Senior Design Project Showcase

Students often complete their entire degree without the chance to display the remarkable work they can accomplish. In 2010, the Senior Design Project Showcase was established with a primary objective: to link our talented students with professionals in their respective fields to showcase their industry-level work. These industry experts provide valuable real-world feedback on various year-long projects developed from the knowledge and dedication that students acquire while pursuing their degrees. This event has evolved into an engaging college tradition where more than 40 student groups present their projects and pitch them to industry experts, creating an open forum for the public to be inspired.

2025 SDPS Brochure

SDPS 2025 Grand Prize Winner

R.A.B.I.T.

Faculty Advisor: Prof. Igor Mandrosov

Department: Computer Science

As video games have advanced, players have expected progressively more complex non-playable characters (NPCs) which demonstrate intelligence and dynamic behavior. Addressing these growing demands, our team presents “R.A.B.I.T.”: a programming toolkit which allows game developers to easily build complex and powerful decision-making systems to drive their NPCs.

Simplifying the process of building advanced “brains” for NPCs, R.A.B.I.T. provides an easy, modular way to define and configure NPCs via YAML. Furthermore, R.A.B.I.T. is written in C++, allowing it to be used on virtually all gaming platforms, for projects big and small.

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The Engineer's Archive

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nasser Alwehaidah

Department: Civil Engineering and Construction Management

For our Senior Design Project, our group decided to design a two story library dedicated to the engineers of CSUN. The design is California Building Code compliant and allowed us to further our understanding of civil engineering, and what to expect in industry.

Engineers are some of the hardest working individuals at CSUN working long hours and making sure that the world becomes a better place. So in return we want them to have a space where they can feel some sense of home.

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OSSJA / Emergency Department and Women's Service Building

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Qais Amarkhil

Department: Civil Engineering and Construction Management

Our team manages the $250 million expansion of California Hospital Medical Center, a four-story, 145,000-square-foot addition in LA, enhancing emergency and women’s healthcare while meeting SB 90 seismic standards. We will analyze the owner’s requirements, review engineering reports, and assess procurement strategies to determine the best project delivery and cost method. Our evaluation includes bid opportunities, risk assessment, and logistical feasibility. A work breakdown structure (WBS), schedule, and execution plan will enhance efficiency and sustainability. A physical model mockup will improve coordination, design understanding, and aid stakeholder engagement.

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Citizen Science

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Alex Modarressi

Department: Computer Science

A community-driven mobile application designed to enhance engagement and address challenges faced by the Standing Rock Nation. Focused on overcoming geographical and infrastructural barriers, the app integrates Indigenous knowledge with modern technological tools to improve accessibility to resources, foster environmental resilience, and promote cultural preservation. Key features of the platform include event tracking, real-time weather data, a resource hub, and an interactive map, all designed with cultural sensitivity and user-friendliness. By adopting a citizen science approach, the platform empowers local residents to contribute to environmental data collection, supporting climate monitoring efforts alongside NASA research. This project follows a participatory design methodology, ensuring technology aligns with cultural values, strengthens community ties, and supports sustainable digital adoption.

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Ultrasonic Transponder

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Somnath Chattopadhyay

Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Ultrasonic Transponder project focuses on developing a wireless communication system using ultrasonic signals for object detection, identification, and distance measurement. The system consists of an interrogator and multiple transponders, designed to communicate over a minimum range of 40 feet. This semester, our team worked on overhauling the receiver and envelope detector, redesigning the PCB, and implementing the Arduino software to improve system functionality. These upgrades bring the project closer to achieving reliable real-time distance calculations and lay the groundwork for future applications.

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) - Autonomous Drone

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Xiaojun (Ashley) Geng

Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Our project is to develop an autonomous delivery drone that will navigate its surroundings and complete deliveries with minimal or no human intervention. The drone is designed to receive target locations in the form of GPS or Cartesian coordinates, and by using Lidar sensors and an obstacle avoidance algorithm, it is programmed to deliver a payload to the destination, and then return to its starting point while utilizing LED lights on the drone to indicate the status of the delivery process. A project like this shows how different technology can be combined and might lead to new ideas for creating better autonomous drones in the future.

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HydroHug (PUREPALS)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sepideh Abolghasem

Department: Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management

Reusable water bottles are susceptible to bacterial contamination. To address this, PurePals introduces HydroHug, an advanced 3-in-1 filtration system integrating UV-C sterilization, reverse osmosis, and a reusable filter. Compatible with various bottle types, it ensures safe, clean water on the go. Comprehensive engineering analyses confirm its effectiveness, and user surveys indicate strong demand among active, health-conscious consumers. HydroHug excels in portability and ease of use, addressing challenges such as durability, battery life, and filtration speed. Future upgrades focus on sustainability and efficiency, making HydroHug the top choice for hydration and satisfaction.

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Ad Infinitum / A.R.A.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sepideh Abolghasem

Department: Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management

The Automated Robotic Assistant (A.R.A.) is a cost-effective automation solution designed to enhance efficiency in small to mid-sized manufacturing facilities. This robotic CNC part flipper arm addresses the disparity between small businesses and larger enterprises that leverage advanced automation for improved productivity and precision. By prioritizing affordability, ease of integration, and adaptability, the A.R.A. ensures seamless compatibility with various CNC machines, making automation more accessible to manufacturers with limited resources. Incorporating environmentally sustainable practices, it leverages additive manufacturing and optimized material usage to minimize waste.

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CSUN Aeronautics

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Shadi Mahjoob

Department: Mechanical Engineering

To combat the environmental effects and traffic congestion caused by ordinary package delivery, the CSUN Aeronautics team has engineered a fully functional lightweight aircraft, weighing no more than 3.5 pounds, capable of both vertical flight and conventional flight. The primary mission of the aircraft is the performance of a high-precision payload capture and delivery using an autonomous system for flight and payload mission segments. The team integrated research and design across multiple disciplines, including aerodynamics, propulsion, structural design, manufacturing, and avionics. Achieving the project goals required an advanced understanding of systems integration to ensure seamless interaction between subsystems, such as a hybrid propulsion system optimized for two modes of flight, lightweight structural design, and autonomously controlled mission guidance. An iterative approach was employed to make successive improvements for each of the iterations, which resulted in the production of an autonomous aircraft successful in performing mission expectations.

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Smart Morphing Wing (SMW)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Peter L. Bishay

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Smart Morphing Wing is a research-based senior design project whose objective is to design, simulate, build, and test an innovative morphing drone utilizing 3D-printing, composite structures, and smart materials. The 2024-25 cohort designed a bio-inspired, bird-like, non-flapping drone called BIRD, which resembles the western gull in its superior agility and efficient gliding. BIRD’s wings were designed with three coupled degrees of freedom (DOF) to allow the inner and outer wing segments to sweep backward while the middle wing sweeps forward. The outer feathered wing segment can also pitch independently. A compact actuation mechanism was developed to control two DOFs in the tail: pitching and tilting. Laminated composite structures were utilized in various components, such as the feathers and the skin of the fuselage and wings. A proof-of-concept prototype was built and tested to prove the effectiveness of the proposed design. The team presents at the AIAA regional student research conference.

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