Seniors of the agricultural and biosystems engineering department have been working all year on their capstone projects tackling real world problems posed to industry leaders. Their grand finale came Friday, April 26 in the form of group presentations. All day, the students took turns presenting their projects to family, friends, professors, and industry representatives. Along the way, seniors were able to apply and demonstrate and apply what they had learned the past few years as undergraduates.
Each team was presented with problems real companies needed solving. They next came up with potential solutions, flexed their creative muscles in development and design, tested their solution, and critiqued their own outcomes. In keeping with the real-world feel of the project, students took multiple variables into consideration for their clients including, cost, feasibility, and safety.
One group of students worked on a problem posed by Vermeer and after their presentation, thanked their professors and Vermeer for the experience. One student commented that they appreciated that their Vermeer contacts were willing to stay late at the office and help the team of seniors with their project. The collaboration was mutually beneficial.
“We hire a lot of Iowa State University graduates and projects like these build support for years to come,” said a Vermeer representative.
The capstone presentations were overseen by Raj Raman, professor and associate chair of education. Raman applauded the students’ innovative designs and approach to each problem. He also thanked the industry representative for their time and commitment to the students.
Companies interested in working with future capstone teams are encouraged to contact the department at any time.