EAST LANSING, Mich. — Solar Ovens that can help fight malnutrition in Africa is one of at least three projects aimed to help disabled children to be featured at the Michigan State University College of Engineering Design Day on Friday, April 27, at the MSU Union.

The headliners of the day are MSU graduating seniors as they present their capstone design projects through posters and oral presentations. Each senior is a member on one of 37 teams that has designed a new or improved product or process for a project sponsor such as Texas Instruments, General Motors, Dow Chemical, DaimlerChrysler AG, NASA, Lear Corp., Whirlpool Corp. and Shell Oil Co.

Some of these projects include: 

• Solar ovens for Tanzania, a humanitarian project to help with malnutrition in Africa.
• A high-performance airplane for a startup company.
• An adaptive shower chair for children with disabilities.
• A T-shirt shooting robot for MSU intercollegiate athletics.
• A robotic arm for NASA.
• A multifunctional biomedical measurement device for developing countries.
• An adjustable force-sensing switch to assist users with disabilities.

Approximately 250 middle and high school students will participate, exploring engineering principles with hands-on projects that require creativity and ingenuity. They also will interact with MSU students and faculty by judging the innovative machines the mechanical engineering juniors have created.

Other design activities include competitions among MSU engineers in other courses relating to mechanical design, thermal design and robotics.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 16 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.