Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

2024 Senior Design Showcase

The engineering students at Colorado State University hold an annual Engineering Days celebration, “E-Days,” to showcase undergraduate senior design projects. 

Interact with our students and view a variety of engineering projects in-person at the Lory Student Center and Plaza.
E-Days draws visitors from the community and industry, as well prospective students interested in exploring engineering.

E-Days 2023 was a huge success!

2023 Award Winners

The campus and Fort Collins communities turned out in droves for E-days! It was a warm and sunny day, with students available both on the Plaza and the Ballroom to discuss their projects. Below is just a small sample of the excitement, including a list of our award winners!

  • 1st – Wild West Water Supply, Front Range Reservoir Pumped Storage
  • 2nd – Mountain Water Revolutions, Total Phosphorous Removal: CMCMC Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • 3rd – Horsetooth Hydraulics, Larimer County Canal Flume and Sediment Trap Design

2024 Senior Design Projects

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Flow Tech Solutions: Alta Vista Stormwater Project

Students: Humood Aljotaili, Evan Jones, Jillian Lukez, Joana Saenz Quiroz, Troy Thorson, and Sam Vaughan (Group 1)

Advisors: Christopher Thornton and Christopher Michalos

The Alta Vista Stormwater Project seeks to mitigate flooding along Vine Drive and Alta Vista Road in northeast Fort Collins. In precipitation events as frequent as 2-year and 10-year storms, residents of Alta Vista experience property damage and limited access to the neighborhood. Flat slopes throughout the site prevent proper drainage and frequent channel obstructions limit conveyance. Alta Vista is located in the FEMA-regulated 100-year Dry Creek Floodplain; therefore, hydrologic and hydraulic analyses will be performed to develop an updated floodplain map based on proposed site conditions. Stormwater management improvements may include the installation of hydraulic structures to direct runoff to the natural channel. Collaboration with the City of Fort Collins will ensure an efficient and effective design that ultimately reduces flood risk in Alta Vista and surrounding areas.

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Millennium Solutions: Solitude Tailings Facility Design

Students: Celie Brockett, Holly Ho, Patrick O'Kane, Liam Elder, Kiri Forster (Group 2)

Advisor: Joe Scalia

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TerraNova Engineering Company: PFAs Remediation Design

Students: Katie Willard, Katie Drosihn, Fatma Alwahiabi, Emma Beitel, Shooq Alfaraj, Kaemyn Klimack (Group 3)

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Solarscape Engineering: Solar Facility Design

Students: Abyar Alzalzala, Fahad Al-Kiymui, Carter Caines, Andrick Diatilo, Gina Rehm, Nathan Roman (Group 4)

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RamTerra Consultants: Windfarm Design

Students: Matthew Schonebaum, Juan Saucedo, Alexis Diaz Echeverria, Owen Albright, Thomas Willems, Miguel Rico (Group 5)

Picture of rock creedbed in grassy plain

HydroLogic Engineering: Terry Lake Spillway, Seepage, Slope Stability, and Bank Stability Design

Students: Bridget Ediger, Luke Feuerborn, Jonathan Maciarello, Michael McMahan, Austria Pfanner, Ben Thompson (Group 6)

Advisors: Christopher Thornton and Christopher Michalos

Terry Lake is classified as a high hazard dam with seepage issues, and wave-driven winds cause damage to lakeside residences. Modeling of the basin, the dam section, and the spillway determines the location and severity of these issues. Using model results, new designs will mitigate seeppage issues, improve water storage, and prevent wave damage.

Six students standing outside holding surveying gear

Crossroads Engineering: CSU Intersection Innovations Project

Students: Abdullah Alkhaldi, Caroline McConnell, Marin Lindvall, Rosa Henson, Shannon Zurn, Tanguy Steiblen (Group 7)

The CSU Intersection Innovations Project seeks to revamp Plum & Meridian by applying the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Currently, Plum & Meridian is a crossroads with four stop signs. Situated between CSU residence halls and the main campus, this intersection serves major bus routes through Fort Collins. During the passing periods, Plum & Meridian experiences heavy congestion from pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, buses, and alternative forms of transportation like scooters and skateboarders. The combination of congestion and the area’s natural characteristics creates a chaotic and hazardous environment. The primary aim of this redesign is to separate all modes of transportation, creating a safe and easily navigable intersection. The design by Crossroads Engineering incorporates CPTED principles, which include the combination of physical and visual boundaries and consideration of human behavior patterns throughout the intersection.

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Cam Crossing: CSU Campus CPTED Design

Students: Aaron Powers, Ashley Schuler, Mohammed Alharbi, Karina Gonzalez, Jennifer Valencia (Group 8)

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Ram Solutions: Richardson Design Center Building Design

Students: Clason Piers, Paul Barker, Audrey Witaschek, Joey Prendergast, Ben Horwith, Vince Dana (Group 9)

Advisor: Tyler Robison

A comparative design of the primary structural frame of the CSU Nancy Richardson Design Building. Includes design of all structural components (beams, girders, columns etc..) as well as design of the foundation. On top of structural design, a full cost analysis will be included.

