This summer, students from the Albert Nerken School of Engineering had the opportunity to attend three prominent conferences: ASTM International's Exo Games, the Bridges 2024 conference, and Formula SAE Michigan. These events provide invaluable exposure to cutting-edge developments across various fields, including engineering standards, structural design, and automotive innovation.

By attending, students gained new insights, networked with industry professionals, and explored real-world applications of their studies, enriching their academic experience and expanding their professional horizons.

Senior electrical engineering student Eric Eng and Mili Shah, chair and professor of mathematics, attended the 2024 ASTM International Exo Games in West Conshohocken, PA. Eng presented two innovative projects from Shah’s MiliLab: a pressure-sensing vest and a hand gesture recognizer. The event featured university teams from around the world, including Team UCLan, Team Exo, and Team VUB, who demonstrated their exoskeletons in a series of physical challenges. Professor Shah served as judge.

As an intern at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Eng assisted with the setup and observed the application of exoskeleton standards in real-time. The experience, he says, gave him a unique perspective on the industry, allowing him to engage directly with the latest advancements in the technology. He also gained valuable presentation experience by delivering a 45-minute technical talk to an audience of industry professionals and fellow students, enhancing his public speaking skills and confidence in conveying complex concepts.

In August, junior mechanical engineering student Ayushi Bhattacharjee attended the 2024 Bridges conference with Professor Shah. The Bridges conference, which was held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, is the premier interdisciplinary conference on mathematics and art.

Bhattacharjee showcased her year-long project featuring prosthetics designed with a Voronoi pattern that cleverly minimizes material while maximizing stability as part of a fashion show during the conference. During the show a host explained the connections between the art and math featured in work modeled on the runway by Shah and others. Students Sabrina Zhou ChE'24 and Kayla Lee ChE'26, along with Jennifer Weiser, associate professor of chemical engineering, also worked on the project.

The conference featured presentations, hands-on workshops, and a visual art exhibition.

The Cooper Union Motorsports team, consisting of civil engineering sophomore Christopher Lin; mechanical engineering students Dylan Qiu, Josef Kucher, and Sheikh Islam; and general engineering junior Elise Danko, attended the national Formula SAE (FSAE) competition held at the Michigan International Speedway. FSAE is a renowned engineering competition that challenges university students to design, build, test, and showcase high-performance prototype vehicles. Teams are expected to operate as an engineering firm, managing all aspects of vehicle development, from conceptual design and fabrication to rigorous testing and demonstration.

The competition features both static and dynamic events where vehicles are judged on engineering design, cost efficiency, business presentation, and on-track performance. These challenges provide students with a platform to showcase their creativity, technical expertise, and problem-solving abilities while competing against top teams from universities worldwide. Participants gain invaluable hands-on experience in real-world engineering, teamwork, and project management.

Although the Cooper Union team did not bring their car to this year's event, the competition proved to be an invaluable learning experience. It allowed team members to engage with other teams, industry professionals, and Cooper Union alumni, significantly enhancing their leadership skills and technical knowledge. According to the students, the insights gained from this event will contribute to their team’s continued growth and future success.