As a final step toward their career readiness, more than 100 senior mechanical, electrical, civil and computer engineering students gathered on April 30, 2024 at the Frem Civic Center, Byblos campus, to present posters of their final-year projects at the annual Engineering Capstone Design Project Poster Competition.

Simulating a business pitch, this annual tradition helps students demonstrate the culmination of their education and skills to a panel of jurors. The quality of the projects, posters and presentation skills are then assessed and the top winners selected who go on to receive valuable cash prizes.

The 37 participating groups in the competition worked for a full year, receiving ongoing guidance from their mentors, to research and produce practical and innovative prototypes that would help solve real-world problems. 

Some of those groups had also participated in the Engineering Projects Day held on April 26 prior to the poster competition day. Their prototypes were displayed along with other projects by students from different engineering programs and courses.

Participating in these events, said Dr. Dani Tannir, associate professor and assistant dean at the School of Engineering, boosts students’ visibility and confidence in their design work.

The competing groups’ designs included a sleep enhancement system, an autonomous pesticide sprayer, a low-cost bionic ankle, and a cloud-based database for healthcare professionals.

Nadine Sfeir, a senior mechatronics student, and her group members chose to tackle food waste and ineffective harvesting methods by designing a robotic gripper that tests the ripeness of fruits before harvest, using computer vision to detect the fruit/vegetable and a 3D-printed robotic arm.

Foad Rizk, a mechatronics student, developed CyclEase, a self-balancing bike for children. The innovative bike serves as a training tool for kids and those with physical disabilities thanks to a reaction wheel mechanism for stabilization, complemented by a user-friendly application tailored for parents or guardians to monitor and support the rider’s progress.

In addition to Dr. Tannir, the jury comprised Assistant Professor of Practice Maria Abi Saad, Associate Professor Grace Abou-Jaoude Estephan, Associate Professor Marc Haddad, Assistant Professor Miriam Tawk, and Assistant Professor Charbel Dalely Tawk, all from the School of Engineering.

The results of the capstone project poster competition will be officially announced on May 28.