UNH Today

Designing unmanned air vehicles, improving brewery boilers, analyzing semiconductor failure — these were just a few of the topics that students presented during Friday’s Undergraduate Research Conference at UNH Manchester.

Electrical and mechanical engineering technology students took the stage to showcase their senior projects before peers, faculty, professional mentors and technical advisors from sponsoring companies.

Electrical engineering technology major Kyle Legg ’17 presented his research on time-of-flight sensors, which are becoming more common in vehicles due to safety capabilities such as pedestrian notification and pre-crash detection. His research is a result of an ongoing internship at micro-electronics manufacturer Melexis. Legg works at the company’s Nashua facility, but he’ll travel to visit its research and development center in Dresden, Germany, this summer.

Mechanical engineering technology student Ryan Chartier ’17 shared his experience as an intern at Manchester-based Jetboil, a manufacturer of portable outdoor stoves and accessories. Testing several Jetboil stoves, Chartier’s research examined the effect of temperature on the burn rate of various fuels.

Steve Kazakis ’17, also a mechanical engineering technology student, demonstrated the hydroponic gardening system he designed and built to be used as a teaching tool in Manchester middle schools. Over the past year, Kazakis has worked with UNH Cooperative Extension to connect with educators on how to build and maintain the system in their classrooms.

Friday’s project presentations concluded the engineering technology students’ yearlong efforts.