2024 Capstone Projects – PCA Engineering Academy

Every year, seniors in PCA’s Engineering Academy undertake a Capstone Project, representing the pinnacle of their high school engineering journey. Beginning their academic journey as freshmen under the guidance of Mr. Dean, they acquire foundational engineering skills such as research processes, development strategies, design principles, and analytical techniques.

The Capstone Projects involve addressing market gaps, devising innovative solutions, and demonstrating research and teamwork abilities. Our Engineering seniors proudly presented their projects last week; read more below! 

The Cooling Shirt: Ben Moreland, Cooper Osborne, Brady Roberson, & Aiden Cockrell

• As athletes themselves, this group of students knows what it is like to endure a high-intensity training session in the Alabama heat. This group created “the cooling shirt,” a wearable cooling compression shirt that can pump ice or cool water to critical points on the body. Students discovered helpful information about preventing heat stress, which can occur when the body cannot regulate its temperature and rises to alarming rates. Heat stress commonly leads to problems like dehydration, exhaustion, and even heat stroke. This group proudly presented evidence of their prototype of the cooling shirt that could keep the body temperature average throughout an outdoor exercise. 

Beauty & Beast Rose: Sarah Birchmeier, Noble Hudson, & Eli Staggs – Laughrey

• As PCA’s Theatre Program decided to present Beauty and the Beast for this year’s Benefit Play, these three students decided to collaborate with the production and create the enchanted rose, which loses its petals throughout the show. After plenty of 3D printing and trial and error, the group created a beautiful rose that was effectively used for all of the Beauty and the Beast productions. 

Truck Bed Organizer: Wilson Murphy, Tanner Byrd, Brooks Reid, & Walker Traylor

• This group of students recognized a problem with truck owners across the United States: items in the truck bed are sliding around or tipping over too much. That is why they created a truck bed organizer. Truck bed organizers can help maximize the available space in your truck bed and provide security and organization for your belongings.