Hear directly from our students about their experiences in the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program, where they worked with industry sponsors on real-world engineering projects.

2024-2025 Testimonials

Boston Scientific

We are incredibly grateful to have worked under the guidance of our technical directors, Kevin Bagley and Prashanth Somu, as well as our consulting technical director, Justin Watkins. Their mentorship, expertise, and continued support were instrumental throughout every phase of our project. From technical challenges to project planning, their feedback helped us navigate real-world engineering problems with confidence and precision. Their dedication not only improved our technical acumen but also encouraged us to grow as professionals ready to enter the industry.

Additionally, we extend our deepest thanks to Dr. Harish Sunak and the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at the University of Rhode Island. The opportunity to collaborate with Boston Scientific allowed us to apply the knowledge we’ve built over the years in a truly impactful way. The Capstone program gave us a profound experience in team-based problem solving, technical communication, and real-world project execution. Dr. Sunak’s vision for bridging academic learning with professional development was key to making this experience as rewarding as it was. We are incredibly thankful for the growth this program has inspired in each of us as aspiring engineers.

DBV Technology

The Capstone Design Program provided students with an invaluable experience, allowing them to work on a real engineering project that transcends the mere digestion of coursework and prepares them to work on a team, communicate, set deadlines, overcome obstacles, create reports, and generate new creative ideas and solutions to problems. Our punctual and passionate capstone director, Dr. Harish Sunak, has streamlined the assignment process, ensuring that each engineer gets paired with the best possible fit.

We would like to thank our technical directors, Dr. Bud Vincent, Connor Vincent, and Zachary Lindo, who guided us through the brainstorming process all the way to troubleshooting the circuit. We would also like to thank Mike Smith for his consultations. And a big thank you to Colin Vincent for his expert engineering knowledge and Nathaniel Brown for constructing the pole and mechanical components of the project, as well as supporting us all throughout. Through the program, we gained invaluable, real-world experience that will be crucial for our future endeavors.

Dispel

The ELECOMP capstone program has been an invaluable experience that served as an amazing starting point for our careers. First off, we would like to thank our Technical Director Dean! He helped us get acquainted with many different aspects of Dispel LLC and their product. He also gave us the freedom to research and build the anomaly detection system from the ground up. The Dispel engineering team also taught us valuable information about software development in a corporation and how to complete bug fixes.

In addition, a huge thank you to Dr. Sunak, who helped us prepare for life as an employee. Dr. Sunak instilled promptness, responsibility, and schedule management skills into all his students. The TPS (Tuesday Progress Summary) and WPR (Weekly Progress Reports) help students maintain a routine that will most definitely help them in their future careers. Thank you so much for a great year, this has truly been an awesome experience!

General Dynamics Electric Boat

Participating in the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program as engineering students, our journey with General Dynamics Electric Boat has been incredibly beneficial. This experience has granted us the real world experience of working with an esteemed engineering firm. We have learned how to properly utilize project management, meet deadlines, and consider the economic impact of the work we do. None of this would have been possible without the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program.

The program puts rising engineering students in direct contact with real-world engineers such as our Technical Directors Mike Brawner and Josh Malaro, who managed project direction and facilitated communication between the company and the team throughout the course of the project. The ELECOMP Capstone program also assigns exceptional Consulting Technical Directors such as Mike Smith who provided much-needed technical knowledge and guidance at our regularly scheduled meetings.

Finally, we extend our sincere gratitude to Professor Sunak, the Program Director, whose tireless efforts in gaining new industry partnerships have made this program a reality, and whose unwavering support has been key in our project’s efforts.

Hayward Industries

Participating in the ELECOMP Capstone Program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our academic careers. It challenged us to apply the technical knowledge we’ve gained at URI to a real‑world engineering problem with tangible impact—from designing and 3D‑printing custom hardware to scripting robotic motions and integrating machine‑vision algorithms. Collaborating closely with Hayward Industries and under the guidance of seasoned mentors pushed us beyond the classroom, sharpening our skills in problem solving, project management, troubleshooting, and clear technical communication.

This immersive, hands-on journey deepened our passion for robotics and automation, gave us first hand insight into the pace and rigor of an engineering career, and prepared us to make meaningful contributions in industry. We’re immensely proud of what we delivered and grateful for the practical learning the Capstone Program provided.

Remedion

Participating in the ELECOMP Capstone Program gave me the opportunity to grow as both a software developer and a systems thinker. Coming into the project, I had never used Flutter before, but I quickly immersed myself in the framework and learned how to build a cross-platform mobile app from the ground up. Through iterative development, UI redesigns, and direct integration with sensor data, I built a companion app capable of visualizing real-time water quality metrics while enhancing user interaction and experience.

Beyond the technical skills, this project pushed me to develop strong problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. Working with limited resources and changing requirements meant I had to learn how to quickly adapt, debug unexpected issues, and communicate closely with both my teammates and our company sponsor. It wasn’t just about writing code—it was about engineering a seamless user experience that tied directly into the physical performance of the system. This project has made me more confident in my ability to handle end-to-end development and work on cross-functional teams, which will serve me well in my future cybersecurity role.

Rite Solutions

Working on our project came with many challenges which were great experiences and allowed us to grow as team members, computer engineers, and people. Getting to work on a project from start to finish allowed us to work through issues together and to achieve a final product completely researched, worked on, and finalized by us. Working on the topic of Large Language Models (LLMs) have also helped us to understand a modern issue and an ever-expanding subject in today’s world.

Our team worked hard this semester, but would not have been able to reach the point we did in this project without the help of our team’s technical directors (TDs) and the help of Professor Sunak. John Sullivan, Alex Moulton, and Tom Santos were wonderful TDs and helped us through many of the hurdles and obstacles we encountered throughout this project. This capstone project has been immensely impactful in preparing us for the real world and we thank you for this chance.

