Mechanical engineering seniors James Kok and Luis Ferrusquilla present their research on the MataMorph-3 at the 2021 CSUNposium.

Each year, CSUN students push themselves to new heights and create amazing designs and research presentations.

With COVID-19 continuing to limit activity on campus, CSUN students showed that their innovation would not be slowed down, as their work was presented at two recent events — the CSUNposium research and creative works symposium and the College of Engineering and Computer Science Senior Design Project Showcase.

2021 CSUNposium

From groundbreaking flight engineering to studies about the effects of COVID-19 on society, CSUN undergraduates and graduate students showed off their research through oral and poster presentations at the 25th annual Research and Creative Works Symposium, known as the CSUNposium, on April 9.

The 2021 CSUNposium on April 9 featured almost 400 undergraduate and graduate students and represented every CSUN college.

Some CSUN mechanical engineering students found inspiration from the sky. For example, one group of the students tested and built MataMorph-3, also known as XM-3, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with wings and tail that morph, or slightly change shape, to allow the aircraft to adapt to a variety of flight conditions. Other students spent time researching a variety of topics including the effects of COVID-19 on society, ancient antibiotic resistance in biology, and many more.

“The students are also due a significant amount of credit for working so hard to modify their research plans in order to accommodate virtual data collection,” said Amy Levin, assistant vice president of graduate studies, who helped organize the event.

Read more about the 2021 CSUNposium. 

2021 Senior Design Project Showcase

Photograph of the Go Gloves team together, alongside their finished project.

On May 7, 28 student teams presented their senior capstone projects at the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s 2021 Virtual Senior Design Project Showcase.

From proposals on improving and storing rainwater and drainage, to designing a brand new Las Vegas casino, to a human-powered vehicle, the students showcased their creativity in a virtual setting.

In the spirit of friendly competition, one winner was selected from each of five major groups represented at the showcase. However, all of the students were able to gain valuable knowledge and skills that they will undoubtedly make use of in the future.

“These projects include more than just the design and building; the students become competent in skills pertaining to working with teams, oral presentations, visual display, and more soft skills, as some refer to them,” said Houssam A. Toutanji, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Read more about the 2021 College of Engineering and Computer Science Senior Design Project Showcase.

College of Engineering and Computer Science, CSUNposium