43
'Big Bang Theory' meets YSU at STEM showcase
By Bob Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
The campus of Youngstown State University was like a huge episode of “The Big Bang Theory” on Saturday as students from the university’s College of Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering showed off their creations to the public.
Some 250 students took part in the STEM showcase, which included more than 70 projects, according to Emilie Eberth, STEM outreach and scholarships coordinator.
There were projects displayed by students from all grade levels and from all disciplines of the STEM college. First-year students competed for the honor of having their projects selected for display at the OH WOW! children’s science center downtown, Eberth said.
“Our hope is that the community can see what STEM is all about and what our students have accomplished,” she said.
One of the more popular projects was a micro-turbine jet engine experiment and nozzle design, created by senior mechanical engineering students Ryan Neice and Ali Alelaiw. The duo drew a large crowd each time they fired up their engine, which had spectators covering their ears to muffle the mighty roar of the miniature engine.
“It’s good to have a loud project. It brings a lot of attention to you,” Neice said with a wide smile. “It’s really cool.”
He said the type of engine they’d built is used primarily in radio-controlled airplanes, so won’t have much use in the actual jet engine industry. However, their redesign of the engine nozzle, which improves engine thrust and generates more power, could eventually find its way into the market.
Their engine, which they’d built as their senior capstone project required for graduation, will stay at YSU, where future engineering students will use it for their own research and experiments, Neice said.
Neice, 23, will graduate in May and said he plans to further his education at The University of Virginia, where he will pursue a master’s degree in biomechanical engineering.
Alelaiw, 32, also will graduate in May, but said he is unsure of his plans. He might return to his native Saudi Arabia, or he might stay in the United States for either graduate school or to find a job.
“Everything is an option right now, whether it’s here, in Europe or in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Because of the noise and fumes generated by their turbine engine, Neice and Alelaiw were set up outside Moser Hall.
Inside, senior engineering students Jared Fink and Vincent Dell’Arco showed off the automatic tong mechanism they’d created to hold the jaws of a mechanical hoist in position. They said it was intended to help improve on a mechanism currently in use at Hunter Lift in North Lima.
Fink said their locking mechanism helps keep the hoist jaws from accidentally opening while a load is being lifted, causing whatever is being moved to fall and possibly be damaged.
“I guess the next step is getting them on board to use it,” Fink said. He and Dell’Arco said they spent an entire semester designing the mechanism, then spent about two months building it.
They said the part currently used by Hunter Lift costs about $360 to manufacture, while their creation would cost double that amount. They’d also developed an alternative project that would cost about $400 to manufacture.
After graduation in May, Dell’Arco said he’ll be working at George Mitchell Co. on McClurg Road, designing metal tubes for manufacturing use. Fink hopes to find a job in manufacturing design work.
Ahmasi Martin Jr. of Chicago will attend YSU beginning in the fall as a STEM student and a track athlete. He attended the showcase Saturday with his father, Ahmasi Sr.
“I like what I’m seeing here,” Ahmasi Sr. said. “This is impressive, seeing these inventions that might be out there for use in the world one day.”
Other projects included an eye-tracking device for determining visual recognition, creation of an artificial intelligence opponent for the board game “Onitama,” a portable resistance spot-welding machine, a device to maximize energy-capture in low wind speed environments, and a device to predict the impact of climate change on future ice jams in waterways of the Northwest Region.