As technology continues to improve, engaging students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) becomes more important. Manufacturing is growing in the U.S., creating more job opportunities. Automation teaches students how products come to life and how machines make work easier. It also shows them how engineers solve real-world problems. We designed a machine to help K-12 students learn about automation in a fun, interactive way. Our goal is to make engineering easy to understand and exciting to learn.

We enhanced the accuracy of an underwater tracking system utilized by scuba divers in the Underwater Diver Project. Our sponsor, Professor Rassweiler, encountered issues with his original setup due to a drift in the rope. As a professor at Florida State University, he dedicates his research to studying and surveying coral reefs and their health over time. He consistently monitors the condition of coral and other marine features. Working closely with Professor Rassweiler, we focused on refining his methods for logging underwater locations.

We created a curriculum to teach students the basics of using Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). PLCs are small computers that Mechanical Engineers commonly use, especially in manufacturing. Until now, the Mechanical Engineering department hasn’t taught students how to use PLCs. With the prevalence of PLCs increasing every year, there will be more jobs for engineers who know how to use them. To address this growing demand, we provided our curriculum to the Introduction to Mechatronics course at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

Our goal was to design an experiment to measure the effects of nozzle size on crater formation on the moon. When landers touch down on objects in space, the jet exhaust interacts with the surface of that object. Understanding how different nozzle sizes affect crater formation will allow us to better document this interaction. The surfaces of these objects are often made of small rocks and sand, so predicting the reaction between the jet and the surface will help us guide procedures when landing rockets.

Green propellants are a new rocket fuel that is safer and stores more energy than commonly used fuels. To further research on green propellants, testing must occur during active fuel use. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center conducts this research using thrust stands that measure force and temperature of fired propellant. Current flaws in NASA’s thrust stand cause imperfect data collection and material wear. We worked to design an improved thrust stand.

Controlling lunar dust is a key area of research that helps scientists improve space exploration. Lunar dust is a small, sharp powder that covers the Moon’s surface and can cause serious problems, such as damaging space suits and harming astronauts’ health. Scientists must first understand lunar dust behavior to solve this problem and create hardware resistant to lunar dust. We worked on evenly mixing lunar dust simulant inside a glovebox to study lunar dust behavior. Since real lunar dust is rare, we used a lunar dust simulant.