Presentation to the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Board of Governors

March 2, 2017

 ECS students, faculty and administration recently presented their research related to Mechanical Engineering Senior Design projects, student clubs, and the new Center for Collaborative Research and Prototype Development (CCRPD) to the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Board of Governors.  

The presentation provided examples of this year’s Senior Design teams, including the 3D Food Printing team, and the Student Aerospace Society (also know as the student club, SAS). The 3D Food Printing team’s work involves building a proof-of-concept printer to print food in extreme environments such as the International Space Station, or war zones. The SAS team is building a hybrid solid/liquid fuel rocket estimated to be about 8 ft. in length, which will be tested at a desert test site in the future. 

The presentation also highlighted two clubs, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Formula and Baja teams. Both the Formula and Baja cars were on site, and all attendees had the opportunity to view and sit in the vehicles. Two mechanical engineering students, Joel Amposta, from the Baja club and Kelly Martin, from the Formula club gave brief personal histories during the presentation. Each explained their journey to becoming engineering majors and discussed their individual involvement in their respective projects. 

Additionally, faculty and administration discussed the new CCRPD’s strategy to collaborate with local industry, and enable students to work on real-world engineering problems and projects. 

Joe Piacenza, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering explained the presentation was well-received. “Many of the attendees didn’t realize the technical ability or manufacturing capabilities of both ECS and our students. This presentation was a great venue to highlight the opportunities and infrastructure ECS undergraduate students have to conduct impactful research. We will continue to reach out to the local engineering community for collaborative research partnerships, which will enable our students to gain the critical hands-on experience needed to prepare for entering the local workforce.”