Design Certificate Featured Projects
Browse our projects gallery to see examples of past projects.
Reusable Trocars
A sustainable alternative to single-use surgical devices.
The healthcare sector in the US is responsible for nearly 10 percent of carbon emissions.
A reusable trocar would reduce waste produced during routine, minimally invasive surgeries.
GastroPops
A tasty artificial snail made from ground oyster shells and a seafood blend.
A group of students designed an artificial snail, dubbed a "GastroPop," out of ground oyster shells and a seafood blend.
The artificial snails help inform strategies for restoration and conservation of ocean predators.
Honeycomb
Modular and multi-functional furniture.
Honeycomb is modular and multi-functional furniture to optimize study spaces on campus.
Honeycomb consists of two distinct and complementary furniture designs: the Study Pod and the Table.
Assists
Assists uses soccer-style goals, LED lights, and an electronics system to simulate professional passing trainers.
In soccer, the ability to anticipate the arrival of teammates’ passes and redirect them is essential.
But it can be difficult for one player to develop these skills without multiple players to simulate game scenarios.
Foodiverse
A lunch catering service targeting Silicon Valley startups.
How can we use face-to-face interaction to build trust between U.S. citizens and refugees in the United States?
Students cooked up Foodiverse, a lunch catering service with stories about local refugees.
Well Plate Assembly
A method for pre-tensioning a sheet of silicon before it is bonded to a well plate to reduce the frequency of dimples.
Using a well plate allows a lab at NorthShore University Health System to test thousands of compounds rapidly.
However, the process had a flaw, causing variable waviness in the plate. Northwestern Engineering students worked to find a solution.
CattleTECH
CattleTECH, a system of high-visibility collars and a virtual tether post.
In Thailand, the cooperatively-run Raitong Organics Farm is transitioning to a free-range cell grazing system, but faces challenges.
Students worked with farmers to address two problems facing the farm: cattle visibility and tetherless grazing.
SamPoll
SamPoll would let an official create instant polls and aggregate results from just their district.
How might we help people on Facebook in the U.S. become involved in the political process?
SamPoll is a program to create a line of communication between an elected representative and constituents.
Illuminating Test Strips
An HIV testing solution that rapidly tests infants and those who live in inaccessible testing areas.
Three students are working to improve rapid HIV testing for infants in Africa.
The team is working to identify what in the testing process contributes to the number of false negatives.
Rest
A multi-functional public seating piece that allows one or multiple users to work or relax.
Tired of sitting on the ground outside or leaning on walls around campus?
This human-centered, multi-functional public seating piece improves comfort in public spaces.
TA-DA
An expandable electric car that promotes car sharing.
Challenging traditional transportation systems and inefficiency.
An expandable electric car that promotes car sharing by reconfiguring the vehicle into different multipurpose rooms at the push of a button.
Tiny House Project
A 128-square-foot, zero-net-energy mobile house that minimizes impact on the environment.
Living is easy at the Northwestern Tiny House.
This 128-square-foot house utilizes green engineering principles all while offering the comforts of home.
Baseball Sensors
Using audio data to make better calls
Twenty percent of close-play calls are later deemed incorrect by video replay.
With ever-intensifying demands for umpires to get the calls right on the field, a group of four undergraduates developed a solution to improve the accuracy of calls at first base.
Skallagrim's Forge
A visitor experience for an exhibit that celebrates the cultural importance of Skallagrim's anvil stone.
Preserving the history of the anvil stone.
A visitor experience dedicated to Skallagrim's anvil stone.