The Mechanical Engineering Department is the largest department at Cal Poly with more than 1,250 undergraduates and is ranked as the second-best undergraduate focused mechanical engineering program in the country by U.S. News and World Reports.
The curriculum shares a common philosophy that real engineering work requires not only a solid understanding of theory but also hands-on experiences and skills to finish the job. With state-of-the-art laboratories, student clubs and organizations, and machine shops, the program effectively combines theory and practical application to prepare students for careers in a wide variety of industries and graduate school.
Modified from me.calpoly.edu
Senior Projects from 2026
Toro Cover for Bob Packer, Bailey Smolinski, Brandon Petty, Arturo Ramirez, and Kathryn Proctor
CVJ Torque Loss Dynamometer, Malaika Sriram, Coleman Brown, Zachary Norris, Logan Mast, and Chris Mattis
Cathy's Trike, Jameson Stengel, Victor Robles, and Asher Becker
Formula SAE Planetary Gearbox Characterization Dynamometer, Trevor Marco Toma, Thomas Welden Pierce, and Ethan Liu
25-26 MECC: Magnetic Thread Wave Energy Converter, Adolfo Torres Flores, Maya Malay, Grayson Houghton, Chase Eavis, Ramyasree Kaja, Tyler Chin, Malia Merager, Chad Haines, Noah Borkum, and Raina Moore
FSAE Bespoke Brake Calipers for Hub Motor Architecture, Connor William Vaughan, Liam Upton Walsh, and Bradley Brian Kern
HPV Speed Bike Landing Gear, Nathan Walker, Dylan Hyde, Mark Spohn, and Trey Barber
Bonderson Workbench, Han Xu, Aidan Robleto, Sean Murphy, and Victor Duran
Portable Ice Cube Maker, Ayden Ziegler, Emiliano Hansen, Wyatt Engdahl, and Dane Hansen
Senior Projects from 2025
Heart Valve Leaflet Cutting Automation, Gabriella Aclan, Josh DeWeese, Lizzie Dilao, and Jason Wong
Power Transmission System Demo, Jeremy Aiken, Shannon Robinson, and Graham Dzengelewski
Micro Mobile Home R3, Roha Y. Ali, Yuka M. Iwashita, Luke C. Douglas, and Joshua Q. Le
Edwards Lifesciences: eSheath+ Scoring Automation, Tony Lee Avina, Kirth Hirth, Charith Sunku, and Humberto Salazar-Banuelos
One-Handed Wheelchair, Brian Azevedo, Cade Veljovich, Carlos Perez, Jakob Zuckermandel, and Alexander Harper
Efficient Thermal Design of Data Centers, Keats M. Baggett, Andrew Ergood, Colin Brace, and Jack Zilligen
Cal Poly (CP) Legged Robot, Sebastian Barboza, Jonathan McHale, Isabella Sorensen, and Isaac Golan
Trailer Transport System for Multi-Ton Bins, Joanna Lizbeth Bendy, Kevin Matthew Creel, Annelise Vaara Cuneo, and Hugo Alonso Valdez
Large Backflow Check Valve Life Cycle Test Stand, Colin Bentley, Christopher Carloni, Ethan Gray, and Luke Romanini
Aerospace Fastener Installation Tool, Anthony I. Berghout, Matthew K. Eggers, Liam Dunsmore, and Jose Pardo
Water Bottle Lid CO Detector, Zeke Bukovansky, Jake Siegel, Jack Wisegarver, and Cody Rudman
Poly Mars Mini-Rover, Dane Carroll, Aaron Lubinsky, Henry Bouma, Gerardo Tapia-Onate, and Scott Frizzel
Conversational Social Robot, Julianna M. Christopoulos, Mackenzie Goldman, Cece E. Hujanen, and Jared Hunter
EVOQUE Delivery System Fixture Optimization, Jack Ellis, Florence Duff, Noah Dunsmore, Timothy Hunter, and Rafael Castillo
Hydropower Collegiate Competition, Aiden D. Foster, Devon Bountry, Joanna Vo, Timothy Rinker, Amanda Rodriguez, Minh Nguyen, Eli Haushalter, Sophie Watkinson, Maiya Holton, and Breanne Evans
UAV & UGV Drone Competition (Raytheon), Christian Michael Freese, Adien Edmond Haro, Ethan Ray Andres, and Sam Sakaguchi