UC, MU, and NKU Senior Design/Capstone Projects
DATE: Thursday, April 23, 2026
PLACE : March First Brewing & Distilling (Brewhouse Room) (see below for directions)
TIME : 5:30 p.m. Social Time & Registration 6:00 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. Presentation (45-60 min)
COST: $15- $20, See information in Reservations
ABOUT THE MEETING: This meeting will feature presentations on select senior projects by students from University of Cincinnati, Miami University, and Northern Kentucky University. Each year the engineering students complete their senior projects. We are amazed at the talent and creativity of these students as they present their projects to us. These presentations are typically an interesting mix of hardware and software, solving problems, improving efficiencies, and creating new opportunities.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
University of Cincinnati
Project Title: Ensuring UAS Airworthiness: Deep Learning Based Acoustic Health Monitoring of Motor Health
Team Members: Siddharth Urankar, Prissha Chawla
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Manish Kumar
Abstract: This work presents an inflight UAV powertrain health monitoring framework using machine learning for real time anomaly detection. We collected high fidelity acoustic signatures from Brushless DC motors to develop a semi supervised 1D Convolutional Neural Network Autoencoder. By training exclusively on healthy acoustic profiles, the system identifies mechanical degradation by analyzing reconstruction error thresholds during flight. This non invasive approach supports preflight checks and active monitoring within the In time Aviation Safety Management System (IASMS) to ensure airworthiness in mission critical environments.
Project Title: UC Navvy
Team Members: Elaine Mansour, Justin Lin, Karr Stump
Faculty Advisor: Giovani Abuaitah
Abstract: UC-Navvy is an indoor and outdoor campus navigation system designed specifically for the University of Cincinnati. The system provided interactive map-based wayfinding across 46 campus buildings, turn-by-turn routing instructions, walk time estimates, and a dedicated ADA-accessible routing mode that restricted paths to elevator- and ramp-equipped corridors. The application was built using React, TypeScript, and MapLibre GL for the web platform, and was wrapped in Capacitor for native iOS and Android deployment, delivering a unified cross-platform experience with no dependency on proprietary mapping SDKs. Routing was powered by a custom Dijkstra implementation operating on a GeoJSON navigation graph of the UC campus. The project addressed a gap left by mainstream tools, namely the absence of ADA-aware campus routing and turn-by-turn indoor/outdoor wayfinding for University of Cincinnati students, faculty, and visitors.
Miami University
Project Title: Autonomous Omni-Directional Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)
Team Members: Seth Burghard, Nick Delaet, and Mason Powers
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mahdi Yazdanpour
Abstract: The objective of this project is to design, prototype, and demonstrate an autonomous omni-directional Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) capable of navigating both indoor and controlled outdoor environments on a single-floor surface. The AGV will utilize a holonomic drive system using Mecanum wheels, a LiDAR sensor for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), and an NVIDIA Jetson Nano running the Robot Operating System (ROS) for localization, path planning, and obstacle avoidance.
Project Title: Virtual Twinning Progression to Analyze/Predict Circuit Failure
Team Members: Logan Liu, Sam Shuman, and Sean Whyle
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mark Scott and Dr. Peter Jamieson
Abstract: Capacitors play critical roles in power conversion applications. Yet they are among the components most likely to fail. This project validates a methodology created to observe failing capacitors. It created a model using both old and new experimental data and verified its accuracy.
Project Title: Online Programmable Logic Controller Course
Team Members: Charlize Hadix, Philip Hampton, Carter Smith, and Brandon Vu
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mark Scott and Jim Leonard
Abstract: Our project is dedicated to providing a hybrid course on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) for Miami University students. The course covers various topics regarding PLCs such as its history, safety, programming, I/O, etc. to allow students to be prepared for PLC use in an industrial environment. Hands-on labs were also implemented to help students further develop the skills necessary for operation as well as gain practical experience with PLCs.
Northern Kentucky University
Project Title: Knowledge Distillation from Large Reasoning Models to Compact Student Language Models
Team Members: Gaurab Baral, Aaditya Khanal
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Yangyang Tao
Abstract: This project explores knowledge distillation from the large reasoning model DeepSeek-R1 to the compact Qwen2.5-7B using problems from the John O’Bryan Mathematics Competition (2011–2025). A Chain-of-Thought dataset was generated through a dual-agent framework and used to fine-tune the student model via LoRA on Apple Silicon with the MLX framework. Early stopping at 200 iterations mitigated overfitting, improving accuracy from 64.67% to 69.43%. The fine-tuned model also demonstrated strong generalization, achieving 73.1% accuracy on the MATH-500 benchmark. A key advantage is that the distilled Qwen2.5-7B model can be deployed on devices such as mobile phones or Raspberry Pi systems, enabling offline mathematical reasoning without internet access.
Project Title: RL-Math: Adaptive Math Tutoring with Reinforcement Learning
Team Members: Abhishek Shah
Advisor: Dr. Ankur Chattopadhyay
Abstract: Traditional tutoring systems rely on fixed rule-based strategies and fail to adapt to the evolving needs of individual learners. While recent AI-driven tutoring approaches show promise, many lack realistic modeling of student behavior and cannot effectively track learning progression over time. In this work, we present RL-Math, an adaptive tutoring framework that leverages reinforcement learning to personalize problem selection for students. Our system integrates a structured math problem bank with concept embeddings and difficulty scores, alongside a cognitively informed student model that captures knowledge, motivation, fatigue, and confidence. To enable scalable training, we develop an LLM-based student simulator that generates realistic responses across diverse learner profiles. The reinforcement learning agent observes each student’s state and dynamically selects the next question to maximize learning outcomes, balancing challenge and engagement. We evaluate the system using metrics such as knowledge gain, time-to-mastery, engagement, and difficulty alignment. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach achieves a strong balance between learning efficiency and student engagement compared to baseline strategies. This work highlights the potential of combining reinforcement learning and large language models to build scalable, personalized, and effective intelligent tutoring systems.
MENU SELECTIONS: Pepperoni Pizza, Cheese Pizza, Bourbon Chicken Pizza, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, Margherita Pizza, Italian Sausage Pizza, Veggie Lovers Pizza, includes drink.
LOCATION: March First Brewing & Distilling (Voltage Room) 7885 E Kemper Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249 (39.27955510134435, -84.34861587323701)
RESERVATIONS: MEETING RESERVATION LINK. Please click on the appropriate link and complete the reservation. Cost is $15 for members advanced registration. Non-members cost is $20 cash at the door.
Reservations close at 11:59 PM on April 22nd, 2026.
DINNER RESERVATION CANCELLATION POLICY
An email to reserve.cinti@ieee.org prior to the close of reservations is required to properly cancel your reservation.
All Reservations must be made before April 23, 2026
WALK-INS (those without reservations): Due to catering and seating arrangements, reservations are required for this meeting
PE CREDITS: Depending on the subject matter, attendance at IEEE Cincinnati Section Meetings now qualifies the attendee for Professional Development Hours towards renewal of Professional Engineers Licenses. Required documentation will be available following the meeting if qualified! The Section Meetings also provide a great opportunity to network with fellow engineers in the area.
