Orono - Like most college seniors, UMaine Mechanical Engineering Technology students have been working hard on final projects. These students actually start working on their senior design project in the fall and then build it in the spring.

"It took some long man hours, but it's definitely nice to see it running and doing well and people liking it," said Emily West, Mechanical Engineering Technology student.

"When they built them, things don't always work quite the way they seem like they're going to work and it took hours and hours to get them working," added Professor Herb Crosby.

They built kinetic sculptures with steel balls inside that travel continuously.

While most final projects are left in the past after graduation, a few special sculptures will be put to use. Two will be installed as an exhibit at the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor.

"I think this is going to be in effect a piece of public art that's going to be appreciated for years by kids coming through the museum and downtown," said Niles Parker, Executive Director at the Maine Discovery Museum.

Another sculpture will be brought along to engineering expos and open houses to show off the work the students in this program do.

"We'd like them to see that engineering can be creative and fun, it even involves art," said Professor Crosby.

It's an added sense of accomplishment to what these students already feel for just having completed these final projects.

"It's really nice to see something we designed and built actually being used," said West.

Because as they move on toward the next step in their lives, their projects are moving on too.

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