Stevens Institute of Technology: Admissions Blog

H2prO Wins Top Prize at the 2009 Pitch Olympics

On the heels of Stevens annual Senior Design Expo, this year’s Pitch Olympics, a segment of Research & Entrepreneurship Day, was held in May. All Senior Design project teams were considered to be part of the Pitch Olympics and ten groups moved on to participate. Each group that participated was required to prepare a two-minute elevator pitch presented by one designated representative of the team to a panel of judges. 

This year’s top prize was awarded to Amanda Grimes, Nicole Migliore, Michael Mitchell and Joanna Sweetgall, a group of Biomedical Engineering students who presented H2prO, a portable, mechanically powered UV water treatment unit designed to provide safe drinking water for any individual, in any location, under any circumstance. An alternating current generator crank powers the UV bulbs, which, in turn, purify the water.

Michael, who represented the group in the Pitch Olympics, said that the team identified the need for this based on the number of people who travel around the world and contract illnesses from drinking water. The team wished to develop a cost-effective, simple, portable device to combat this issue and allow people access to clean, safe drinking water instantly.

“Our target market is wilderness enthusiasts, people who are traveling, and taking water out of a lake or a stream and are not sure whether the purification level is trustworthy or not,” said Nicole. “They can use our product to treat the water and make it safe for them to drink in any circumstance, in any situation, without an external power supply because it’s powered by a crank system. So it’s very easy to use for everyone.”

Dr. Vikki Hazelwood served as the team’s overall advisor. Michael said: “While Dr. Hazelwood pushes us to build a prototype, she also encourages us to envision our prototype translating to industry and production, and the potential applications it might have.” Inspired by this, the H2prO team is currently in the process of securing a provisional patent. The team’s clinical advisor was Dr. Robin E. Stutman, a New York-based infectious disease specialist.

Keeping Stevens in the Family

Michael Mitchell is just a couple days away from Commencement, where he will graduate with a BE in Biomedical Engineering and a ME in Materials Science. After graduation, he will be attending Cornell University where he will pursue a Ph.D. in the biomedical field. From there, he hopes to become a professor and continue to conduct research.

During his time at Stevens, Michael was involved with co-op, Tau Beta Phi, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Habitat for Humanity and the Biomedical Engineering Society. Recently, he completed his Senior Design project, h2pro, with much acclaim. He and his team members received the Center for Environmental Systems HydroGlobe award, they won the student technology pitch Olympics, and earned a spot at the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering national competition.

Getting involved is something Michael really enjoyed during his time at Stevens. He says: “Everyone at Stevens is so helpful, they really want you to succeed. I encourage students to go out and explore their interests, whether it is research or clubs or organizations. There are lots of opportunities at Stevens and always someone there to help you develop yourself.”

Michael’s father, John Mitchell, is effusive about the Stevens experience, and credits his son’s education with providing him opportunities for the future. Mr. Mitchell says: “As far as my wife and I are concerned, this was a terrific five years. Back in August 2004 we dropped off a boy and soon we will see a young man graduate with both an undergraduate and a graduate degree.”

The Mitchell family’s time at Stevens won’t end next week though. Michael’s younger brother, Marc, has chosen to attend Stevens and will begin his studies here in the fall. After showing an interest in science and engineering, Michael encouraged Marc to explore Stevens. “I like that Marc is coming here. He is going to have a lot of opportunities at Stevens. I will help guide him, but I also want him to be able to forge his own path.”

Mr. Mitchell is also thrilled that Marc has also chosen to attend Stevens. He says: “I can only hope that Marc has the same experience as his brother. I am very confident that he will.”

Stevens Engineering Team Featured in Popular Science

Recent Stevens graduates Christopher Alexander, Brandon MacWhinnie, Michael Manzione, Sonal Pujji, and Juan Rodriguez were hailed as "young geniuses" in the September 2008 issue of Popular Science for their Senior Design Project, a handheld spy chopper that is a lightweight and inexpensive hand-launched, unmanned aerial vehicle.

Click to read the story >>

Trapani is a winner at the 2008 ISPE New Jersey chapter student poster competition

Michael Trapani, a recent graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology, was one of the winners at the 2008 International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering's (ISPE) New Jersey chapter student poster competition. He was selected for his poster, "Back Up: Expandable Intervertebral Cage with Rotational Insert." Trapani was a Biomedical Engineering major and a member of Stevens' class of 2008.

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Biomedical Engineering Senior Design Takes 2nd Place at ISPE Poster Competition

On April 24th, 2008, at the Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering's (ISPE) NJ Regional Poster Competition, the Biomedical Engineering senior design team of Mike Trapani, Steve Gadol, Adrienne Quiray, and William Kowalski, presented a poster titled "Back-UP," and came in second place.

The students will receive an all-expense paid trip to the ISPE Annual Meeting in Florida in October 2008, where they will compete with teams from each state. Last year, Kate Freed was the overall winner in the undergraduate category for her poster titled "Impedance Mammography."

Congratulations to all the winners and good luck for the national competition in October.

