California Mechanics for the Greater Good Design Competition

This semester, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the McDonald family (Evan – BA Arts & Arch 1989, MA Arch 1994, MBA 2000, and Christy, BA Fine Arts 1989), the department held a competition among  ME102B design projects entitled “California Mechanics for the Greater Good Design Competition.” ME102B is a senior level capstone design course, which was taught this semester for the first time by Professor Hannah Stuart.

All of the ME102B design teams were invited to submit their prototype and 7 student groups participated in the competition. The panel selecting the winning design was constituted by Chair Roberto Horowitz, Evan Mc Donald, Professor Oliver O’Reilly and ME graduate student Cyndia Cao. The winning design was selected based on a set of criteria that include potential of the design/idea to contribute to the common good. The winner of the competition had to (a) demonstrate innovation through the nature of their design, (b) present a refined and functional prototype, and (c) communicate the potential of their work to contribute to the solution of an environmental, public health, or other societal problem.

Brett Bussell, Zachariah Rodriquez, Joseph Skelley, Kyelo Torres, and Cody Yanna’s  project “Pay it Doorward” was selected as the winner at the ME102B Project Demonstration Fair on Friday, December 6. This team developed an automatic door opener that incorporates regenerative charging and energy storage, as well as an innovative user interface designed to motivate able people to open the door manually when possible, instead of pressing the automated door opening button. The goal of the design is to maximize the door’s battery charge while minimizing power consumption from the electrical grid. The interface also educates the user on power consumption and gives operators a sense of their contribution. 

The winning team received a $2500 prize. An additional $2500 will be donated on behalf of the students to a charity of their choice. The charity chosen by the students for the $2500 donation was GirlStart. This organization empowers girls in STEM.

Congratulations to Brett, Zach, Joe, Kyelo and Cody. We also want to express our appreciation to Evan Mc Donald for his sponsorship and support, and  to Professor Hannah Stuart and GSIs Sareum Kim and Wilson Torres for their work in hosting the competition.