Seacorp

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was the opportunity to collaborate with a team of professionals with expertise in machine learning. We gained valuable experience working through the full development cycle – from data preparation to model implementation and testing. In the end, we are confident to say that we have strengthened our understanding of many key areas important to this industry.

Overall, this experience has prepared us to take on the kinds of challenges we expect to face in our careers moving forward. We are grateful for the support of those who helped guide us along the way, especially our Capstone Director Harish Sunak, our Consulting Technical Director Jamie Gagnon, and our Technical Directors from SeaCorp, Bill Matuszak and Megan Chiovaro.

URI Robotics

URI Robotics – RoboToy

We are grateful to have been given this opportunity at the University of Rhode Island. This is an amazing opportunity for the students engaged in the ELECOMP Capstone program. The experiences gained while working for the URI Robotics Lab on the Robotoy project will directly benefit us while we are pursuing our future careers.

We believe that this is a necessary program for all student engineers so they are pushed out of their comfort zones and encouraged to grow professionally. Thank you to Dr. Sunak for facilitating such a wonderful program, and to our technical directors Dr. Stegagno and Cameron Amaral for the exceptional guidance throughout the process.

Vicor Corporation

URI’s ELECOMP Capstone Design Program has served to be an excellent opportunity for a growth of knowledge and experience in the engineering field. The challenges presented by the capstone projects given to our team this year have allowed for us to gain a greater understanding of the professional engineering method as well as create opportunities for us to work together as students from both an Electrical and Computer Engineering background. More specifically this program has allowed our team to gain a much better understanding of the importance of project management, deadlines, documentation and professionalism in the engineering field.

We would like to thank our Technical Directors Alfred Binder, Nathan Shake, Daniel Hartnett, Joshua Hoyle, Kristopher Keeble and our Consulting technical director Mike Smith, for their help in completing our projects this year. Finally, we would like to extend our gratitude to Professor Sunak for his continued commitment to the capstone program. It is through his process of fostering industry partnerships and managing capstone related deadlines and work that URI has the opportunity to continue to give students projects which can make a meaningful impact on our learning experience.

XMOS Teams

XMOS – Smart Amplifier

Working on our smart amplifier in the ELECOMP Capstone as a three person team was an intellectually rigorous and deeply rewarding journey. Although each of us brought solid experience in programming and electronics, none of us had ever built an embedded systems project from end to end. Every stage of our project proved more challenging and gratifying than anything we’d tackled in the classroom.

Though we couldn’t have done it without our technical directors, Andrew Cavanaugh and Mike Smith. Their deep expertise helped us navigate tricky circuit design challenges, develop our PCB, refine our signal processing code, and stay on schedule when we hit roadblocks. For future Capstone teams, expect to feel a little lost at first as it’s part of the process. We recommend reaching out to your directors often, sharing your rough ideas without hesitation, and being prepared to invest serious time. The payoff is huge, not just in designing and building a prototype, but in the confidence and engineering mindset you’ll develop.

XMOS – XBOT

As an undergraduate, it’s often difficult to truly grasp what “real engineering” looks like beyond exams, lab reports, and problem sets. The Capstone Design Program bridges that gap — transforming abstract classroom knowledge into something tangible, collaborative, and impactful. Working on a project of this scale forced us to apply not just what we learned, but also to research, prototype, and troubleshoot in ways that go far beyond the standard curriculum.

Taking on an ambitious, multi-faceted project challenged us to think critically, adapt to setbacks, and communicate effectively as a team. Having weekly guidance from our technical directors provided structure and clarity, helping us navigate complex milestones while still giving us the freedom to innovate. Capstone teaches you the value of collaboration — how different perspectives can unlock solutions no one individual could reach alone. It’s a humbling, rewarding experience that truly prepares you for the challenges of real-world engineering.

Zebra Technologies

Zebra Technologies – Project Emilia

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program is a very valuable experience, allowing students to gain real world experience working with a company and to learn from experienced engineers. This is a truly unique experience offered by the University of Rhode Island.

We would like to thank Dr. Sunak for putting together such an amazing program and organizing such exciting projects. We would like to especially thank our Technical Directors, Joseph Moreira, Bradley Willard, and Chris Rothwell who have been amazing mentors during this capstone experience. We are truly grateful for the help, guidance, and knowledge shared along the way by our Technical Directors. We’re truly grateful for such an amazing capstone program and the chance to gain real world experience, and as this chapter comes to a close in our lives, we look forward to using the knowledge we gained in our future careers.

Zebra Technologies – Project Greenville

Through the course of this project the members of this team gained knowledge of RFID and experience with the R&D process. Gained experience communicating with stakeholders and receiving feedback and creating documentation. Gained experience navigating the work process in cases where the perspectives and opinions of the parties involved differ.

Zebra Technologies – AI Project

Our Capstone project was a transformative experience that allowed us to bridge theory and practice. It not only reinforced the concepts we’ve learned throughout our undergraduate studies, but also challenged us to step into an entirely new field—AI and Machine Learning—without any prior experience. Additionally, we did not know each other and learned how to work together cohesively over the past few months.

Moreover, we are especially grateful for the standards that Dr. Sunak set throughout the year. His emphasis on strong work ethics, professionalism, and the importance of clear, concise communication helped shape our mindset for the expectations of the engineering industry. Finally, the ELECOMP Capstone project represents an invaluable step in our development as professionals ready to take on real-world engineering problems without a doubt.

