Real Work, Real Opportunity

Preventing catastrophes within a power grid. Improving a mechanical fabrication shop’s workflow. Upgrading a chocolate pump used by bakers. Analyzing the energy footprint of Wentworth’s campus.  

These capstone projects are just a sample of the work that Wentworth students and faculty were able to conduct this year thanks to the support of various corporate sponsors.  

A vital part of a senior’s final steps before graduation, capstone projects allow students to dive fully into areas that carry genuine consequences. But finding access to specific labs, equipment, and materials can often be a costly endeavor. For those projects that needed extra financial support, numerous corporate sponsors stepped in to allow Wentworth students to complete this important work and receive some guidance along the way.  

Mike Betts, vice president for TG Gallagher, is one example of those within industry who value the contributions from Wentworth students. 

“Wentworth has a great connection to and reputation within the construction industry,” he said, noting that 50–60% of TG’s staff are from Wentworth. “When this opportunity presented itself, we jumped on board right away.  

Students work collaboratively on capstones—often in an interdisciplinary fashion—to design and build a project to solve a real or imagined work-based challenge during their final year at Wentworth. In the case of sponsored capstones, students helped design processes or help solve various challenges for an organization.  

Sponsors and their respective projects this summer included: 

Eversource 

“It was really memorable knowing that I was working with a well-known company that supplies power to most of New England and that it was an important project as far as our region of the country.” 
--Kai Shraiberg, Electromechanical Engineering, on work with Eversource 

Detailing the audio signature of partial discharges on the electrical grid, as well as developing a device to wirelessly connect to the web and push that data to the cloud 

Students: Kai Shraiberg, Kai Arsenault, Mateus Millard, and Tom Casey, and Associate Professor James McCusker 

TG Gallagher 

“The experience has been extremely valuable because of the way we have been exposed to mechanical contractors and the contracting industry.” 
--Melissa Paume, Mechanical Engineering

Analyzing the company’s Fabrication Shop and processes, suggesting ways to improve workflow

Students: James Chung, Jacob Digangi, Ashley Tampellini, and Melissa Paume, and Professor Xiaobin Le

EYP

“We started this project with just an idea. All of us were interested in sustainability, but we didn’t know what to do with it. But we got hooked up with them as mentors and they guided us through.”  
Rachel Serra (pictured with fellow Mechanical Engineering teammates Ryan Doherty, Alex Wood, and Rohan Ayachit) on partnership with EYP 

Data analysis of natural gas and electricity used on Wentworth’s campus, followed by implementation of hardware and software solutions to decrease carbon footprint 

Students: Ryan Doherty, Alex Wood, Rohan Ayachit, and Rachel Serra, and Associate Professor Bo Tao 

Creating personalized environmental control technologies to optimize building energy savings while ensuring occupant comfort 

Students: Exhidio Gjuraj, Thurein Myint, Peter Klembcyk, and Alhassan Kareem, and Associate Professor Aaron Carpenter 

Hilliard’s Chocolate System 

“I’m grateful to have this opportunity to work with a well-established company and contribute to one of its actual machines. It’s been a fun experience.”  
Bikrant Shrestha, Mechanical Engineering, on work with Hilliard’s Chocolate System 

Upgrading a chocolate pump product to be controlled digitally and considers outside conditions, including humidity 

Students: Bikrant Shrestha, Nicolas Tredinik, and Alexander Schettino, and Associate Professor John Voccio