U.P. students showcase work at design expo

HOUGHTON — Student projects were on display at the 16th annual Michigan Tech Design Expo.

The showcase features projects from over 600 students in both the Tech Enterprise and Senior Design programs. Some projects are competitive but many of the designs will actually be used in the industry, such as a satellite being developed by Michigan Tech’s Aerospace Enterprise.

Taylor Warden, a software engineering major, says the aerospace projects were one of the main reasons he came to Michigan Tech.

Warden said, “So the Aerospace Enterprise is currently developing 3 different satellites. The “Oculus–ASR” which is a project that’s been going on for about 6 years now. It calibrates a tool that helps the [Department of Defense] use low–power telescopes to see satellites. So we can determine whether or not something over the U.S. is say debris from another satellite or a satellite owned by someone else.”

Warden says the Oculus satellite will soon be sent to the Air Force for final testing then launch into space within a year or two.

Other projects on display included robots, a super–mileage vehicle, and a machine to recycle plastics into 3D printer filament. The annual Design Expo is a great way for the community to see the impressive work done by students at Michigan Tech.