AME Capstone Team Overcomes COVID Challenges

After months of working on their capstone projects, University of Arizona engineering seniors were faced with campus closure, shipping delays and other coronavirus-related restrictions. These challenges made it difficult, if not impossible, to complete their Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program projects as planned. Nevertheless, in a testament to the resiliency and adaptability that comes with an engineering education, 85% of teams met their original objectives. Others, who couldn’t finish as planned, found success in different ways.

Team 19037 created a test fixture for LCD light guide plates for sponsor Honeywell. Light guide plates are a part of LCD screens and provide a uniform illumination to the panel, ensuring there are no overly light or dark spots on the screen. The team created the plates, and, when they left for spring break, the frame of the text fixture was cut and ready to be assembled.

“Due to the COVID-19 situation and most machine shops being inaccessible to the team, we were unable to weld the LED support frame to the text fixture as originally intended,” said mechanical engineering major CJ Espiritu. “To account for the lack of welding materials, I was able to attach the LED support frame using spare nuts, bolts and ankle brackets I had around my house.”

In place of presenting their projects at a traditional Design Day, students uploaded video project presentations .