2023-2024 Testimonials

Aerocyonics

The ELECOMP Capstone program, under the leadership of Dr. Harish Sunak, has offered us invaluable real-world experience during our senior year of college. Working closely with a company has helped us mature into responsible professionals. We would like to thank our Technical Directors, Bronn Pav, Daniel Dimase, and Isabella Johnson, for their support and recognition of our efforts throughout the year.

Jamie Gagnon, our consulting Technical Director, was instrumental in helping us brainstorm and develop project plans. Our directors respected us not only as students but as individuals adapting to the professional environment. Regular weekly meetings ensured our team remained focused and resilient, even when faced with challenges.

The Capstone program fosters real-world experience that goes beyond traditional academic learning in engineering. We were pushed to develop our own project plans, fostering critical thinking and innovation—skills that are crucial for our future careers.

EaglePicher

We are grateful to have worked under the guidance of our technical directors, Dan Wertz, Frank Puglia, Shaun Thurber, and Brendan Smurbeck. Their expertise and dedication have been instrumental in advancing our understanding and application of engineering concepts in real-world scenarios. Under their leadership, our team was not only exposed to industry-standard practices but also encouraged to innovate and excel beyond conventional boundaries. Their patient guidance and insightful feedback throughout our project phases have been crucial in honing our technical skills and boosting our confidence as emerging engineers.

Additionally, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Harish Sunak and his ELECOMP Capstone Program, which provided a phenomenal platform to apply our academic knowledge towards our Joule Tome Battery Blaster project. Dr. Sunak’s commitment to integrating real-life company projects within the academic curriculum has significantly enriched our learning experience. By facilitating direct collaboration with leading companies, he ensured that we could see the tangible impact of our work, thereby deeply growing our educational journey at the University of Rhode Island.

General Dynamics

The ELECOMP Capstone program is a wonderful opportunity that gives the team invaluable experience working in real life situations. With teamwork, design tradeoffs, prototyping, and working with real companies to achieve a common goal. This program has extremely valuable technical directors and assisting technical directors that help guide and teach us along the way.

Hayward

The ELECOMP Capstone design program provided us the opportunity to explore the culmination of design and implementation skills which we have developed over the course of our training as engineers. Thanks to the gracious partnership with our sponsor Hayward Industries, we have gained invaluable experience in a real-world design situation. This project has enabled us to approach problem-solving on a scale which we would not be exposed to during our normal coursework.

Individual Testimonial: Beckett Maestas

Before entering the ELECOMP Capstone Program, I felt I had a decent grasp on programming and computer architecture. As a Computer Engineering Major, I felt prepared to take on the project of developing the diagnostic firmware for the VS-OMNI. I believe it to be a testament to the value of this experience when I say that I could not have been more incorrect in this assumption. It took us almost a month to determine how to even deploy the firmware, and during that month, I did more research into tools like bootloaders and Linux build tools than I ever would have without working on this project. I learned more about serial communication protocols and programming bare-metal C than I ever thought I would during my undergrad.

Individual Testimonial: Jayron Gonzalez

When I joined the Capstone project, I was thrilled to finally apply the electrical engineering skills I had spent years developing to a real-world problem. I thoroughly enjoy designing PCBs, especially after taking a dedicated class that significantly expanded my knowledge in this area. This course not only taught me the fundamentals of PCB design but also delved into advanced techniques and best practices. Implementing the bed of nails concept was a significant change for our testing process. Instead of individually soldering headers for each testing point on our PCBs, we integrated a bed of nails fixture that streamlined the entire testing workflow. Working on this project was truly fascinating. The complexity of the problem we were addressing, coupled with the diverse skill sets of our team members, made every day exciting and engaging.

Novanta

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at URI is indeed one of the best opportunities for a graduating senior in the electrical and computer engineering field. It serves as an excellent bridge between academia and industry, allowing students to apply the skills learned in coursework to real professional projects, thereby preparing them for their careers.

Between the invaluable guidance from our Technical Director, Jonathan O’Hare, our Consulting Technical Director, Jaime Gagnon, and the dedicated leadership of Dr. Sunak, the work experience we gained was truly rewarding and beneficial for our future endeavors. This experience included problem-solving, project management, and teamwork, along with emphasizing the importance of detailed documentation, which is crucial for creating successful projects.

Facing these engineering challenges assists with what is the meaning of being an engineer while collaborating with the technical directors to learn how to prepare the project when it comes to its completion. Ultimately, we can assure you that after completing the program, you will emerge more creative, critical thinking, and experienced than ever before.

We, as a team of senior students, would like to extend a special thanks to our program director, Dr. Harish Sunak, for his unwavering passion and dedication to building and driving the Capstone Design Program, which enabled us to work with companies at the forefront of their fields. His encouragement was invaluable to our success, and we are grateful for his dedication to our education and growth.

Novo Nordisk

The ELECOMP capstone program is an amazing opportunity and experience for seniors in electrical and computer engineering. Working closely with industry professionals who guide the students through the development of products, this program allows for skills and knowledge to be developed that is rarely attainable before graduation. Dr. Sunak fosters a great program and surrounds the students with talented consulting technical directors who help assist and support students throughout this two-semester program. Students not only gain great knowledge in the technical aspects of their project, but also soft skills such as teamwork, project management and presentation skills. Graduates of the ELECOMP capstone program benefit greatly from the experience and are well equipped to be successful as they move on to their careers.

RDSI

Research and Development Solutions, Inc. (RDSI)

Participating in the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program as engineering students, our journey with Research and Development Solutions Inc. (RDSI) has been incredibly enlightening. This experience has granted us invaluable insights into the realities of engineering within the commercial sphere, encompassing economic impact considerations, project deadlines, and the ever-changing demands of product development. Specific to computer engineering, this translated into addressing software development choices, platform migration, and implementing an SQLite database to produce a functional software application.

