Engineering Portfolio

Engineering begins with listening.

I explore how engineering can respond to real human needs, from assistive technology and environmental monitoring to accessible, safer everyday systems.

  • Embedded systems
  • Assistive technology
  • Environmental engineering
  • Robotics
  • Research

JIANJIA LIU

01 / Projects & Research

Projects & Research

Real prototypes and research, each starting from a specific human need.

Arduino-Based IV Warming System

Pioneer Research Program · Mentor: Professor Carlotta Berry

A bench prototype that warms IV fluid toward 37°C using three DS18B20 temperature sensors, PWM heating, and combined feedforward and PI control, with monitoring and alarms built in from the start.

Bench prototype; not clinically validated or tested against medical-device standards.

Demonstrated regulation
±1°C
Paper
36 pages
Research course grade
A (97.6/100)

Unmanned Water Quality Monitoring and Treatment Vessel

Independent project

A self-built vessel that measures turbidity and dissolved solids in real time, logs data, collects floating debris, and carries targeted chemical-dispensing mechanisms. Tested on a real waterway.

Turbidity and TDS are partial indicators; open-water chemical treatment needs further environmental assessment.

Report
38 pages

Assistive Technology Prototypes

Four independently developed prototypes

Four independent prototypes: a sensor-based posture vest with feedback; a sleep-apnea vibration alert; a wearable AI sign-language translator; and a muscle-relaxation device for rehabilitation support.

Early prototypes, informally tested; no clinical evaluation or user deployment. Sign-language vocabulary is limited and was not tested with Deaf signers; muscle-relaxation effectiveness is unmeasured.

Deepfake Scams Targeting Older Adults in China

Research course · Team lead and first author

I led a six-person team studying AI-generated deepfake fraud aimed at older adults in China, combining interviews with a review of detection methods. 18-page paper, first author.

Exploratory interviews, limited in number and region; not representative.

Paper
18 pages
Research course grade
A (97.42/100)

FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics

FIRST Tech Challenge team

Mechanical design and CAD for a retractable robotic arm with gravity-compensation control, built and debugged with my team.

Recognition
Second Place, Connect Award · China Regional Playoff

02 / Wave Charity

Wave Charity

Helping younger students discover that engineering can address the problems around them.

Environmental education presentations
11
Students reached in total
3,500+
Students reached at my junior high alma mater
2,000+

Across three presentations, included in the total above.

Wave Charity Club

碧波公益

Environmental awareness, science education, and engineering innovation for younger students around Jinan.

  • Start with familiar environmental problems, then explain sensing, measurement, cleanup, and treatment.
  • Demonstrate my self-built water quality vessel; invite students to handle prototypes and ask questions.

Returning to my junior high school

Three of our presentations took place at the junior high school I graduated from, reaching more than 2,000 students.

I wanted younger students from my school to see that they could build something real, too.

What happened next

After our sessions, a teacher told us that some students had gone on to join the school’s Science and Technology Innovation Club.

Reported by a teacher; we did not track individual students.

03 / Student Council

Student Council

President, Student Council · Shandong Experimental High School. Coordinating students, clubs, council members, and the school administration.

Charity Concert

Raised more than RMB 20,000

A school concert organized to raise funds for charity, bringing together student performers, volunteers, and audiences.

Helped lead planning and coordination with the council team and school administration.

Traditional Culture Festival

A festival celebrating Chinese traditional culture through student-run activities and performances.

Coordinated council members and participating student groups.

International Department Drama Festival

A drama festival where student groups in the International Department staged their own performances.

Supported organization, scheduling, and logistics with the council team.

Club Showcase

An event giving student clubs a space to present their work and recruit new members.

Helped coordinate participating clubs and the event plan.

Student Council Recruitment

Recruiting and onboarding the next group of council members.

Took part in designing the recruitment process and welcoming new members.

These events were organized by the entire Student Council together with teachers, the school administration, and many student volunteers. I am grateful to have worked alongside them.

04 / Community

Community

I try to make the needs of my communities visible, and use what I learn to give back.

My local community

Jinan

Growing up among Jinan’s springs and lakes made water pollution a local concern. My water quality vessel began with that close-to-home problem.

My junior high alma mater

Giving back to where I started

Returning to share engineering with younger students is a way of giving back to the school that first encouraged my curiosity.

My high school community

Shandong Experimental High School

At Shandong Experimental High School, planning events and listening to classmates helped me turn student ideas into shared opportunities.

Beyond my immediate communities

People technology often overlooks

My assistive prototypes, deepfake-fraud research, and environmental work focus on needs that are easy to overlook. They are starting points, with much left to learn from the people affected.

What I believe

Technology should serve people.

The more I build, the more I find that the hardest part of engineering is not the circuit or the code. It is understanding who it is for. I hope to keep learning to listen first.