As the school year ends, seniors at Seattle University’s (SU) College of Science and Engineering are finishing their senior design projects. These projects, organized by the college’s Project Center, allow students to create solutions for real-world problems faced by companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.
City Light has sponsored SU senior design projects for nearly 30 years. Throughout this partnership, student solutions have improved the way we work. We have even made dam structure improvements based on the recommendations from past student projects.
This year, we sponsored two student teams. One team looked at how to make the North Service Center safer during earthquakes. The other team studied ways to improve cybersecurity at our Cedar Falls project.
Preparing the North Service Center for earthquakes
What happens if an earthquake causes power outages? Our crews work hard to safely restore electricity. But damage to equipment and buildings can slow them down. That’s why a team of students designed ways to make our North Service Center more resistant to earthquakes.
The students studied the building using modern earthquake safety codes. “The North Service Center is older than a lot of the safety codes. This gave us plenty of space to design improvements,” explained SU senior, Helene Babalis. She and her team created solutions to strengthen walls and add supports to make the building safer when the ground shakes.
Their final plans include strategies to protect workers, equipment, and the building. These solutions would help us recover faster when an earthquake happens – which will save lives and reduce damage.
Evaluating cybersecurity for critical infrastructure
Electricity sustains life in the communities we serve. We work around the clock to protect our infrastructure from physical and digital threats. But cyber-attacks are a growing threat to utility systems. A major cyber-attack could cause power outages, damage equipment, and create safety risks.
Another team of SU students studied our Cedar Falls generating facility to find ways to prevent this kind of damage. They created a computer simulation to understand how our systems could respond to different cyber threats.
Their design included ways to detect security issues and better simulate threats in real time. “Our simulation gives City Light a quick visual way to test the resilience of their systems,” said computer science senior, Saloni Sanger. This user-friendly solution supports staff who don’t work in technology and can strengthen our defense against cyber-attacks.
Building a better future for power
These student projects benefit both City Light and the students themselves. By working on real-world problems, students gain valuable skills for their future careers. Many of these students go on to become great engineers. Some specialize in earthquake safety and cybersecurity. Some even end up working for City Light.
SU recently celebrated the students’ hard work at their annual Projects Day. At this annual event, the students presented their findings and showcased their designs.
Past, present, and future SU students make our communities safer and stronger. We’re proud to support the next generation of engineers making it happen.
