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WCU College of Engineering

@wcuengineering

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WCU College of Engineering
One Unversity Drive Belk 161
Cullowhee, NC 28723

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Today, we welcomed Miriam, an almost 2-year-old from Asheville, to test and take home the second adaptive wheelchair built by students in the WCU College of Engineering. 💜💛

The wheelchair is a Toddler Mobility Trainer (TMT), an adaptive, 3D-printed mobility device designed specifically for young children. Developed and shared as an open-source project by MakeGood Design in New Orleans, the TMT's modular design means individual components can be reprinted and swapped out to make the chair taller or wider as needed.

The chair's ability to grow with their daughter is one of the things Miriam’s parents said they are most excited about, along with the added independence it can provide as she learns to use it and explore her surroundings in new ways.

For WCU Engineering Technology student Eliza E. of Charlotte, seeing Miriam try it out was especially meaningful. Eliza had printed components and assembled the wheelchair over the summer, and even sewed custom cushions for it. She serves as the membership coordinator for WCU's chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), whose members have volunteered time to help with WCU’s TMT projects.

The initiative began when faculty member Timm Muth introduced the concept to WCU. His passion for assistive design continues to inspire students to use their skills to help others. 💜💛

@makegoodnola @wcu_sme

#CatamountEngineers #MakeThingsBetter Almost 2-year-old Miriam tests out the adaptive wheelchair made by WCU College of Engineering students by @wcuengineering

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2 months ago

We hope you had a great Fall Break, Catamounts! Signs of fall are popping up all across campus, and we're excited to welcome you back. 🍂🍁

#GoCats WCU Alumni Tower near a tree with orange and gold leaves by @wcuengineering

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a day ago

What excites WCU's Dr. Yanjun Yan and Dr. Gael Graham about leading the university's first travel course to Botswana isn't just the incredible wildlife or landscapes. It's the people.

This faculty-led study abroad experience gives students the opportunity to connect with local students and professionals, learn how engineering supports a rapidly growing country, and experience Botswana beyond what most travelers ever see. Participants will earn credit through ENGR 365 and HIST 308 while exploring the intersections of engineering, history, culture, and economic development.

From Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls to university visits, industry tours, and conversations with students at Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), participants will gain a deeper understanding of another culture while seeing firsthand how engineering can make a difference where it's needed most.

Learn more at our Linktree in bio!

#WCUEngineering #TravelAbroad #GoCats

📸 Photos of Dr. Graham and Dr. Yan courtesy of the faculty leaders from a previous visit to Botswana. Wildlife and Victoria Falls images incorporate licensed Canva Pro/Getty Images content. Dr. Graham talks wiht a woman outside at a table at a nature preserve. by @wcuengineering

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2 days ago

🌊 Learning by doing in the Cullowhee Creek Watershed.

More than 30 construction management and engineering students are helping assemble, deploy and monitor sensors throughout the watershed as part of a project focused on improving early warning of floods and landslides in the small headwater streams of Western North Carolina.

Guided by Dr. Mickey Henson, a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction, students are gaining hands-on experience while contributing to research that could help communities better understand and prepare for environmental hazards.

Among those leading the effort are stepbrothers Grant Byers and Jackson Pickering. Grant, a junior in the Construction Management program and president of WCU's CMAA chapter, serves as project manager of the Warning System Project. Jackson, a sophomore in the Mechanical Engineering program and a FLiTE Scholar, is working on the application of soil moisture sensors. Soil moisture measurement is a critical factor in analyzing both flooding and landslide risk.

"What makes this so unique and special is that I get to work alongside my younger stepbrother Jackson Pickering," said Grant. "Getting to grow and expand on something we are both so passionate about is truly a rare opportunity."

The sensors students are deploying will provide the data behind the flood simulations, landslide analyses and watershed visualizations shown here. By combining field measurements with advanced modeling tools, the project aims to improve understanding of how flooding and landslides develop across Western North Carolina.

From the classroom to the creek, Catamount engineers are putting their skills to work on solutions that could make a real difference for Western North Carolina communities. 💧🐾

#WCUEngineers #MakeThingsBetter Four-panel collage showing hands-on watershed research and data analysis. The top left image shows students installing a monitoring sensor outdoors, and the top right image shows a student standing in a creek while working on the project. The bottom left image shows two students working with equipment in a laboratory, and the bottom right image shows a digital watershed map and data visualization. A dark green banner across the center reads, 'FROM SENSORS TO SOLUTIONS.' by @wcuengineering

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8 days ago

🏁 College of Engineering students Grayson Upchurch III and Tristan Rice are helping lead Western Carolina University's Motorsports Club through a standout first season in the Collegiate Racing Series. They competed last month and returned with some impressive results:

✅ Bowling Green, Kentucky: 4th place in Race 1
✅ Bowling Green, Kentucky: 1st place in Race 2
✅ Bowling Green, Kentucky: 2nd place in 90-minute endurance race
✅ 3rd overall in the championship standings

As WCU Motorsports Club president and crew chief, Grayson and Tristan are turning classroom knowledge into real-world experience through data analysis, race strategy, and hands-on work with a custom Mazda MX-5 race car.

"Being a fan of motorsports for most of my life and working on my own cars has led to an incredible weekend of putting my engineering knowledge and learning ability to the test, while making fantastic connections with wonderful people that have many decades of combined motorsports experience. The win that we had will be marked in my memory forever as the moment I saw my work and dedication come together to create a fantastic result, despite never having worked on a race car before. I feel like this was something I was meant to do, and that I have found my career path going forward."
— Tristan Rice

Their journey continues this December in Miami. 💜

Join their team at @wcu_motorsports!