The program puts rising engineering students in direct contact with real-world engineers such as our Technical Directors Hannah Morrissey and Bruce Torman at RDSI, who managed project direction and facilitated communication between the company and the team throughout the course of the project. The ELECOMP Capstone program also assigns superb Consulting Technical Directors such as Jamie Gagnon who provided much-needed technical knowledge at our regularly scheduled meetings.

Finally, we extend our sincere gratitude to Professor Sunak, the Program Director, whose tireless efforts in fostering industry partnerships have made this program a reality, and whose unwavering support has been instrumental in our project’s success.

Rite Solutions

The Rite-Solutions team would like to thank a number of people for their support in our project this past year. Through this experience, we have gained valuable real-world experience under the guidance of industry and academic mentors. We are confident that we are prepared to effectively function as engineers in industry or graduate school because of this project. In addition to the interpersonal and organizational experience, this project has exposed us to the rapidly-expanding topic of Large Language Models (LLMs).

Sanctuari

Our capstone project, under the mentorship of Professor Sunak, Joe Moreira, and Chris Rothwell, offered a profound introduction to the real-world engineering landscape, particularly within the field of Internet of Things (IoT). This experience was pivotal in understanding the challenges and complexities of bringing an IoT device from conception to a functional prototype, specifically with our work on SANCTUARI’s animal tracker for small mammalian species.

URI Robotics

We are grateful to be given this opportunity at the University of Rhode Island. This is an amazing opportunity for the students engaged in the ELECOMP Capstone program. The experiences gained while working for the ICRL on the Robotoy project will directly benefit us while we are pursuing our future careers.

We believe that this is a necessary program for all student engineers so they are pushed out of their comfort zones and grow professionally. Thank you to Dr. Sunak for facilitating such a wonderful program, and to our technical directors Dr. Stegagno and Cameron Amaral for the exceptional guidance throughout the process.

Vicor

Throughout the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters, our involvement in the VICOR Capstone Project has been enriching. One of the most invaluable aspects of this experience has been the opportunity to gain hands-on, real-world experience. From honing our abilities in team management to refining our presentation skills, the project has provided a dynamic environment for personal and professional growth. Additionally, we’ve expanded our expertise in areas such as C-programming, schematic design, and PCB design, utilizing tools such as the Arduino IDE and Altium Designer.

VoltServer

The Voltserver ACTS team would like to express our appreciation for the opportunity to work with Voltserver, our technical directors, and Dr. Sunak. Together we have achieved a great deal, overcoming many challenges and obstacles in order to complete and deliver a functional final product.

XMOS

This program was a highly engaging and intellectually stimulating experience. Both of us had refined knowledge about programming and electronics, but had never completed an embedded system project from start to finish before. The process of design, development, debugging, rethinking, and achieving was satisfying and fulfilling. A process and experience far above simple educational material in the classroom.

Zebra-Blitz

As the team members of Zebra Technologies-Blitz, we want to thank our Technical Directors and Dr. Sunak for giving us the opportunity to apply skills from our last 3 years of school into a real-world scenario.

2022-2023 Testimonials

Acumentrics

Acumentrics – Fault Line

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program is a unique program that requires its students to apply the skills that they have been learning throughout their undergraduate studies. It is undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most challenging experience all electrical and computer engineers from the University of Rhode Island must complete that prepares them for their future careers in industry. For a large majority of the capstone designers, their ELECOMP Capstone Program provided them with their first experience working on a large-scale project with real world implications.

Through excellent guidance from our technical directors along with program director Dr. Sunak’s passion and attention to detail, we were ultimately successful in overcoming many of the challenges we faced. Overall the experience has been overwhelmingly positive, as we had the opportunity to make many of our own decisions based on the knowledge and skills we have acquired both in and out of the classroom setting. These skills are not limited to technical ones and include schedule assessment and planning, effective communication amongst team members and directors, and leadership development. The ELECOMP Capstone Program has helped us improve as both individuals and engineers as we look to begin our professional careers.

Cambridge Technology

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at URI gives engineering students a chance to show off everything they’ve learned throughout the years. Despite last year being extremely difficult for our class of students, only interacting with each other online in an extremely important year for us, this class was able to bring us back into reality. Our team learned about working together as a collective, picking up extra work and helping out where others were having a hard time, meeting deadlines and problem solving skills.

With the assistance of our Technical Directors we have gained skills that would be essential for us to have before going into the real world. We would not have gotten very far without their help, meeting with us as a team weekly and one on one whenever we needed extra help. And having the chance to work with a real engineering company to solve a real-world problem isn’t an opportunity that many undergrad students get. So we are forever grateful to Dr. Sunak, Jack, and the technical directors that helped to organize this entire process.

Eagle Pitcher

Eagle Pitcher: AM BATS

The ELECOMP Capstone Design program is truly one of the greatest experiences an undergraduate engineering student can have before heading into Industry. Ran by Dr. Harish Sunak this program encapsulates what it means to be an Engineer in the field. Each senior Electrical or Computer Engineering student is paired with a company and a team to accomplish one goal by the end of the year but more importantly there are so many skills and experiences that are learned throughout.

This program has taught us to be extremely organized, to be meticulous when it comes to documentation, to plan ahead and always be on the lookout for anything that may go wrong. It also created an environment that let us know the importance of deadlines and project management. It gave us the freedom to be creative with the tasks at hand but also have direct guidance from experienced engineers who have been in the field for decades.

At the end of the day, a lesson that was repeated, it was always on us to learn and find the answer or the closest solution to assist in our problems, and that’s how one makes this a successful experience. Sometimes it’ll be hard with other courses and for some, jobs or internships to pay attention to but putting in maximum effort in your project will allow you to cross through lines never imagined.

