The next generation of engineers needs more than just education in a classroom; they need opportunities to see how engineering works in the real world. Through a partnership with the University of Rhode Island’s ELECOMP Capstone Program, Taco is helping provide that experience.
Since 2018, Taco has hosted senior engineering students as part of a year-long journey that gives them the ability to connect with industry professionals, further sharpen their skills in a practical setting, and contribute to an actual product development pathway. This year’s project allowed three seniors to support the work surrounding a recently filed provisional patent, including designing, testing, and prototyping a real potential commercial product for Taco.
The project focused on developing a working prototype of a Domestic Hot Water (DHW) recirculation hybrid cross-over valve, based on a recently filed provisional patent. The goal was to create a smart system that maintains hot water availability at plumbing fixtures while minimizing water and energy waste. The students’ portion of the project gave them exposure to engineering work connected to potential intellectual property and commercialization.
The team developed a theoretical simulation of the charging circuitry to determine how much power they could gather and store for functioning the product. They then put their calculations to the test after ordering the components and assembling the prototype. This allowed them to see firsthand if their calculations were correct. While they were initially skeptical of the potential outcome of this challenging experiment, the experience reinforced the importance of testing assumptions rather than dismissing a solution before exploring it.
This year’s program was overseen by three Taco engineers: Aaron Hertzer, Mechanical Engineer, Nicholas Costello, Software Engineer, and Adam Bouchard, Electrical Engineer and former ELECOMP participant. These mentors helped the seniors develop a project plan, identify challenges, evaluate design decisions, determine next steps, and understand how individual components impact an entire system.
“One of the biggest challenges is knowing you have a finite timeline and no opportunity to pad it. In the professional world, delays mean making concessions to meet deadlines,” Adam noted. “It’s an interesting challenge to change the scope of the project over time and condense what we want to accomplish into an attainable timeline.”
Nicholas, a former Taco intern, found the program to be rewarding on the supervisory end as well. Over the past five years working with ELECOMP students, he has observed how every year is a little different, but the results are consistent. “For the most part, they all seemed to get a lot out of seeing the office environment and found it exciting to work on a project that will eventually become a commercialized product,” he shares. “I enjoy the ability to pass on the knowledge and learn how to mentor others about industry standards and things they don’t necessarily teach you in college.”
The University of Rhode Island educates its engineering students on the principles and technical knowledge of the field, but applying those principles and utilizing the technical skills to work on a real product presents its own challenges. This program allows students to go beyond learning theory in a classroom; it gives them the potential to collaborate, develop, build, program, and test solutions to real-world challenges as they work toward completing their project. With a new class entering for the 2026-2027 academic year, Taco will continue investing in the engineers who will shape the future of the electronics for the HVAC/hydronics industry.