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Unearth Engineering: Soldier Creek Trail Design

Students: Kaity Botimer, Anna Wenerm Nass Vab de Graaf, Shane Vosberg, Patrick Collins, Thomas Barnicoat (Group 10)

An arid field in Meadow Springs Ranch

Horsepower Hydraulic Designs: Irrigation District Design of Meadow Springs Ranch

Students: Emma Boyle, JD Miller, Abbey Morris, Dylan Stahl, Meshal Qatafah (Group 11)

Advisors: Christopher Thornton and Christopher Michalos

Meadow Springs Ranch is a 26,000-acre property north of Fort Collins with potential for receiving ample water from an upcoming transbasin pipeline. An irrigation district design for the property was created by first conducting a geographical analysis of topography, land slope, soil types, land area, and environmental restrictions. Both irrigation and non-irrigation design alternatives were evaluated and selected using multi-criteria decision matrices to result in a general layout of the irrigation district. The water demand for each section of the property was calculated, and a water distribution network was designed to meet the flow and head requirements of each design element. Key deliverables include detailed plan sets for the water distribution network and a report detailing the design process and the final design.

Five students in reflective vests standing on a bridge

Poudre Canyon Deluge Defenders: Larimer County Emergency Response Planning

Students: Benjamin Bowden, Derek Campbell, Isaac Bullock, Jameson Westhead, Musaed Almethen (Group 12)

Advisors: Christopher Thornton and Christopher Michalos

After the devastating Cameron Peak fire of 2020 and the deadly flooding that followed, Larimer County is seeking assistance in enhancing their emergency response planning. Poudre Canyon Deluge Defenders have been tasked with creating hydraulic and hydrologic models of the South Fork Cache La Poudre area to determine the hydraulic capacity of critical infrastructure along Pingree Park road and the potential storms that may produce events that could overtop these structures. These models will allow Larimer County to be more proactive in their emergency responses and potentially save lives.

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Natural Infiltration Initiative: Mistequa Wastewater Treatment Facility Expansion

Students: Sarah Dann, Nate Fraser Emma Mowry, Diana Morales, Jach Morrow, Wesley Thompson (Group 13)

Advisor: Christopher Thornton

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Rocky Mountain Water Consultants: Grand River Ditch Design

Students: Cameron Turnbow, Ethan Peterson, Elliot White, Evan Geary (Group 14)

Students posed with a sign showing the "Oberon" company logo

Sustainable Solutions Cookstoves: DME/LPG Cookstove Design

Students: Kay Willock, Cavin Alderfer, Mohsen Alherz, Macayla Scheidt, Devin Walsh, Jordan Blake (Group 15)

Advisors: Daniel Olsen, Don Grove, Toluwalase Fosudo, and Bert Vermeulen

Sustainable Solution Cookstoves is the first multi-disciplinary, entrepreneurial senior design team to be composed of both mechanical and environmental engineers. The team’s objective is to create an adaptable, marketable, and multi-fuel cookstove optimized for communities dependent on wood and coal. The cookstove will be running on 50% LPG (propane) and 50% of the alternative fuel Dimethyl Ether (DME). Sustainable Solution Cookstoves is working alongside Envirofit International, a large-scale LPG cookstove social enterprise, and Oberon, a DME wholesaler.

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Pathfinders Engineering: Greyrock Tail and Trailhead Design

Students: Dietrich Bolhmann, Sydney Hornbuckle, Daniella Nietzen, Tyler Chaffin, Katie Lennie, Alec Shields (Group 16)

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Forest Solutions Engineering: USFS Trailhead and Trail Rerout Design

Students: Christopher Mullen, Aidan Pence, Steven Abel, Tess Gardner, Hayden Imes, Clark Wener (Group 17)

Elevated Engineering: FNL Airport Terminal Design

Students: Danielle Lewis, Anissa McCabe, Garrett Risdon, Mariam Alzamel, Sarah Dhuyvetter, Patrick Swallow (Group 18)

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Blue Horizon Engineering: FNL Airport Terminal Design

Students: Nick Doherty, Zaire Valenzuela, Alec Lenz, Jordan Read, Kevin Witcher, Manuel Camacho (Group 19)

Students posing in front of trees in winter

South Fork Aquatic Engineering

Students: Will Undy, Charlotte George, Evan Storick, Laiken O'Rourke, Alex Scott, Keely McDaniel (Group 20)

Advisor: Christopher Thornton

South Fork Aquatic Engineering (SFAE) was tasked with redesigning an aging culvert near CSU’s mountain campus. The culvert is unfit to support movement of aquatic organisms, and high flow events are a concern for failure. SFAE has developed a simple, yet effective design that can better fit the site of the existing culvert.