(17/18 Academic Year)
The PGF sponsored two Mechanical Engineering senior capstone projects. The Assessment of Building Envelopes project team devised a sensor package and delivery system to assess and map thermal images of Mason buildings. The Storm Drain Non-Destructive Inspection project team aimed to understand and characterize the current condition of the campus drainage system for inefficiencies and aging, including cracks, failures and blockages. The Nguyen Recycling Centers project aimed to increase recycling infrastructure in the Engineering building and as a result, make recycling more convenient and increase our recycling rate. The Bike Rental Pilot rehabilitates the former Patriot Bikeshare bikes to initiate a free bikeshare program in partnership with Mason Recreation. For more on these and other projects funded please see below.
| Project Title | Project Leader(s) | Award Amount | Project | Place | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of Building Envelope | R. Gallo | $7,500 | Infrastructure: Sensor package and delivery system for assessing thermal loss in buildings | Fairfax and Science and Technology campus | Completed |
| Storm Drain Non-Destruction Inspection | R. Gallo | $7,500 | Infrastructure: Sensor package and delivery system for storm drains | Fairfax Campus | Completed. See articles about Thunder Rats project. |
| Bike Rental Pilot | J. Walker, A. Saxton | $1,000 | Infrastructure: Rehabilitate the former Patriot Bikeshare bikes to initiate a free bikeshare program in partnership with Mason Recreation. | Fairfax Campus | Completed. Bicycles can be rented at the RAC. |
| Nguyen Recycling Centers | M. Lo, M. Liang | $29,000 | Infrastructure: Increase recycling infrastructure in the Engineering building | Fairfax Campus | Completed |
| Food-Web Impacts of Pharmaceutical & Personal Care Products PEREC | Dr. G. Foster, Dr. T. Huff | $9,000 | Research: Identifying and collecting representative organisms in three areas of the Potomac River. | Potomac Science Center | Completed |
| Bioretention Swales (Vegetation) Improvement on Science and Tech Campus | Dr. J. Xu, B. Claudio Cruz, A. Izquierdo | $1,400 | Infrastructure: Educate and improve function of Bioretention swale facilities and the aesthetic view of the campus. | Science and Technology Campus | Completed |
| SDI VibeCore-Mini Sediment Corer | E. Lang, Dr. G. Foster | $8,315 | Research: Collect and analyze tidal Potomac River marsh sediments for the presence, concentrations and depth profiles of various pesticides that have both urban and agricultural uses, ranging from recent to historical applications over the past nine decades. | Potomac Science Center | Completed |
| Repurposing Abandoned Bikes at Mason | J. Walker, A. Saxton | $2,250 | Infrastructure: Rehabilitate abandoned bikes at Mason and, once refurbished and branded, use them to pilot a semester-long bike rental program. | Fairfax Campus | Completed |
| Water Bottle Refill Stations | M. Lo, L. Buraczynski | $10,674 | Infrastructure: Increase the availability of water bottle refill stations while decreasing the amount of waste generated by plastic water bottles on Mason's Fairfax and Arlington campuses. | Arlington and Fairfax campuses | Completed |
| Piedmont Rain Garden Restoration | E. Watkins, A.Wingfield, D. Nolan | $998 | Infrastructure: Add plants to improve stormwater benefits at the Piedmont Rain Garden. | Fairfax Campus | Completed |
| Sustaining Wildlife at Potomac Science Center | Dr. C. Smith, A. Palmer | $4,744 | Infrastructure: Raise awareness of native wildlife species to create citizen science data collection opportunities and to demonstrate how positive human actions impact wildlife on Mason campuses. | Potomac Science Center | In progress |
| Micro hydroturbines | J. Sklarew, C. Reagle, N. Moravitz | $15,700 | Infrastructure: renewable power generation from stormwater runoff | Fairfax Campus | In progress |