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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Biological Systems Engineering Department

We Bring Engineering to Life.

Senior Capstone Design
Page 1: Fall and Spring 2008 \| Page 2: Spring 2007 \| Page 3: Spring 2006 - Fall 2005 \| Page 4: Spring 2005 - 2004 Senior students in Agricultural Engineering (AGEN) and Biological Systems Engineering (BSEN) work with real-world clients to develop engineering design solutions. Some projects have gone into further development leading to patents. Discover for yourself the capabilities of, and the variety of projects by, our engineering students. What problem can we solve for you?
Fall 2008
	Constructing an Eco-Machine for Classroom Teaching Team Members: Travis Anderson (BSEN, Newman Grove, NE), Jessica Deck (BSEN, Sioux City, IA), David Mabie (BSEN, Lincoln, NE) Faculty Advisors: Dr. Dennis Schulte Client: Dr. Thomas Franti, Department of Biological Systems Engineering The project objective was to design and construct a small-scale teaching wetland. The wetland demonstrates the biological nutrient removal processes of plants and bacteria. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon removal rates were calculated for this system. A theoretical uptake of 20% of contaminants was found using first-order batch reactor equations. Details describing layout, lighting, plant populations, capacity, portability, and storage of the Eco-Machine were specified. Estimates of nutrient uptake were made. The final prototype included accommodations for water flow, filtering, plant establishment, and lighting.
	Development of an Ultrasound Neck Phantom for Medical Training Team Members: Joseph Bremer (BSEN, Auburn, NE), Ishwari Poudel (BSEN, Baltimore, MD), Prakash Chapain (BSEN, Baltimore, MD), Joseph Rose (BSEN, Big Springs, NE) Faculty Advisors: Dr. Greg Bashford Client: Dr. Russell Smith, M.D., Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE With the projection of 300,000 expected cases of thyroid and lymph node cancer in 2008 comes a need for skilled surgeons who can detect and treat the cancer. One method for early detection is ultrasound-guided, fine needle biopsy. Today’s surgeons need to hone their skills on a training platform before performing biopsies on patients. This design created a reusable ultrasound phantom of the neck with inexpensive materials and contains realistic anatomy structures with biopsy sites for fine needle biopsy training.
	Samani Suture Passer II Team Members: Wei Chin (BSEN, Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia), Chi Min Seow (BSEN, Penang, Malyasia), Cze Song Yeo (BSEN, Johor Bahru, Malaysia) Faculty Advisors: Dr. Greg Bashford and Dr. Carl Nelson Client: Dr. David Samani, M.D., Bryan LGH West, Lincoln, NE Current orthopedic instruments used to pass sutures in minimally invasive surgeries lack a flexible distal end and therefore severely decrease maneuverability in a small surgical opening. Surgeons desire to retrieve loose ends of suture from within the body through an instrument cannula. Unfortunately, the small operating area and limited orientations of current instruments frequently lengthen operation time and even prevent a minimally invasive approach. The Samani Suture Passer is an articulating and suture-grasping orthopedic instrument that allows surgeons to manipulate the angle of the distal end of the tool from outside the body, while the distal end remains in the surgical opening via a cannula. A continuation of a previous Capstone Design project, this project improved ergonomics of the Samani Suture Passer allowing surgeons to operate the tool with comfort. The Samani Suture Passer is anticipated to increase efficiency during surgery and at the same time reduce operation and recovery time.
Spring 2008
	Design for the 2008 Quarter-scale Tractor Team Members: Grant Janousek (AGEN, Leigh, NE), Mark Tieszen (ME, Canistota, SD), Will Corman (AGEN, Hardy, NE) Faculty Advisor: Dr. Roger Hoy Client: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Team members spent the fall semester on the conceptual design of the tractor. The goal was to have a fully designed tractor on paper before any construction began. The spring semester involved the actual construction of a garden-sized pulling tractor. ASABE sponsors an international design competition held in Peoria, IL, in which the tractor team competes against teams from other universities. This competition gives members a chance to incorporate their engineering skills into practical design experience. It also allows members to learn machining and fabricating skills as they construct their design. The experience from the Quarter-scale Tractor Design Competition is invaluable as members move into the engineering workplace. First place, Agricultural Engineering, E-week 2008
	Regaining Surface ECG Signal During Defibrillation Testing Team Members: Rob Corn (BSEN, Omaha, NE), Megan Krause (BSEN, Omaha, NE), Issar Yazhbin (BSEN, Yaven, Israel) Faculty Advisor: Dr. Greg Bashford Client: Dr. Andy Merliss, Bryan LGH East, Lincoln, NE When implanting an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator), the physician tests the ICD operation by inducting cardiac arrest. The ICD then delivers an electrical shock, which overloads the ECG (electrocardiogram) monitoring system, so that monitoring is unavailable for 1 – 3 seconds. During this short time, the physician remains unaware of whether the test was successful and if the patient has recovered normal cardiac rhythm. While typical ECG signal is on the order of 1mV, the system is equipped to handle up to 110mV. A defibrillation signal that originates in the ICD will be on the order of 100V on the skin surface. The goal of this project was to provide a solution that would reduce the time delay between the defibrillation shock and the physician’s ability to monitor the patient’s status. The team introduced a simple design of a serial electrical circuit, placed between the patient and the ECG monitoring system, which would protect it from overload, while not interacting with the process of defibrillation. First place, Biological Systems Engineering, E-week 2008
	Hydrogel Patch with Physical Guidance for Cardiomyocyte Growth Team Members: Andrea Tuma (BSEN, Waukomis, OK), Dipika Singh (BSEN, Lucknow, India), Erica Levorson ( Shawnee, KS) Faculty Advisor: Dr. Angela Pannier Client: Dr. Tatiana Segura, UCLA Nearly 80 million people in the U.S. were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease in 2004, resulting in over 800,000 deaths. One of the results of myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is areas of the heart become ischemic as a result in a lack of blood flow in the heart tissue. One idea to treat ischemia is to impose a flexible, biodegradable patch on the affected area in order to guide new blood vessel formation across the cardiac tissue. This team designed a hydrogel patch with physical guidance for cardiac tissue regeneration. Hydrogel is a material made of an insoluble network of polymer chains that is 98% water. The goal for the team was to establish stable channels in the hydrogel to support the growth of new vessels. Third place, Biological Systems Engineering, E-week 2008
	Economic Feasibility of Zein Extraction from Ethanol DDGS Team Members: Peter Larson (BSEN, Sioux Falls, SD), Ben Carlson (AGEN, Genoa, NE), Laura Podany (BSEN, Clarkson, NE), Isaac Mortensen (AGEN, Curtis, NE) Faculty Advisors: Dr. Curt Weller, Dr. Yiqi Yang Client: Jake Johnson, UNL OTD, Dr. Yiqi Yang Dry mill ethanol production leaves a by-product called Dry Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS). Zein, a protein in corn, is left in the DDGS. There are many applications for zein—from food coatings and films, to fibers—with the added bonus that zein is a natural and biodegradable alternative to synthetic materials. Removing the zein from DDGS, could increase the supply of this protein available for commercial uses. Dr. Yiqi Yang has developed an acidic extraction method of zein from DDGS. The project of this team was to scale up Dr. Yang’s process into a commercial-sized operation. Second place, Biological Systems Engineering, E-week 2008
	Page 2: Senior Capstone Design Projects Page 3: Senior Capstone Design Projects Page 4: Senior Capstone Design Projects