STEM Funds Make a Difference

LLF Supports Students' Capstone Projects

In December 2022, the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) awarded a $5,000 gift to undergraduate Mechatronic Engineering students at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) to support their spring 2023 senior capstone projects. This gift aligns with our mission of inspiring next-generation STEM leaders and supporting innovative research and science and technology priorities at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL).

The students’ capstone projects are the culmination of their undergraduate education in Mechatronics Engineering: projects involve mechanical design, electronics design, physical assembly, and embedded systems computer programming. CSUCI Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dr. Scott Feister worked with students on developing a sidekick demo system for autonomous laboratories. LLNL scientists collaborating with the students were inspired by their hard work and approached LLF to support some of their project expenses.

Many students were paying for the project’s physical components and supplies out of pocket, causing a financial burden and the compromise of technical and educational goals.

“This donation removed the financial burden from students, freeing them up to buy the hardware that best fits their educational and technical goals,” noted Dr. Feister.

Bennett Rousseau, Quentin Thomas, and Kc Hebrard (left to right) are building an autonomous items carrier - portable story. Users connect via Bluetooth, and this portable storage unit will follow a person around using GPS location.

A 3D printer purchased with the support of the Livermore Foundation has been essential in fabricating customized parts for students' Capstone projects at CSUCI.

Sara Centeno spins the wheels on the Biological Assistant Beach Surveyer (BABS) her team has built.

Angel Martinez designs parts for their solar-tracking robotic mount, which holds a solar panel to face the sun.

Sam Bettencourt, Angel Martinez, and Sebastian Guerrero Mejia pose with their Capstone projects in robotics.

Closeup of the control board for a student-built robotic acoustic levitor.

Sebastian Guerrero Mejia and Angel Martinez assemble their solar-tracking robotic mount, which holds a solar panel to face the sun.

Emiko Ito attaches the arms to the Biological Assistant Beach Surveyer (BABS) her team has built.

Keily Valdez Sereno uses a Playstation controller to manipulate the robotic arm of an acoustic levitator. The robotic arm is made with 3D printed parts, that she designed in Fusion360 CAD Software.

Emiko Ito with the Biological Assistant Beach Surveyer (BABS).

Thomas Adams, a dual major in Physics and Mechatronics Engineering, with the acoustic levitator elements that he himself designed.

To date, four project teams have used the LLF gift towards purchasing supplies beyond what the CSUCI department can provide. One project team purchased digital sensors to build a 3D scanner of people’s forearms. Their project goal is to take these scans to 3D-print custom-fit prosthetics and casts. A second team purchased a set of four large brushless DC motor controllers and heavy-duty wiring for use in driving an autonomous driving rover. A third team purchased a set of aluminum rails, bolts, and other hardware with which to construct a large mechanical robotic assembly. Yet another project team purchased metal sheeting and a solar-tracking arm upon which they’ll build power for their embedded system.

Dr. Brian Spears, LLNL Principal Investigator, shared, “Our interactions with the CSUCI students have helped advance the work we are doing at the Lab, especially in setting up real hardware that operates in a ‘self-driving mode.’ LLF funds enabled students to sharpen their skills on sophisticated mechatronics platforms, and they will graduate with abilities not only useful to the Lab but also important to the nation’s economic competitiveness.”

On May 4, 2023, the Mechatronics Engineering students will present their capstone projects at a senior showcase.