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Engineering Management Students win Best Poster Award at 2008 USMA Capstone Conference

Stevens Engineering Management students had a victory at the recent 2008 USMA Capstone Conference at West Point, where they recently won the Best Poster Award for their work re-engineering New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Emergency Department registration. The five-member team from Stevens, also known as "Better Managed Solutions, Inc." includes two students who are completing the Four Plus One program to obtain an ME in Systems Engineering, and three undergraduate Engineering Management students.

Originally conceived as a Senior Design Project, the initiative quickly gained a professional scope as the students made connections inside the hospital, including a Six Sigma Blackbelt internal consultant, and the Chief of Emergency Medicine, who welcomed them to participate in senior management meetings, after they were fast-tracked through the hospital’s volunteer access protocol. "We were treated like consultants," says Adam Hecht, ME Systems Engineering ’08. "They are in the process of implementing bedside registration, which was one of our recommendations, and we are meeting with the hospital staff again to discuss our findings." Word has spread about the study conducted by the team, and area hospitals are contacting the group about their findings.

At the 2008 USMA Capstone Conference, hosted by the USMA Department of Systems Engineering, the team presented their work among a strong group of Systems Engineering programs, including US Air Force Academy, University of Virginia, and West Point students. Many of the research projects presented at the conference were completed with dedicated school staff, and significant budgets, as well as having a military focus.

According to BE Engineering Management ’08 student James Norberg, "It was like being a magic act at a singing contest, bringing in a civilian project to be evaluated." Apparently, the magic worked, with the poster describing an application of business process reengineering to make drastic improvements to NY Presbyterian Hospital’s current Emergency Department registration. After assessing the current process, performing a time study, comparing performance statistics against other local hospitals, and making use of simulation software to complete the final analysis, the team was able to make recommendations to simplify patient flow and make both the hospital staff and the patient experience better.

The School of Systems and Enterprises extends congratulations to Kathryn Abuan, Drew Cottrell, James Norberg, Adam Hecht, and Chris Babula, and faculty advisor Eirik Hole for excellent work promoting the value of Systems Engineering.

Stevens Students Help Rising Tide

Over 80 students presented their work as part of the Senior Project Expo yesterday in the Schaefer Athletic Center on campus. And for their senior project, one group of students chose to help economically disadvantaged Hudson County residents get back on their feet.

Students in the Howe School of Technology Management teamed up to work with Jersey City-based Rising Tide Capital, a business training program for the poor.

"It was a project that we enjoyed doing, since it did have that level of community service, as well as a professional aspect," said Stevens student Johanna Zuleta. "Rising Tide gives these people a second chance to re-start their lives."

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Video: Senior Projects Expo 2008

Senior Project Expo Preview

This Wednesday, April 23, Stevens will hold its Senior Project Expo from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Some of this year's projects include:

BridgeNet: This project demonstrates a technology system that remotely detects strains in bridge-structures to head off bridge failure. (“Have you driven on the Pulaski Skyway recently?” asks one of the team, while illustrating the concept.) Team members include Tim Garner, Chris Falato, Ryan Marone and Vijay Jadav.

InStream Video: This team is studying ways to increase the disruptive marketplace impact of a start-up technology company with its origins at Stevens, InStream Media LLC. The company produces a technology that will revolutionize digital advertising by embedding messages in video media that are retrievable through a remote point-click system, which leaves the video being watched uninterrupted, but will deliver product information and promotional materials direct to one’s e-mail or computer hard drive. Team members include Lauren Buroojy, Dora Enright and Jean Matusiak.

Rising Tide Capital: This team is working with two 2003 Harvard grads to create the NY-Metro Region’s own version of Grameen Bank, originated in Bangladesh by Nobel-Prize winner Muhammed Yunus. Yunus invented the technique of MicroFinancing – lending money to businesses with no more than five workers, with amazing results among poverty-stricken populations. The two Harvard grads, Alex Forrester and Alfa Demmellash, have joined with a team of Stevens Business & Technology seniors to perfect the technology, finance infrastructure and business-plan aspects of Yunus’ concept. The team will demonstrate models of MicroLending as a powerful potential cure for poverty and dependency in the American inner city. Team members include Nicole Moldovan, Swati Agrawal, Catherine Kim, JoAnne Pojuner, Jennifer Ramirez, Timothy Williams and Johanne Zuleta.

Senior Design Expo, April 23

Undergraduate research is at the heart of a Stevens education. Our students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in applied research that can help solve some of society's most complex problems.

Here are a few recent examples:

• Kate Freed, '08, and her senior design team created a prototype of a device that would perform a non-invasive three dimensional screening for breast cancer. The team has received a provisional patent for their device and they are looking into applying for a full patent. Read more >>

• A hand-held biomedical device by SPOC ("Stevens Proof of Concept"), developed jointly by Stevens students and pain-management expert Dr. Norman Marcus, has just received FDA 510K clearance for manufacture and marketing as a clinical device. Read more >>

• The 2007 senior design team of Jorge DaSilva, Jay Peterson, Murat Kocak, and William Indoe (along with Professor Richard Berkof) have written an article in Pharmaceutical Engineering about their innovative Automatic Pill Bottle Opener. Read more >>

If innovations like these interest you, we encourage you to attend this year's Senior Design Exposition, which takes place Wednesday, April 23 from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Canavan Arena in the Schaefer Athletic Center.

In the meantime, take a look at a video from last year's expo: