CENTER FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE CAPSTONE PROJECT: CRITTER CATCHERS

Author

• Wilson R. Eatherly, University of MississippiFollow
• Sophie C. Smith, University of MississippiFollow
• Joyce W. Nkanor, University of MississippiFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2026

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Engineering

First Advisor

Rick Hollander

Second Advisor

Scott Kilpatrick

Third Advisor

John Samonds

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence annually presents seniors with the opportunity to do a capstone project that encapsulates their skills learned throughout undergraduate coursework. The interdisciplinary teams are made up of engineering, accounting, and business students. These students bring their skill sets together to come up with a business plan for the project they have been placed on. This team, Critter Catchers, chose to manufacture non-lethal animal traps meant to be a safe alternative to traps on the market that may injure animals. The trap was made primarily out of wood and operated by means of a pressure-triggered suspension door.

Market analysis was conducted initially to see the demand for the type of product as well as customer desires in animal traps. These results shaped the design of the product. Two prototypes were constructed and analyzed to determine the superiority of a design. Once designed, the exact materials were ordered and recorded to produce a financial analysis. The financial analysis shows the efficacy of the proposed business as well as the proposed price and production numbers.

The manufacturing process was the next big step and was designed around the production numbers that needed to be met, as well as the costs that ensued. The manufacturing process was iterative and required simulations, fixtures, and constant removal of wasted resources. This project illustrated processes and frameworks that could be applied to real scenarios.

Recommended Citation

Eatherly, Wilson R.; Smith, Sophie C.; and Nkanor, Joyce W., "CENTER FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE CAPSTONE PROJECT: CRITTER CATCHERS" (2026). Honors Theses. 3410.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3410

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.