Engineering students reach new heights at EnGenius showcase

RMIT’s EnGenius event offered students an opportunity to present their final-year capstone projects to industry, with the winning designs ranging from a brake system for rockets to enhancements in clean energy technology.

“Intuitively, when you think of a rocket, the higher it goes, the better it is,” said Miranda Rose, a mechanical engineering student.

If the Greek myth of Icarus’s fatal flight has taught us anything, it’s that this way of thinking has its limitations!

Enter Miranda’s team, whose capstone project focused on designing an aerobrake system to control altitude, keeping rockets from flying too high.

The team’s aerobrake design, which was presented at EnGenius.

The design was used by RMIT’s rocket team, HIVE, in the 2024 Australian Universities Rocket Competition, where they placed runner-up in the 10,000 feet category and earned the Award for Technical Excellence.

“This project is the very first time that an RMIT rocket has been integrated with an aerobrakes system,” said Miranda’s teammate, aerospace engineering student Mohak Pandey.

"The main inspiration that guided us was to start and provide the groundwork for future RMIT rocket endeavours to be able to work on our aerobrakes design and develop it even better,” said Mohak.

Miranda and Mohak presented their team’s design at EnGenius in November, an annual showcase where industry representatives are invited to view and judge the work of RMIT’s top-performing engineering students.

The aerobrakes team walked away with the Aerospace Engineering Prize for their innovative design.

“After all the late nights at the workshop, it was tremendous to be recognised with this award – I couldn’t stop smiling, and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this project,” said Miranda.

Miranda (second from left), Mohak (middle) and other members of the aerobrake design team at the RMIT rocket launch.

“It was very, very heartening,” said Mohak.

“Whether it be the countless iterations designed by my teammate Miranda, or the numerous hours I spent on the Finite Element Analysis – all our hard work proved worth it.”

The capstone project provided both students with a lesson in problem solving and persevering in the face of obstacles, something that they will take with them in their future careers.

“I was involved in the system's structural design, where more than fifteen iterations and several 3D-printed prototypes were produced until we got the final design right,” said Miranda.

“We failed so many times during the prototyping stage that when it got to the manufacturing of the final design, it was relatively smooth sailing.”

Empowering young females in the industry

Chemical engineering student Grace Bonthorne always felt destined to go into engineering and continue the legacy of her grandfather and father, both of whom are engineers and her personal role models.

Working alongside her teammate Charlotte Gilley, Grace’s capstone project looked at developing a solution to enhance oxygen reduction reactions in sustainable energy devices like fuel cells.

“We explored liquid metals and high-entropy alloys (HEAs) as promising, cost-effective alternatives to improve catalytic efficiency.”

“This approach has the potential to significantly boost performance in clean energy technologies, paving the way for more sustainable solutions,” said Grace.

Their project was the recipient of the industry award for Women in STEM, awarded by Jetstar.

Grace (right) and teammate Charlotte (middle) receiving the Jetstar Women in STEM Award.

Grace said that the opportunity to present the project to a roomful of industry professionals was invaluable.

“Getting their feedback confirmed the potential benefits for them, even though the concept is still in the early stages of development.”

Throughout her degree, Grace has had key touchpoints with industry that helped her get ahead and gain on-the-job skills, which has ultimately seen her secure a graduate role with engineering company GHD.

“The connections RMIT has provided me with have been the most rewarding parts of my studies,” said Grace.

“One of the highlights was the chance to complete a year-long chemical engineering internship in Germany, which provided me with invaluable hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the field.”

Organiser of the EnGenius showcase, Professor Majid Nazem said that he’s impressed by all the students who showcased their designs at EnGenius.

“It’s not easy to get up and speak in front of a crowd. Our students handled themselves exceptionally well and took advantage of the opportunity to network with industry, which can be so vital early on in your career,” said Professor Nazem.

“It’s exciting to see the level of talent, particularly female talent, we have in the School of Engineering. There are so many young stars who will no doubt go on to do great things as the next generation of engineering leaders.”

Congratulations to all our EnGenius participants and winners.

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