Engineering
Design Center

49+
Engineering
design courses
1,900
Engineering design
graduates
36+
Engineering
design-focused
student groups
200+
2024 Design
Day projects

Save the Date! Design Day 2025 is on April 29.

Save the Date! Design Day 2025 is on April 29.

Evaluating and Fine-Tuning Lightweight LLMs on Jetson

This project investigates the feasibility of running and fine-tuning lightweight Large Language Models (LLMs) on resource-constrained edge devices, specifically the NVIDIA Jetson platform. Our objective is to systematically evaluate multiple small-scale LLMs in terms of their inference accuracy, GPU memory usage, power consumption, and overall computational efficiency. By leveraging built-in monitoring tools and external measurement methods, we aim to provide a comprehensive comparison of model performance and resource demands. Following the evaluation phase, we fine-tune a selected model on a downstream task to assess how well Jetson handles on-device training or adaptation. This study highlights the trade-offs between model performance and hardware limitations, offering insights for real-world deployment of LLMs in low-power environments. The results will help guide model selection and optimization strategies for developers targeting edge AI applications with minimal computational overhead.

Jobiter: Smart Job Application Assistant

We’re Jobiter – a team of Hopkins students building an intelligent web platform to transform the job application process for college students and new graduates. By integrating AI-powered resume and cover letter optimization, application form auto-filling, and job recommendations based on individuals’ skills and qualifications, Jobiter streamlines the repetitive, time-consuming, and often demoralizing experience of navigating ATS (Applicant Tracking System) platforms.
Through powerful automation and customization, Jobiter dramatically boosts users’ chances of advancing past ATS filters and reaching the next stage of recruiting – the interviews.

Liposol – Liposome-Based Sunscreen for Enhanced Protection

Developed in Dr. Lilian Josephson’s Product Design course, Liposol is a lecithin‑based liposomal sunscreen that leverages microfluidic assembly and rigorous ChemE modeling to deliver instant, uniform SPF 30 protection with minimal residue. Our team progressed from initial ideation to transport and thermodynamic analyses (Fick’s laws, microfluidic mixing, lipid self-assembly), designed a scalable manufacturing workflow (continuous‑flow microfluidics, tangential‑flow filtration), and built a 10‑year financial and business model forecasting breakeven in year 5 and robust market capture. Liposol exemplifies the seamless integration of chemical engineering principles, process development, and strategic planning to meet consumer demand for next‑generation, high‑performance sunscreen.

Taliyah

Biomedical Engineering

It is wonderful to watch students from different departments work together to support better engineering design opportunities at Hopkins.

To identify what can satisfy students from every engineering perspective has been both challenging and rewarding, as I’ve learned leading the multidisciplinary student advisory board for the Design Center.

Kareem

Computer Engineering

The First Year Seminar Design CornerStone helped me get exposed to a wide range of engineering disciplines and introduced me to all the makerspace and departments opportunities at Hopkins!

I am excited to take advantage of all the resources available to strengthen my engineering skills.

Alexander

Materials Science and Engineering

Being granted the opportunity to lead a design team has offered me the skillset necessary to apply both engineering and leadership skills in a collaborative environment. I look forward to utilizing these experiences in the medical device space!

 
First-year mechanical engineers’ minicars battle it out on racetrack
Author: Jonathan Deutschman  Photos: Will Kirk The classic paradox asks: What happens…
 
DnATA
Team Members: Julian Chow, Resham Talwar, Varen Talwar Department: Chemical and Biomolecular…