Cutting-edge technology will be applied to some ages-old ideas this week, as engineering students show off their capstone projects in a series of senior design presentations.

Engineering students are required to take two semesters of senior design courses prior to graduation. During the fall, they work in teams to develop an idea and create a design for a product to help meet a real-world workplace challenge. The teams then spend the spring semester building and troubleshooting a working prototype.

Students from the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering will get things started on Thursday. Their projects will be on display from 11 until 12:15 at a “Media Day” event in the EEC Lobby.

On Friday, civil engineering student teams will present their plans for a building project in front of a panel of industry judges in Hoehn 260 (the public is welcome to attend). Presentations will be given from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

Also on Friday, biomedical engineering students will present their projects from 1:25 p.m. until 3 in the EEC Lobby.