Capstone Design

Participation in Capstone Design Projects synthesizes theory learned in class, lab work, and real-world experience from co-op programs.

Students are able to create design projects in areas that interest them. Capstone Design projects often lead to the creation of a marketable product and entrepreneurial opportunities for the graduating students.

Students own the ideas and devices they create for the design competition and there are several pitch competitions that follow the Capstone Design Event, acting as a platform for students to compete for funding to commercialize their devices. Some projects are developed in collaboration with industry partners or community organizations. This allows students to address real-life challenges and potentially contribute to positive change in the world.

Capstone design in the News

Four people standing in front of a table and a poster
Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Engineering the future through tear-based diagnostics

People say that tears can tell you about the emotions that people are feeling, but as Capstone Group 5 discovered, tears can also reveal a lot of other useful information.

Tears also contain rich biomarkers such as proteins and glucose, which are useful for diagnosing both ocular and systemic conditions like diabetic retinopathy.

Nanotechnology Engineering Capstone Group 5 explored the diagnostic potential of tears and embarked on a successful and exciting journey doing their Fourth-Year Design Project.

They won first place in the Nanotechnology Engineering Program, but they did not stop there. They also won the Engineer of the Future Award, the Bayliss Medical Award, and an award from the Sanford Fleming Foundation.

The group competed in the OEC Innovative Design Competition and won second place. They also took second place in the National Canadian Engineering Competition.

Andrea Parra, Sara Thompson, Nube Torres and Karla Castro
Monday, April 29, 2024

Capstone Team wins Esch Competition and advances personalized medicine for depression treatment

Nanotechnology Engineering Team 18 won this year鈥檚 Esch Competition with their project GeneDetek. Team members Karla Castro, Andrea Parra, Sara Thompson, and Nube Torres developed an electrochemical biosensor for genetic mutation detection.

Depression is a complex mental health condition that affects millions worldwide. For many patients, finding an effective treatment can be a daunting challenge, often complicated by adverse side effects of prescription drugs.

AnAndrea Pesse Roman,Isabella Conti, Roxana Chabok, Emma Proud and Meghan Pell
Monday, April 22, 2024

Capstone team receives dual honours for innovative biomedical device design

Capstone Team 2 had two big wins at this year鈥檚 Capstone Design Symposium. They won the Baylis Medical Award along with Team 3. They also won the UN Sustainable Development Goal Award for the Nanotechnology Engineering Program. The team鈥檚 project was titled 鈥 A+ Blood Typing鈥.

This team aimed to address the increasing demand for O-negative blood for blood transfusions. The demand for O-negative blood, also known as the "universal donor" blood type, is high because it can be safely transfused to patients of any blood type in emergency situations. This is critical when there isn't enough time to determine the patient's blood type. O-negative blood use is crucial in trauma situations, where quick transfusions are necessary to save lives.