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Dec. 6, 2023

MSU Engineering Design Day will feature innovative Spartans

Almost 700 students to showcase solution-based projects

Continuing a tradition that began in 1994, the Michigan State University College of Engineering will host its annual Design Day on Friday, Dec. 8, to celebrate innovation driven by Spartan engineering students.

Design Day is the premier academic event for the fall and spring semesters. It gives students the opportunity to share their latest technological advances and research with the MSU community and corporate partners. The event is open to the public.

Design Day By the Numbers. 30th year for Design Day. It was Established in 1994 with Mechanical Engineering. Participation  6 Degree programs represented and 7 courses. Sponsors, 67 Sponsored Projects and 42 are Michigan-based companies & institutions. Capstone projects 435 students, 75 team. 11 Awards conferred by corporate and faculty judges
Design Day by the Numbers Inforgraphic Credit: Kendra Horvath

This year’s fall semester event will include 694 students representing 132 teams and seven courses in the fields of computer science and mechanical, civil, electrical and environmental engineering. Spartan engineers are not only evaluated academically for these projects, but also professionally by potential employers.

Among this group are 435 graduating seniors on 75 teams that will present their final projects, including 67 sponsored by corporate and community partners.

“The headliners of Design Day are our graduating seniors,” MSU College of Engineering Dean Leo Kempel said. “Their projects represent the capstone of their educational career. You will see that our graduating MSU engineers are ready to lead, create and innovate.”

Check out all the projects in the Fall 2023 Design Day book.

The lineup of student-created, solution-based, visual, hands-on projects sponsored by the university, community and corporate partners include:

  • Meijer: Enhanced AI-powered web app shopping experience focused on meal preferences, recipes, dietary restrictions, allergies and shopping history
  • Consumers Energy: Plans for 78-acre, 200-plus employee Lansing gas and electric operations center with warehouse, truck wells, loading docks, covered storage, detention ponds and office space
  • TechSmith: AI-guided Automated Content Editor web application that simplifies video editing by enabling users to edit videos using everyday language
  • Union Pacific: Railroad switch alignment training software with online courses that train employees to identify the alignment of railroad switches quickly and accurately
  • MSU Electrical and Computer Engineering: Interactive robot capable of autonomously identifying and locating sounds for seamless communication in remote professional settings
  • Village of Alanson, Michigan: Hand-propelled ferry, offering a much-needed, reliable and safe way for people to access Sanctuary Island Park in this Lower Peninsula town of 800 residents
  •  MSU College of Music: Sound-sensitized board and computer system with movable 3D notes that allows visually impaired people to experience music as it was written by composers
A spread of the Fall 2023 Design Day booklets, one book is open to show the Dean's message of Design Day
Design Day Fall 2023 Booklets including the student projects Photo Credit: Zea Labate

Other corporate sponsors of student-led projects for Design Day include Amazon, General Motors, GE, Stryker, Whirlpool, Magna, Lockheed Martin, United, Volkswagen, Whirlpool and Fraunhofer USA.

The College of Engineering awards 11 student projects. Each project is evaluated by a panel of corporate and faculty judges. The college’s Engineering Building will also host on Design Day a competition for 140 high school students.

Contact: Eric Lacy, College of Engineering communications manager, lacyeric@msu.edu