Birds such as robins and starlings enjoy grapes as much as humans do, which tends to cause endless headaches for Willamette Valley growers. Winemakers Dick and Gretchen Evans sponsored mechanical engineering majors Robert Elgin, Peter Cathcart, and Greg Meshnik to develop a solution that would mitigate crop damage by birds before and during the grape harvest season. Continue reading
Tag Archives: college of engineering
Reclaiming wastewater nutrients
The City of Corvallis wants to harvest and recycle nutrients from landfill leachate to create a revenue stream for the city while cleaning up its wastewater. Last year, a College of Engineering senior project team worked with Multiform Harvest, Inc. and the City of Corvallis Wastewater Reclamation Plant to make a fertilizer called struvite from landfill runoff at the Coffin Butte Landfill. However, the 2011 team discovered that excess calcium was interfering with the reclamation process, so this year’s team addressed that issue. Continue reading
Improving compostable utensils
A Corvallis-based, award-winning startup called EcNow Tech provides compostable cutlery to the Oregon State University dining center and several local restaurants. The cutlery breaks down like green waste and therefore avoids the landfill. The company invited chemical engineering majors Chad Thomsen, Meaghan Jones, and Sean Crawford to investigate which locally sourced materials might serve as superior filler to augment the base from which their cutlery is currently derived.
“It’s really cool from the sustainability standpoint,” said Thomsen, “they’re looking to incorporate locally sourced products and benefiting local businesses.” Continue reading
Something for Everyone: First-time Attendee Observes the Diversity of Displays at the 2012 Engineering Expo
To many people, the Engineering Expo can seem extremely overwhelming. There are hundreds of people walking around and going to the various booths, looking at all of the exciting research. But first glances can be deceiving. After spending some time at the Expo, whether you are being forced to go for a class, choosing to go because you are truly interested, or simply a person passing by, there is something for everyone.
Engineering Sustainable Energy Solutions for Global Development
Many people are familiar with hydroelectric power, and we can thank large dams for a lot of the energy we enjoy in homes. An Oregon State associate professor in mechanical engineering, Kendra Sharp, has been working with a smaller and more sustainable form of hydro energy called micro or pico hydropower that can improve energy accessibility all over the world. Continue reading