Develop a straw slicer and stamper to reduce the time it currently takes to process the straws used for artificial insemination of bulls.

Project Overview

Currently, quality control procedures investigating quality of bull semen for artificial insemination are time and labor intensive. The process involves cutting and pushing bull semen through a small straw using a straightened paper clip, and transferring the contents to a 96-well plate. This process takes one hour, with 8-10 plates being processed per day. The purpose of the project is to optimize these quality control procedures by designing a straw slicer that should be able to cut 12 straws at a time. It should also have removable components for cleaning. Additionally, a straw stamper is needed to push bull semen out of the straws in bulk, avoiding cross contamination.

Team Picture

Files

• Final Notebook (December 10, 2025)
• Final Report (December 10, 2025)
• Final Poster Presentation (December 4, 2025)
• Preliminary Report (October 8, 2025)
• Preliminary Presentation (October 3, 2025)
• PDS (September 18, 2025)

Contact Information

Team Members

• Caitlin King - Co-Team Leader
• Lydia Miller - Co-Team Leader
• Megan Lee - Communicator
• Janice Amornthanomchoke - BSAC
• Varenya Vegesna - BWIG
• Emma Stroshane - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Prof. Justin Williams - Advisor
• Sarah Hanson - Client
• Ben Goss - Alternate Contact
• Brett Breidor - Alternate Contact