University of Waterloo Engineering to Showcase Student Design

WATERLOO, ON--(Marketwired - March 12, 2014) - This week, the University of Waterloo will showcase fourth-year engineering student design projects in the annual Capstone Design Symposia.

Held during National Engineering Month, the symposia feature student innovation and design in 10 engineering disciplines ranging from chemical and geological engineering to mechatronics.

This year's symposia highlights include:

• A Thermal Energy Recycling Initiative (TERI) that aims to recycle energy from water following use in household appliances;

• The design and build of an open-wheeled Formula-1-style race car;

• Surgical instrumentation designs for shoulder joint replacement surgery;

• A magnetic nanocomposite for wastewater treatment that removes industrial pollution;

• An asymptomatic concussion detection device;

• An intelligent suitcase that allows travellers to track their own luggage through a website interface;

• An autonomous robot that can locate trapped people and assist in rescue and evacuation efforts using 3D mapping.

The symposia will culminate with a pitch presentation on April 4, where qualifying student teams will compete for $60,000 in funding from The Esch Foundation.

In addition to the awards, venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya and Brigette Lau of The Social + Capital Partnership will provide two electrical and computer engineering projects with funding of $40,000, accompanied by industry mentorship and a co-op opportunity in Silicon Valley, Waterloo or Toronto, commencing in the fall.

Capstone Design is a degree requirement for Waterloo engineers. The program has spawned groundbreaking ideas such as the MYO armband and Pebble smartwatch along with start-ups such as BufferBox, Intellijoint HIP, Thalmic Labs, and Athos.

Symposia dates and times:

Mechatronics Engineering
Friday, March 14 | 1 to 5 p.m. | Great Hall, Davis Centre
Systems Design Engineering
Monday, March 17 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Great Hall, Davis Centre
Civil Engineering
Tuesday, March 18 | 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.| Room 3602, Carl Pollock Hall; 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Room 2350, Engineering 2
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wednesday, March 19 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Great Hall, Davis Centre
Management Sciences Engineering
Friday, March 21 | 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Great Hall, Davis Centre
Software Engineering
Friday, March 21 | 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Great Hall, Davis Centre
Nanotechnology Engineering
Friday, March 21 | 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Great Hall, Davis Centre
Environmental and Geological Engineering
Thursday, March 27 | 12:30 to 5 p.m. | Room 401, Optometry & Vision Science Building
Mechanical Engineering
Wednesday, April 2 | 3 to 6 p.m. | Sedra Student Design Centre, Engineering 5
Norman Esch Capstone Design Awards
Friday, April 4 | 2 - 4:30 p.m. | Sedra Student Design Centre

About the University of Waterloo
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's technology hub, has become one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities with 35,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs. Waterloo, as home to the world's largest post-secondary co-operative education program, embraces its connections to the world and encourages enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. In the next decade, the university is committed to building a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow. For more information about Waterloo, please visit www.uwaterloo.ca.

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