General Dynamics

General Dynamics Electric Boat – COTS

The GDEB-COTS design project, led by TDs Adam White and Art Viola, provided our team with valuable engineering and non-engineering related experience. Notably, we fielded several key elements from within our educational experience at the University of Rhode Island, notably, electrical engineering theory, PCB design and hardware/software development. This program provided us with a great way to apply what theory we had learned with an application-based approach.

Additionally, assistance from Mike Smith, Brenden Smerbeck, Jack Murphy and Doctor Sunak was instrumental in the development of our technical and interpersonal skills. These principles are heavily important in not just engineering, but in any team environment within the workforce. We are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from each of them.

Individual Testimonials

Michael Marcello: The ELECOMP Capstone Program was an essential part of my education at the University of Rhode Island, and it assisted me in my career development and search. Notably, it paved the way for the groundwork of my understanding of the engineering process. Without this guidance from Professor Sunak, I would have not been able to properly comprehend the various intricacies of the engineering process.

Luke Wilson: The many hours spent in the ELECOMP Capstone Program supplied me with an experience that was as fundamentally close to the engineering industry as I’ve had since I began my student career at the University of Rhode Island. Coming out of my summer internship, I’d believed that I had learned much of what there was to learn in the ELECOMP capstone program but almost immediately I was proven wrong. It helped me to come to a greater understanding of what an extended career in the engineering field might look like and, perhaps more importantly, how to adapt to change.

Hexagon

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence

This project, Smart Process Planning for Inspection, has been excellent experience for us. We had an interdisciplinary team, joining the computer Engineers and Industrial Systems Engineers together! Being involved in a team who has different backgrounds and learning from each other was beneficial to prepare us for real industry. This past year has had a couple of challenges, including losing a teammate, losing not one but two technical directors, and having a COVID exposure scare. However, special thanks to, Manbir Sodhi, for joining our team as a Technical Director and guiding us throughout the process.

Throughout our time, we’ve met so many Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence- Rhode Island members of the workforce located at the North Kingstown Headquarters. We overcame many obstacles thanks to them and appreciate the time they took to come down to the URI Metrology Lab. We thank them for making this project possible within the ELECOMP Capstone Program. As we approach the end of our new beginning, we learned many unique skills that we will carry on and perspectives in collaborating within such a large organization!

Hollands/Volvo

Hollands LLC. / Volvo

The Volvo 240 project started as a passion project by one of our team members. During the initial stages of Capstone, Dr. Sunak suggested that it would be a great project to include in the course. A student led Capstone project is not a yearly occurrence, but as a team we are honored to have been given the opportunity. It involved an incredible amount of planning, self-discipline, cooperation, communication, and teamwork. We would argue that these are the core concepts that Capstone is trying to convey.

A year ago, we had an idea, redesign the Volvo 240 electrical system using a CAN bus. As a team we had no prior experience designing this type of system. Armed with the support of Dr. Sunak, Mike Smith, Brenden Smerbeck and the University of Rhode Island. We have achieved what we set out to accomplish. The Volvo 240 team would like to thank everyone involved in this process. To future students: Embrace the opportunity afforded by Capstone. There is no better chance to hone your technical abilities and prepare for the challenges ahead.

Individual Testimonials

Cameron Major: The impact the Volvo 240 project and the URI Capstone program have had on my life and career has been truly incredible. Having such an interesting project to work on week in and week out has been the highlight of my senior year, and the knowledge I have gained throughout the process led to my hiring upon graduation for my first position in the engineering field. I am beyond thankful for the idea, inspiration, and leadership provided by Jamie Hollands.

Jamie Hollands: When Dr. Sunak approached me and asked if I wanted to include one of my projects in Capstone, I was ecstatic. Outside of my love for Volvos, there is an even greater reason that this project has meant so much to me. In 2016 after returning from a deployment I decided that I wanted to purchase a Volvo 240. I waited for 6 months before the one I truly wanted became available. A copper-colored coupe, sitting in the woods in New Bern, North Carolina. She earned the name Penny. I had no experience working on cars, but the process of getting her working inspired me to go back to school to pursue an engineering degree.

IXBLUE Defense Systems

The success of the iXblue team could not have been possible without the help and support not only from capstone director Dr. Sunak, but the passion from our technical directors Dan Nugent and Patrick Moran. Their constant help and guidance helped the team not only stay on task but reignite our motivation when the project began to fall behind. Our technical directors not only gave us in house experience at the company location, but also took time on Tuesday nights to help keep us on track and answer an outstanding questions midweek rather than waiting until fridays or answering via email.

Phoenix Electric

Our team would like to give a special thanks to our Technical Directors Mike Smith and Sandro Silva. Our project could not have gone so far without their support and instruction. Every week Mike Smith would guide our team in the technical aspects of the annunciator project. He would answer any questions which we had from the software side and the hardware side. He also allowed the team’s creativity to flourish in the building of the annunciator. He would allow the team to first try to solve issues regarding this project on their own before stepping in to help us out.

Pison Technology

The ELECOMP Capstone project has given us a fantastic opportunity to work in a realistic work environment as well as work amongst some extremely intelligent and gifted engineers that are on the Pison team. Having the opportunity to be mentored by such people was a wonderful experience. Our Technical Directors at Pison were amazing to work with; always happy to help and assist with any problems or issues we may come up with, as well as productively guiding us to a solution to the issue.

Rite Solutions

Dr. Sunak’s ELECOMP Capstone Program has provided us the best opportunity to apply our engineering skills, in a way that no other course can. The ability to work with a real company, such as Rite Solutions, was an invaluable experience. The Virtual Reality Bridge Simulator was a project that we were instantly drawn to upon hearing about it, and we are grateful to be able to work on it with the guidance of Thomas Santos, Michael VonGonten, and Akintoye Onikoyi.

