Some 53 engineering students from Grand Valley State University
will cap their college experiences by showing off their work for local
industry in a special ceremony Friday.
The Padnos College of Engineering and Computing Senior Design
Conference will be held Friday, August 6, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the
Keller Engineering Lab Building on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
On display will be 12 projects with a combined materials value
exceeding $85,000. All projects were designed and built to address
actual problems and needs of area companies. The conference celebrates
the successful completion of the Capstone Design Program, in which
teams of senior engineering students solve real-world engineering
design problems sponsored by participating industries and other
sponsoring organizations.
The projects take two semesters to complete, and at the end, the
companies that participate have an actual working product. The costs
for the sponsoring industries are materials and a small project fee —
the students are not paid for their work, but instead gain college
credit and valuable work experience.
The projects on display were completely designed, built, and
tested by the students. Sponsors of the projects include: Bissell,
DornerWorks, Fulton Innovation, Gill Industries, Stanley InnerSpace,
Magna Mirrors, Magnum Engineering, Grand Valley’s Michigan Alternative
and Renewable Energy Center and Rapid-Line.
The day culminates in the Order of the Engineer ceremony, which
is a special commencement ritual for engineering students. The
graduates earn their degrees later than the traditional spring
ceremony because they must complete a year-long co-op experience. In
the ceremony, each student receives an iron ring, placed on the little
finger of the working hand, which symbolizes bridging the step between
training and experience.
Engineering graduation ceremony August 6
Subscribe
Sign up and receive the latest Grand Valley headlines delivered to your email inbox each morning.