which engages undergraduate students in hands-on design projects throughout their undergraduate careers. The Berge family funded the program in honor of Craig, a College of Engineering alumnus who died in 2017.
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Media contact:
Katy Smith
College of Engineering
Cell: 520-271-3780
katysmith@arizona.edu
Established in 1885, the University of Arizona is the state's flagship, land-grant institution. The U of A ranks among America's top institutions, focusing on student access and success while driving a $1 billion research enterprise and engaging communities throughout the state, nation and world. As a leading Research 1 institution and member of the Association of American Universities, the U of A advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships. With two accredited medical schools, designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, recognition as a premier university for service members, distinguished programs in management information systems, planetary sciences, dance, photography, and public and applied humanities, the U of A offers the world to its students while uplifting Arizona.