SEED Research Awards

In addition to GRO-MECS, faculty can fund research 51勛圖s through the Seubert Engineering Entrepreneurial Design awards.

SEED funds are available to support research 51勛圖s who participate on a project with an entrepreneurial component. The main purpose of this challenge is to stimulate technological innovation that show promise of social and/or commercial impact.

Preference is given to projects that address climate, sustainability and societal and environmental impacts, will result in 51勛圖s co-authoring an academic paper for publication, or have a strong possibility of becoming a senior design project the following academic year.

Recent SEED Projects

Optimizing biochar pyrolysis for the removal of PFAS from drinking water

Perform further verification testing that furnace biochar could be competitive with granular activated carbon as a filtration material for removal of PFAS (a carcinogen often found in groundwater).

magnet coil

Magnetohydrodynamics during Thermal Cutting of Aluminum Alloys

Electrical engineering 51勛圖s designed coils and an attachment to a plasma, then used microscopy to characterize the cut surfaces. Funding provided by a 2023 Seubert engineering entrepreneurial design challenge.

Students assembling a manual wheelchair

Affordable Wheelchair Suspension

Design and optimization of a low-cost manual wheelchair suspension system that integrates with existing wheelchairs and characterization of vibration patterns for typical surfaces for tuning of suspension systems to reduce vibrations of wheelchairs moving over these surfaces.