On Wednesday evening, two teams of Penn State engineering students got the opportunity to present their senior capstone projects at the inaugural Design Expo at the Penn State Great Valley Malvern campus to a crowd of 50 guests.

The eight students are the first to graduate from Penn State with a degree in general engineering with a multidisciplinary engineering design specialization, created from a partnership between the Abington, Brandywine, and Great Valley campuses.

Through the partnership, students in the Philadelphia region are given a chance to pursue an ABET accredited Penn State College of Engineering degree using the world-class engineering labs at Penn State Great Valley.

The two presentations were preceded by opening remarks and an overview of the degree program from Penn State Great Valley Chancellor, James Nemes, and engineering professors Kathryn Jablokow and Douglas Schumer.

The teams were tasked with creating a new product with the support of local industry sponsors. The WKI team, sponsored by Omega Design Inc. of Exton, created a product capable of accurately providing a measured force ranging from 0.5 to 300 pounds, while the SEG team, sponsored by Bird with Fry LLC, made a tool that helps skiers manipulate ski boot buckles with their mittens on.

“As the first graduates of this new regional Penn State program, these students are true pioneers. They can be very proud of their accomplishments — just as we are very proud of them,” said Jablokow.

After votes from the public and a judging panel of industry experts and one from the local Penn State faculty, the SEG team was awarded the Peoples’ Choice, Best Engineering, and Best Project awards, while the WKI team won Outstanding Project.

Check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Penn State Great Valley here.