2025 Capstone Projects EXPO is the longest-running student engineering and technological innovation showcase in the Pacific Northwest. The event welcomes K-12 and community college students, industry partners and community members to explore industry-sponsored projects designed by current U of I students in the college’s Interdisciplinary Capstone Design Program, ranked top seven in the nation for infusing real-world experiences into engineering education.
Engineering students work in interdisciplinary teams on creative projects sponsored by industry partners, private individuals or U of I departments.
Biological Engineering
LOW-COST SHEAR STRESS BIOREACTOR TO ENABLE TISSUE ENGINEERING RESEARCH
BENCH SCALE YEAST FERMENTATION BIOREACTOR FOR TEACHING CONTROL SYSTEMS Bioreactors enable controlled microbial growth and biofuel production by optimizing temperature, pH, and nutrients. The Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor (CSTR) is ideal for uniform mixing and biochemical reactions. Developing small-scale bioreactors for teaching will provide hands-on learning of heat transfer, mass/energy balance, and instrumentation, bridging theoretical concepts with practical applications. Team Members Olivia Nielson - Biological Engineering Joshua Werner - Electrical Engineering Pascal Deuel - Biological Engineering Philip Boettcher - Mechanical Engineering Ethan Miller - Mechanical Engineering Client/Sponsor Dev Shrestha – U of I Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Faculty Advisor Russell Qualls - U of I Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Courses in the program emphasize the design process and the creation of a thoughtfully engineered, tested and validated outcome or prototype.
Tendons transfer forces from muscle to bone and are vital for movement. However, they are commonly injured and current treatments fail to restore them to their prior strength. Functional tendon repairs using stem cells are being explored, but the mechanisms of tendon development are not fully understood and commercial bioreactors for this research can be expensive. We are developing a low-cost bioreactor system to increase accessibility in researching novel solutions for chronic tendon injures. Team Members Dillon West - Biological Engineering Gibson Moseley - Computer Science Client/Sponsor Nathan Schiele – U of I Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Joe Stanley - Stanley Solutions NW Faculty Advisor Russell Qualls – U of I Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering