Senior Design students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering are
drilling into a problem as common as deck screws. In his guest blog, student writer
Evan Monko shares the story behind the project.
Picture yourself sitting with friends and family on your deck. The grill is on with
burgers and dogs cooking to perfection. Everyone is merry, talking and laughing about
the work week. You all sit down at the table to dig into this weekend cookout when
suddenly the deck begins to creak. Initially the noise is passed off as boards settling
— until one side of the deck collapses. No one is hurt, but you are in shock as a