@drive_crs

#GoCats WCU Motorsports team standing around their race car by @wcuengineering

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10 days ago

Christopher Herman, a WCU Graphic Design student, designed the new College of Engineering T-shirt to celebrate the college's new name and academic departments: Civil Engineering and Construction, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

Each letter in WCU on the back of the shirt features a custom design inspired by real-world applications from one of our academic departments:

⚙️ W represents Mechanical Engineering. The design within the letter was inspired by a technical drawing from a reference manual.

🏗️ C represents Civil Engineering and Construction. The design within the letter incorporates elements inspired by the floor plans of a hotel.

⚡ U represents Electrical and Computer Engineering. The design within the letter is based on a computer circuit board. (Christopher even disassembled a computer to study the components in order to draw them accurately!)

We were excited to share these new shirts at our Welcome Bash, and we're looking forward to giving more away at future college events.

Thanks again to Christopher for his hard work on this project in collaboration with the WCU University Communications and Marketing team! WCU student graphic designer stands outside the CAT building holding up the purple WCU College of Engineering shirt he designed by @wcuengineering

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15 days ago

Hands-on learning inside and outside the classroom 🏗️🚧

WCU Construction Management students got an up close look at the Moore Building renovation project here on campus. From the building's history to the steps of the construction process, students gained real-world knowledge while seeing industry concepts in action..

Experiences like these help prepare our Catamounts for successful careers in the construction industry. Thank you @vannoyconstruction for your partnership and support! 💜💛

#WCUEngineering #GoCats #ConstructionIndustry WCU students stand around a woman giving an instructional lesson by @wcuengineering

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16 days ago

🔥 Extreme heat can change the properties of steel dramatically, and students studying engineering materials and processes got hands-on experience this week at a temporary forge set up outside the Center for Applied Technology.
🌡Temperatures reached about 2,000°F at the forge, which was coordinated by faculty member Timm Muth and made possible through a partnership with the Jackson County Green Energy Park. Blacksmith Jesse Bolding and Chelsea Seaman, the park’s program manager—and a WCU art education alumna— guided students through two exercises:
🔨Heating steel that was initially strong enough to withstand a hammer to temperatures that changed its crystalline structure, leaving it bendable and breakable.
🔩 Forging twisted metal hooks using seven techniques—skills that scale from hand tools to industrial presses.

#forgingfutures #handsonlearning #expandingengineering #gocats by @wcuengineering

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17 days ago

It was wonderful to see students building professional connections and exploring career paths at the Construction & Engineering Fair hosted by the WCU Center for Career and Professional Development. 💼🤝💜

@wcu_ccpd An employer from Tutco at the career fair talks with a student by @wcuengineering

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18 days ago

When WCU construction management students visited Sarge's Animal Rescue Foundation last week, they brought along WCU's Spot the Catabot robot dog and a few high-tech tools to help envision what's next for the nonprofit. 🤖🐕

As Sarge's explores plans for a future expansion, the students will be developing digital models and building concepts to support the nonprofit's planning efforts. During their visit, they met with the Sarge's team to learn more about the organization's needs, priorities and vision for the future.

Using LiDAR technology mounted on Spot, students scanned interior spaces throughout the facility, while another student used a drone to capture imagery of the exterior. This fall, they'll use the data they collected to create digital models that can help inform discussions about the planned expansion. They'll also develop and share expansion ideas.

Projects like this give students the opportunity to apply emerging technologies to real-world challenges while building meaningful partnerships that benefit our region. And along the way, they even got to meet a few of the adorable dogs and cats in Sarge's care. 💜🐾

#WCUEngineering #MakeThingsBetter Group photo of construction management students, WCU Engineering professors, SPOT the robot dog, and Sarge's staff. by @wcuengineering

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21 days ago

Thanks to staff members from Rohde & Schwarz for training and demonstrations on their state-of-the-art Radio Frequency (RF) test equipment. The RF and Optical Applied Research (ROAR) Lab at WCU recently acquired a new Rohde & Schwarz ZNB 3000 Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). This industry-leading equipment extends the WCU College of Engineering’s RF test and measurement capabilities to 54 GHz, providing exciting new research and educational opportunities for engineering students at WCU!

@rohdeandschwarz A Rohde & Schwarz representative demonstrates state-of-the-art Radio Frequency (RF) equipment by @wcuengineering

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22 days ago

💜 It's been a busy few weeks for WCU's Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) student organization!

These photos capture just some of the ways @shpeatwcu members have been connecting, learning and supporting one another, from attending the SHPE Region 7 Subregional Carolina Retreat held at UNC Charlotte to co-hosting Career Fair Prep 101 with WCU's Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter this week.

At the retreat, 25 WCU students representing a variety of STEM majors networked with peers from universities across the Carolinas, participated in professional workshops and received valuable feedback from recruiters and industry professionals. Back on campus, they and @wcu.swe led an event to continue building career readiness by helping fellow students prepare for upcoming career fairs through Career Fair Prep 101.

It's great to see student organizations fostering professional growth, leadership and, most importantly, community at WCU. 💜💛 Students pose with a shark for a group photo at SHPE conference at UNC Charlotte by @wcuengineering

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23 days ago