School of Engineering Senior Design Project
Engineering Excellence for Healthcare Innovation
Our School of Engineering is a point of pride for the university. One of the most compelling components of the engineering educational experience is the Senior Design experience. In early September, Senior Design students are assigned to teams and subsequently work together to develop multiple solutions to a design challenge. Nearly all projects come from the Jacksonville community including nonprofit organizations, local government, and companies.
Students work diligently to develop the best solution within the given constraints. In Civil Engineering projects, the designs are scrutinized by a Board of Professional Engineers (PEs) from the Jacksonville engineering community. For Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, there is a design, build, and test requirement. The professors and community mentors then review the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering projects and designs, following a procedure that mimics design reviews in the industry.
At the end of the semester, senior civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering students present their final capstone design projects in an open poster session.
MedNexus | Brooks Rehabilitation
MedNexus is thrilled to support high-quality community projects in healthcare and biomedical sciences. The 2025 sponsored projects are from Brooks Rehabilitation. Brooks Rehabilitation offers a comprehensive system of care, including inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care. Beyond clinical settings, Brooks Rehabilitation enriches lives through community programs tailored to enhance the quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities. Brooks Rehabilitation's commitment to advancing rehabilitation science is reflected in its focus on innovative research, education, and cutting-edge technology.
Brooks Rehab Project I: Ski Boot Adapter
This team is composed of mechanical engineering students including Michael Leonard, Emmett Gideon, Gavin Hazlett, Bryce Laffer, and Aiden Arnold. The team is designing an adapter for the ski boot to ergonomically aid the user in walking while unclipped from skis. After hearing testimonials from Brook's Rehabilitation staff, the students found that skiers often get fatigued faster than snowboarders due to the lack of mobility that ski boots provide. The team will be 3D printing the materials needed for their adapter and work closing with UNF's Brooks College of Health Gait Lab to test their prototypes.
Brooks Rehab Project II: Elevator Access
This team is composed of three electrical engineering students including Christopher Newton, Trent Becker, and Baylor Reid. The team also has three mechanical engineering students including Aaron Guillory, Lara Salgado, and Huy Nguyen. After meeting with Brooks Rehabilitation officials, the students were made aware of a specific issue that patients were having at their facilities. They found that patients with certain disabilities were unable to use the elevator without a caregiver present. In order to increase patient independence, the team is seeking to create a prototype robotic arm that can attach to a wheelchair that will push the buttons on an elevator using the sight lines of the patient. The team will be 3D printing several of their project's components and testing their prototype at Brooks Rehabilitation facilities.