While the scope of this project was quite large, our technical directors provided meaningful feedback on a weekly basis and ultimately helped us grow as engineers. This experience was a truly beneficial experience and has done a great job in preparing us for a future career in the engineering field.

Taco Comfort Solutions

The curriculums for Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering are long, winding, tumultuous roads that move through countless concepts, formulas and minute intricacies, connecting them all. After years of exhibiting understanding through pencil and paper, the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program offers students a fresh, exciting way to connect the dots. It allows students to test their technical competence with real-world projects, guided by engineering professionals that boast decades of experience in the field.

Through this program, students are afforded the opportunity to create and develop products and technologies given to them by actual employees of actual engineering companies. Over the course of a full academic year, teams of students are introduced to tools, techniques, software and hardware used in the field. Students meet with their Technical Directors weekly to discuss progress and hardships, and to probe the minds of these engineering professionals. With all of these components combined, we feel that we’ve been given a head start, confidence, and an immediate competitive advantage when seeking employment in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Vicor Corporation

Throughout this year, we were greeted with constant assistance and guidance from our technical directors. None of this would have been possible without the URI ELECOMP Capstone program, and Professor Sunak. We were finally able to use our years of knowledge and apply the skills in a professional environment at the company VICOR. The company encouraged us and drove us to share our fervor and ambition into Capstone.

For the duration of the year the technical directors assigned to our project were professional, knowledgeable, and great communicators through challenges and questions encountered in the span of the year. They used their knowledge to display an environment of a professional field in engineering where problem solving and thinking divergently are essential to achieve the goal. In the project skills were developed mainly teamwork and communication to meet deadlines and allocate the proper amount of work designated to each designer.

Voltserver

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at URI is a fantastic opportunity for senior engineering students to gain hands-on real-world experience in the engineering field prior to entering the workforce. From the beginning of working on this project it became quite apparent that knowledge gained in the classroom does not compare to practical experience. Our team consists of two electrical engineers and two computer engineers. Each of us worked in a cross disciplinary manner, supporting one another throughout the duration of the project gaining valuable team building skills.

Throughout this project we learned more about PCB design and fabrication, soldering, microcontroller configuration, GUI creation, sensor characterization and 3D modeling and printing gaining valuable technical skills as well as life skills which will help us professionally and personally. Capstone is all about developing a passion and urgency for the engineering field in which we will work in and thanks to this experience, in our future endeavors we will see carry these values with us when solving problems and completing whatever engineering task is before us.

XMOS

We, team XMOS, are thankful for the opportunity we received this year to learn and grow. Our technical directors were willing to provide their assistance whenever we would reach any roadblocks. Overall, being part of this program was an incredible experience that we wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. Our group hopes that the work we have completed this semester will fuel more projects for XMOS in the near future.

Zebra Technologies

ELECOMP Capstone is a massive undertaking for all engineering students, and Team Zebra was no different. Dr. Sunak has created a program that allows students to both prove themselves in a work environment based on the things that they’ve learned over the course of their education, and work in teams with people they may never have had to before and come together to make something work. The team is grateful that we could be a part of this program and combine our abilities to make something for a company that could potentially have a lot of influence in the working world.

The team as a whole learned many important lessons when working on this project, with a few of the biggest being time management and collaboration. Students are expected to work on their projects with their teams for a large amount of time, and working out what times are best, when we should meet with technical directors, and how to work on capstone projects even while working through other classes is all very important. Likewise, working together is just as important, and taught us communication skills, when to ask questions, and how to spread the work out so that one of us doesn’t face a larger workload.

2021-2022 Testimonials

Aerocyonics

The ELECOMP Capstone program, spearheaded by Dr. Harish Sunak, provided us the opportunity to get real work experience in our senior year of college. Being able to work closely with a company has allowed us to grow into responsible professionals. We would really like to thank our Technical Directors for this project, Bronn Pav and Daniel Dimase, for their unwavering support and appreciation of our efforts throughout the year.

Our directors not only respected us as students, but also as individuals growing and navigating this new professional world. Our weekly meetings kept the team on track, and prevented us from diverting from our ABO, or becoming unmotivated from setbacks. Capstone provides real world experience that you do not get from the regular academic side of engineering. It made us come up with the project planning ourselves instead of being handed directions. This encouraged critical thinking and allowed us to be innovative, skills that will be indispensable as we look toward our future career path.

Cambridge Technology

The ELECOMP Capstone Design at the University of Rhode Island is a very unique program to allow engineering students to gain real world experience while using efforts of collaboration, teamwork, communication, and creativity. It is the most challenging experience for all computer and electrical engineering students to complete and prepare themselves for their future careers in any industry.

Working with Cambridge Technology, MES-OP is a little different compared to other projects from other companies. Instead of just using the background of computer and electrical engineering, MES-OP is more used in a collaboration field of mechanical engineering and manufacturing. It seems that this project does require basic knowledge of engineering but must learn through other fields with support and encouragement to reach the Anticipated Best Outcome.

EaglePicher

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at URI is one of the best opportunities for a graduating senior in the electrical and computer engineering field. It is a great transition step between academia and industry that allows students to apply the skills learned in course work to a real professional project in order to prepare them for their career. Between the excellent guidance from our Technical Directors, Dan and Brandon, and the passionate leadership of Dr. Sunak, the work experience we were able to achieve was extremely rewarding and valuable to our future endeavors.

The biggest challenge Team Eagle-Li had to overcome was time management. Capstone tends to take a big portion of your coursework and your overall effort towards the ABO does have a strong correlation with how many hours you put towards the project. Having the ability to create a schedule to keep you on track towards achieving your ABO is highly recommended as this is a concept we had struggled with throughout the year.

