A showcase of student capstone projects
Designed by the next generation of engineers, scientists, and programmers.
Monday, May 4, 2026
At the Field House in the Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center
Mark your calendars for the 2026 Design Day! Join us in person at the Field House in the Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center on May 4 where students will showcase their remarkable senior projects filled with innovation and creativity.
A word from our Dean
Design Day marks the culmination of our students’ hard work, creativity, and ingenuity. They have been busy this year working on a wide range of projects that showcase their design expertise, working under the guidance of their customers and faculty advisors to produce innovative solutions to difficult problems. These projects provided our students invaluable hands-on experience, and the fruits of their labor are evident based on the quality of the projects showcased here.
Thank you to all the instructors and project sponsors who helped make these projects possible. And congratulations to the students who successfully completed their projects and are now launching into exciting careers or continuing their education.
— Wendi Heinzelman, Dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Explore Projects by Program
Biomedical Engineering (BME)
Center for Medical Technology & Innovation (CMTI)
Chemical Engineering (CHE)
Computer Science (CSC)
Data Science (DSC)
Digital Media Studies (DMS)
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
Mechanical Engineering (ME)
The Institute of Optics / Optical Engineering (OPT/OPE)
Support Senior Design
Senior Design projects at the University of Rochester provide companies with the opportunity to work with the next generation of engineers, scientists, and programmers. As part of these projects, our students create custom solutions under the observation and guidance of a University faculty advisor.
Inspirational Quotes from Alumni
“If you want to be a leader, you have to be willing to use every tool in your toolbox. Sometimes you have to use every one of them all in the same day.”
“Four decades ago, U of R boldly embraced a poor Puerto Rican girl from Turkey...Since then ... I’ve explored the earth and skies by designing and building lasers at NASA, telescopes at Raytheon, detectors at Teledyne, and satellite sensors at GEOST. Don’t define or limit yourselves by what others say, be daring and boundless in your quest for knowledge and search for the truth.”
“Engineering is about turning ideas into reality. The senior design project is an opportunity to take the theoretical and make something practical. This experience will carry you into the future and you will be better for it.”
2026 Dottie Welch Award
Lisa Altman
Graduate program coordinator, Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Her advice gave me clarity and direction during a very stressful time.”
“I am now fortunate to have been admitted to a program I truly wanted, and I am deeply grateful for her support. Lisa has consistently gone above and beyond to support students, not only academically but also personally. Her dedication, care, and insight have made a lasting impact on my experience at Rochester.”
She has also been incredibly helpful to Women and Minorities in Computing, a club that I have been on the executive board for two years now, currently as president”
“I found out about this club’s events via Lisa’s weekly emails and joined the executive board with encouragement from her. She has been kind enough to let us use the GIDS-AI room to host our general member meetings and also helped connect us with female GIDS-AI alumni for speaker events.”
Lisa goes to every single data science event and always makes an effort to talk to and interact with students. Her weekly emails make you feel like you are part of the data science family. She lays out everything for the week and even includes fun recommendations for things to do around Rochester. Lisa Altman is truly the heart of GIDS-AI and the most deserving person for this award.”
Behind the Scenes