EAST LANSING -- Daily activities that most of us take for granted will become a bit easier to complete for some severely impaired students, thanks to the MOVE delivery cart, which will not only assist in taking on those daily tasks, but will be used to improve motor abilities as well.

Teams of engineering students have spent the semester designing devices -- such as the MOVE cart -- that will benefit those close to home as well as those on other continents. These innovations will be on display during MSU's College of Engineering Design Day on Friday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MSU Union.

MSU students from throughout the college will be presenting design projects from a variety of courses including applied engineering sciences, biosystems engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science and engineering, electrical and computer engineering, materials science engineering, and mechanical engineering. Student teams are involved with projects that demand the integration of engineering theory and practice.

The senior capstone teams design and build projects for corporate sponsors and others. This semester's projects range from recommendations for recycling glass on campus and conserving drinking water in MSU's residence halls and academic units, to the design of a cart to aid physically impaired students at Heartwood School in Ingham County, to the creation of a water purification system for a developing country.

Corporate sponsors of the capstone projects include Auto-Owners, Boeing, Chrysler, Dow Chemical Corp., Ford, GE Aviation, Meijer, Motorola Mobility, Shell Oil Company, Spectrum Health Systems, Urban Science and the Whirlpool Corp.

Several internationally focused projects will also be on display, including a solar dehydrator for drying mangoes at the Macheo Children's Centre in Kenya and a device for creating nutritious food for children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Also on exhibit will be projects developed in a freshman engineering course. Some of the students have teamed up to work with clients of the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to design and build working prototypes to assist them with daily activities.

Approximately 200 Michigan pre-college students will also visit campus during Design Day. They will get a chance to interact with MSU College of Engineering students and participate in hands-on robotic and structural support system activities that explore design principles requiring the application of creativity and ingenuity.

"The energy and excitement at Design Day is contagious, celebrating the talents of our students and inspiring pre-collegiate students to pursue their interest in science and engineering," said Maureen Blazer-Adams, Design Day director.  "As you visit our various exhibits and competitions throughout the MSU Union, you will see that MSU engineers are ready to lead, create and innovate."

For the sixth consecutive semester, Auto-Owners Insurance Co. of Lansing is the Executive Partner sponsor of Design Day. As a Lansing-based Fortune 500 company, Auto-Owners Insurance has a rich history of engagement with Michigan State University and the College of Engineering. Design Day Supporting Partners include Dow Chemical Corp., the Michigan State University Credit Union, and Norfolk Southern. GE is the Design Day Directing Partner.

Design Day is held at the end of each fall and spring semester.

For more information about Design Day, visit www.designday.egr.msu.edu.

To view the spring 2012 Design Day program booklet, go http://designday.egr.msu.edu/files_design-program/DD_Spring12_final-online.pdf.