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Sitting in traffic due to flooding? One senior design team is here to help. Mechanical engineering seniors Cole Yacono, Ariel Oster, Danny Crossan, Sunny Zhuo, and Gio Ceriani have worked on Impedebris, an attachment to existing storm drains that can help to mitigate drain blockages and roads flooding.

“Impredebris started out with more than 10 different design ideas that ultimately ended with the best idea that fits into our scoop: Preventative, no power source needed, and realistic solution” Zhuo said. “[We hope] Impedebris will be the initial design to solve the problem and help PennDOT or other highway regulators reduce traffic and highway damages and lower costs.”

The device itself is deceptively simple. A passive, buoy-like frame with a mesh wall that rests atop storm drains. As the water level rises so does the mesh wall, creating a dynamic filtering system. Sticks, leaves and other debris are caught before they get in the drain without slowing down the flow of water, giving the department of transportation more time to respond before a blockage becomes a flood.

Currently, the team conducting flow rate testing with water and debris, creating a baseline to test the prototype they’re finishing up. Ideally, the prototype won’t impede the flow of water while filtering out debris.

For this team, the project was a glimpse into life after graduation: working on multiple things at once, adapting to changes and roadblocks, and functioning as a team. “[It] simulates a real-world work environment,” Zhuo said. “Everyone on the team is striving for one goal in a project while they also have different projects, classes, that we are all juggling along with.”

The team especially emphasized the strength found in collaboration.

“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses,” Zhuo said. Knowing how to collaborate with each other can maximize the strength of a team to bring a stronger solution to the table.”

After planning out their project as a team, they split the work up. Ceriani, Crossan, and Oster were in charge of prototyping 3D printing casts for the silicone buoyant elements, ordering supplies, and machining rail anchors. Zhuo and Yacono designed and built the testing setup and 3D printing fixtures, assembled the flume, and conducted tests for frow rate benchmarks. They’ll then test Impedebris as a group to make sure it’s as effective as intended. So far, Impedebris is providing the group with hands-on experience to launch their careers.

“Engineering projects are going to be my bread and butter,” Yacono said. “I look at this as another practice swing, helping me refine my form in preparation for challenges to come. Above all, this has shown me that experiential learning is by far the most effective vehicle to learn something new.”

“Every step brings new challenges that are visible and invisible,” Crossan said. “For me, it’s important to maintain an open and positive mindset for in the real-world adapting to new engineering teams is part of the engineering work culture.”

“I personally feel very accomplished when the real world can be quantified and related to theory,” Ceriani said. “In the real world, analyzing experimental data and relating it to engineering theory is a critical skill for my career.”

As the team moves toward final testing, Impedebris represents more than just a senior design project. It’s a practical, scalable idea with the potential to make everyday infrastructure more resilient and to keep drivers moving when it matters most.