The purpose of this design project is to evaluate the feasibility of producing hyaluronic acid (HA) on an industrial scale using engineered microorganisms. It has been traditionally extracted from rooster combs, and this methodology has been recognized as a danger due to the possibility of interspecies transmission via harmful pathogens. The choice of using recombinant microorganisms that have been metabolically engineered to produce HA will reduce the risk of interspecies transmission, making the final product more marketable.

Faculty Advisor: Professor Marc Aucoin

Our group is working with Dimachem to develop a chemical feed system that integrates with laundry equipment to feed appropriate chemicals to the correct machines at specific times. To improve on the previous system and fulfill Dimachem's request, the new system is inexpensive and made of domestically sourced equipment, making it easier to replace, and the controls system is open source so it can be shared globally.

Partner Organization/Industry or Government Mentor: Andrew Conway, Dimachem Inc.

Faculty Advisor: Professor Michael Fowler

Toyota would like to increase fuel efficiency for its customers and reduce its operating costs by designing a process to produce a lighter instrument panel for its 2022 car models at the Cambridge facility. Our goal is to design a process that produces a foamed polypropylene instrument panel base layer that meets the mechanical specifications of the current process. We are accomplishing this through lab and plant scale testing and analysis.

Partner Organization/Industry or Government Mentor: Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada

Faculty Advisor: Professor Leonardo Simon

Our project is the development of an optimization tool to help homeowners choose energy-efficient home upgrades. After modelling home energy use and associated annual costs, we compare available energy-efficient technologies and optimize the potential energy and cost savings and financial payback period. Our website will allow homeowners to enter information about their homes to get individualized recommendations and will have a database of information about home energy with general recommendations and operational tips for homeowners trying to decrease their energy use.

Faculty Advisor: Professor Nasser Moheiddin Abukhdeir

It is urgent that actions to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are taken immediately. Carbon capture technologies are a solution to this problem. The goal of this project is to design a carbon capture system that would capture and convert carbon dioxide to a usable product in an economically and environmentally favorable manner.

Partner Organization/Industry or Government Mentor: Carbon Engineering

Faculty Advisor: Professor Eric Croiset