Interdisciplinary Capstone Open House pairs seniors with real-world projects
Trevor Drouillard, electromagnetics engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, interviews optical sciences and engineering senior Lumi Hissataka at the Interdisciplinary Capstone Open House.
The College of Engineering's Interdisciplinary Capstone program pairs students with real-world problems to create solutions as a team. This work begins every year at the Interdisciplinary Capstone Open House, where more than 400 engineering seniors choose a capstone project.
The open house gives students a chance to meet sponsors, ask questions and get a better sense of the projects before match day, the following Monday, when students accept sponsor invitations or submit their final project preferences. Students work directly with professional mentors over the course of a year – an experience that can provide insight into potential careers that a resume or interview cannot.
“The project I choose has to be somewhat interesting to me and something I’m passionate about,” said optical sciences and engineering senior Lumi Hissataka. “But also, I think a big part of it is the sponsors themselves and how involved they’re going to be, how supportive they are.”
Hissataka was drawn to projects that combined experimental science and optics.
Much of her work experience has focused on testing and prototyping optical systems. She completed internships with Lightsense Technology Inc. in summer 2025 and Molex in summer 2026.
Now, “I’m more interested in the actual decisions that go into making a lens,” said Hissataka.