Collaborative innovation engineers a solution for transforming healthcare education

This is a senior project for the team of six students who represent all engineering disciplines: product design and manufacturing, mechanical, computer, electrical and biomedical.

They began learning about a Pyxis and designing their machine in early winter. After receiving approval, the students ordered parts and began building. Through the winter semester, they met weekly with Interprofessional Simulation Center staff to provide updates. After the machine is installed, likely in mid-July, they will provide training for faculty and center staff.

Ali Olcay, associate professor of mechanical engineering, said the experience is exactly what the students will experience when they enter the workforce.

"Our engineering program is the gold standard," Olcay said. "Not every program has sponsored senior projects. The goal, just like in industry, is to make the sponsor happy, but at the end of the day, the machine needs to work."

Computer engineering major Aliece Bradley said the project builds on experiences she and her teammates had during their co-op placements, but on a much larger scale and over a longer period. "Going through a co-op experience, you don't necessarily see a project to the end, but here we will," Bradley said. "That's going to give us an edge with employers."

The team also asked students in the Occupational Safety and Health Management program to review the project for workplace safety.

"It's really a great example of the work they will eventually do," Olcay said. "They're learning time management, working with shipping and delays, and debugging the machine for nearly seven months. And every step has been monitored by the sponsors."