EchoWear

The ELECOMP Capstone project was a great opportunity for us to end our electrical and computer engineering careers at URI. Dr. Sunak cumulated a perfect team to address the signal processing, hardware, and software concerns for the project created by EchoWear. The Capstone project helped us obtain real world engineering experience and apply everything we have learned so far in addition to new biomedical engineering approaches.

General Dynamics

The ELECOMP Capstone Program is an incredible opportunity for any engineering student to demonstrate the skills they have been gathering over the last three years. This project was our first real introduction into industry and the “real world”, allowing us to have a much different experience than in any other engineering class we had taken before. As we worked through our ups and downs, we learned how to approach an issue from different angles, and learned how to collaborate as a team to reach a common goal.

IGT

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program was a great opportunity for us to get an early start in learning what it is like to be an engineer. The program gave us many valuable learning experiences that we can apply to our future careers. Our technical directors, Raymond and Erik, were extremely helpful. They always kept constant communication with us and were always available to answer our questions.

InDepth Engineering

As part of the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program, we had the privilege of working on a challenging project with In-Depth Engineering that allowed us to apply the skills and knowledge we acquired during our academic journey to a real-world problem. We are grateful for this opportunity, as it provided us with the potential to contribute to the foundation of innovations that could improve the performance and quality of life for computer-based information system operators.

NUWC

The ELECOMP capstone program took the skills that we gained in school and put them to the test. The program gave students a chance to work on real world projects with real world deadlines. This is something that is needed to have experience with before entering the workforce. Being able to work alongside a company such as NUWC was a very pleasant experience, and we hope our work this year is something that they will be able to build off of in the future.

Phoenix Electric

The capstone experience provided skills that we will continue to use throughout our career as engineers. From the beginning of the fall semester, Dr. Sunak made the projects fun, exciting, and engaging to learn about. The project selection process was dramatic and made the students feel like they were a part of something bigger than themselves.

Pison Technology

From the very beginning of the ELECOMP Capstone Program, Dr.Sunak puts a priority towards the placement of each student with the project that is not only one of their top choices but also suits their skills and knowledge. The process for each student getting placed with their project and company is detailed and perfected. Dr.Sunak creates a professional environment for each student and each group and everyone is held accountable, held to those standards.

RDSI

The ELECOMP Capstone Program was an incredible experience during our time at URI. We were pushed to apply our previously learned skills in practical applications, acquire new skills, and keep up with firm deadlines. This experience would not be possible without the program director, Dr. Harish Sunak, who worked tirelessly to organize the program with a variety of company sponsors.

South County Gadgets

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program is a unique program that requires senior level computer and electrical engineering students to apply the skills and knowledge that they have learned over the course of their undergraduate journey. Having the opportunity to apply the knowledge we learned in class and translate that into practical use, but to also work under the teaching of industry professionals.

Vicor Corporation

Vicor Corporation has been a consistent sponsor of the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program, offering unique and hands on experience that pertain to what one might expect within the industry. This year, the Vicor Corporation team was fortunate enough to have graduates of the ELECOMP Capstone Design Programs as their TDs; this offered invaluable experience, as they have gone through the design process themselves.

VoltServer

We, the team members of VoltServer AGMESH, want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the amazing opportunity to work alongside VoltServer, our technical directors, and Dr. Harish Sunak. Together, we have successfully navigated every challenge and obstacle that we have encountered and have emerged on the other side with a truly impressive product.

Over this past academic year, the ELECOMP Capstone Program has made a tremendous impact on the success of our team, thanks in large part to Capstone Director Dr. Harish Sunak for organizing and running the program. It was an incredible experience to work with VoltServer and our technical director Camilo Giraldo.

XMOS

This program was a remarkable experience for both of us thanks to the opportunity to work on a project that allowed us to challenge ourselves into learning and growing as engineers. We are thankful not only to our technical directors, Dr. Andrew Cavanaugh, Steven Anzivino, and Kiran Thakur who all provided valuable assistance for the numerous roadblocks we encountered, but to every ELECOMP director, URI professor, and industry professional which helped us gain a deeper understanding.

Zebra Technologies

ELECOMP capstone program is a fantastic opportunity for engineering students, and we are grateful for the privilege to have taken part in it. Initially, it was an unpredictable experience not knowing who we would be working with, but that only added to the excitement of the program. As we got to know our team members. Over eight months, we gained valuable experience that has prepared us for working in a real-life engineering environment.

2020-2021 Testimonials

Acumentrics – FaultLine

The success of project FaultLine could not have been possible without the help and support of our capstone director Dr. Sunak, and our technical directors Brenden Smerbeck, Najib Ishaq, Mike Majdalani, and Bill Owens. Dr. Sunak was extremely generous in providing any and all means required to pursue the directions we wanted to go with the project. Our technical directors, particularly Brenden and Najib who we met with twice weekly, were instrumental in guiding the team through any problem areas that arose.

Acumentrics – N-Plus

Harish Sunak’s ELECOMP Capstone Program has provided us with a wonderful working experience that tested our knowledge of electrical/computer engineering. By working with real life companies, Dr. Sunak allows his students to be able to apply and develop their skills they have learned during their electrical engineering and/or computer engineering classes at the University of Rhode Island.

EaglePicher – AM-BATS

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program at URI is an excellent opportunity for senior engineering students to gain hands-on experience in the engineering field. There is great insight to be gained when working alongside a company to solve a real-world problem. Our team learned that knowledge gained in the classroom does not compare to real world experience.

EaglePicher – BE-SAFE

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program is truly the accumulation of all collective knowledge that the University of Rhode Island has instilled within its students. We all entered as aspiring engineers, equipped with the tools needed to succeed, but those tools were truly refined throughout this program. Through the helpful guidance and encouragement of our Technical Directors, we were able to leave this program with the necessary skill set to excel in the professional world.

FarSounder

We are incredibly grateful for our involvement in the ELECOMP Capstone program. Finally putting our engineering knowledge to the test by solving a meaningful engineering problem was an extremely valuable experience. Knowing that the work we did throughout the year will be used to improve the next generation of FarSounder’s sonar systems is intensely rewarding.

General Dynamics

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program has proved to be an incredible opportunity in which we were able to apply the knowledge that we have gained throughout the ELECOMP program. This program has given us a learning experience that will be applicable to our careers. Our consulting director, Alex, was helpful when it came to answering any questions we had and kept us on track to achieve the ABO.

Hexagon

The ELECOMP Capstone program provides real world engineering experience that goes far beyond the classroom. Similar to an internship, it allows the students to work with a company to get an insight into the work they can expect post graduation. However, unlike a standard internship, all work on the project from design to realization of the final product is done by the student.

In-Depth Engineering

While learning in the classroom is great, we feel our engineering skills have been truly put to the test with a hands-on project at an actual company. This is what the ELECOMP Capstone Program has provided to each of us over the course of our senior year. Our Technical Directors from In-Depth Engineering: Bill Matzusak, David Helms, and John Vernaglia, greatly aided us by providing great instruction/direction for our anticipated best outcome.

Infineon Technologies

The ELECOMP Capstone Program was supposed to be a culmination of all the skills we have learned up to this point, but we feel that this experience has been tarnished by the pandemic that has occurred over the past year. Despite passion and effort from team members and the technical directors, the team was unable to reach the ABO which was very disappointing.

iXblue – GAPS-COMM

The ELECOMP capstone design program has proved to be a great opportunity for many reasons. We, as a team, have gained important knowledge and experience for our lines of work. We have been able to see and be a part of the process of improving an existing product. The whole process was very professional and truly eye-opening for us.

iXblue – GNSS Receiver

The integration of a senior project is something all engineering students look forward to from the beginning of their time at the University of Rhode Island. The idea that a final culmination of all aspects of their education can be used to showcase the skills learned and test their perseverance to complete a given project excites all engineers.

Phoenix Electric

As senior engineering students, our time at the University of Rhode Island is coming to an end. Looking back on our four years at URI, the ELECOMP Capstone experience is one that is unforgettable. Over the course of the past 9 months, we faced many challenges within our project that tested our will and problem-solving skills.

RI NSF EPSCoR

The ELECOMP Capstone Design was an amazing program that left us with great research and development experience. As part of our curriculum it seemed a little daunting when we first started out; but with the help of our capstone director, Dr.Sunak, we were all able to find a project where we all fit in well.

Rite Solutions – Object Detection

The aspiration of every up-and-coming engineer is to make a meaningful impact and contribution in their field of study. Every engineer reflects and relies on the skills they have acquired throughout their studies to assist them in tackling whatever challenge is placed in their immediate direction.

Rite Solutions – AutoML

The Senior Capstone design project has given us a great opportunity and insight of what we will be expected to do in the outside world after graduating. Transitioning us students into jobs and positions that will be expected of us. With using all the knowledge that was gained throughout the past three years of class and producing an outcome.

Seascan

The ELECOMP Capstone Program was an invaluable experience during our time at the University of Rhode Island. We were pushed to apply our skills in practical, industry applications, acquire new skills, and keep up with firm deadlines. As a result of all this, we became more well-rounded engineers and discovered where our passions lie.

Supfina

The ELECOMP Capstone Design Program is the heart of URI’s Engineering Program. It was clear that being able to partake in the program was going to be a challenge during the pandemic. Essentially the whole premise of Capstone is to teach us the meaning of cooperation and what it is like to work in an engineering environment.

Taco – BLE-TSTAT

The ELECOMP Capstone Design program provides an invaluable learning experience and is a cornerstone of the Electrical and Computer Engineering degree program at URI. The selection process employed by Dr. Sunak is very thorough and succeeds in bringing together the right combination of students to achieve the anticipated outcome of each individual project.

Taco – SPBBTR

After learning the basic fundamentals of engineering and acquiring the necessary skill sets, the ELECOMP Capstone Design Program provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills that they have been working hard for in the past few years to real work applications.

URI Robotics – MiniDrone

We are grateful to be given this opportunity at the University of Rhode Island. This is an extremely beneficial program for the students and the companies involved. The knowledge and skills gained while working for the ICRL on the Mini-Drone project will translate incredibly in the real word while we are pursuing our dream careers.

URI Robotics – RoboGripper

Senior Capstone has been an invaluable experience which has allowed us to apply our learning outside a classroom setting for the first time. This precious opportunity was only available to us due to the tireless work of Dr. Sunak. He did an admirable job of finding enough Capstone projects for our large class in spite of the disruption of the pandemic.

Vicor Corporation

Throughout this academic year this project has given us a wealth of knowledge and experience in the professional field of engineering of which we thank both the URI ELECOMP Capstone program and its director, Professor Sunak. We were able to be placed into a project which we had personal interest in and paired with team members that shared our passion and enthusiasm for Capstone as a whole.

XMOS

ELECOMP Capstone is a class truly befitting the name. At its spearhead is Doctor Sunack whose passion for the quality of work created by the students sets a high bar for the seniors of the Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering disciplines at URI. Professor Sunack worked tirelessly to round up the best companies in New England to provide the students with their toughest challenge yet.

Zebra Technologies

We extend our thanks to the ELECOMP CAPSTONE organization for making it possible to be part of this well put together program. In the beginning, it was a very unpredictable event with no trail or clue of which people you would partner up with. This makes it even more special because life is full of surprises.