Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It is a decision making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering principles are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective. Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing and evaluation.
The engineering design component of a curriculum must include most of the following features: development of student creativity, use of open ended problems, development and use of modern design theory and methodology, formulation of design problem statements and specifications, consideration of alternative solutions, feasibility considerations, production processes, design verification, and detailed system descriptions. Further, it is essential to include a variety of realistic constrains such as economic factors, safety, reliability, aesthetics, ethics, and social impact.
What is Senior Design?
The Senior Design Sequence is the most important
challenge of the Senior Year. The Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Mechanics requires, as part of its curriculum, all seniors to participate in a
capstone design course. As the capstone design course, it provides a foundation
and breadth of the mechanical engineering profession by reinforcing design
principles, strong communication skills, and integrating Co-Op experience into
the course content.
Senior Design Project spans three sequences in the Senior Year: Fall, Winter and Spring. During the Fall,
students form teams, select an area of interest, define senior design project
topic, and create and present design proposals to the faculty advisors and MEM
senior design panels. Winter and Spring terms are for
the teams to work on solutions to their design problems, with a final formal
project oral presentation and written report at the end of Spring.
The final project oral presentation in the end of Spring
benefits students in two ways: it provides a forum for them to communicate
their results to the community, and it gives students an opportunity to
demonstrate in an integrated fashion the skills and knowledge they have
acquired during their undergraduate education through Senior Design Project.
The Senior Design Sequence is a three-term sequence which culminates in project competitions in the spring. In the Fall term, there will be weekly meetings at which attendance is required. These meetings will be, in part, organizational meetings and, in part, seminars on topics such as:
· Overview of the Senior Design Project
· Aspects of Design Process & Engineering Case Studies
· What makes a good proposal
· The Engineer as a Manager
· Engineering Economics
· Marketing your Ideas
· Engineering Ethics and Professionalism
· Patents and Copyrights
· Professional and Engineering License
·
· Presentation Skills
In the Fall term, students will be required to form a team, and select a project, select an advisor, and submit a pre-proposal. The pre-proposal must be approved by the team's advisor(s). All MEM students, regardless of the home department of their project advisor, must submit a pre-proposal to the MEM Senior Design Coordinator (SDC). The SDC will review every submission, make suggestions and give the approval for your participation in the project. Please note that the approval of the SDC is required for participation in a senior design project.
The teams will begin research into their projects during the Fall term and, at the end of the term, make a 15-20 minute presentation on their topic to their advisor and representatives from the Senior Design Committee. Written proposals are required to submit to the team advisor, the SDC, and the MEM Senior Design Committee before the presentation.
In the Winter term, students will continue project development. At the end of the term, teams will make a 15-20 minute presentation on their progress to their advisor. Written project progress reports are required to submit to the team advisor, the SDC, and the MEM Senior Design Committee before the presentation.
In the Spring
term, teams will complete their projects. The term will culminate in a 20-25
minute oral presentation of the project to the advisor and the MEM senior
design panels. Written final project report are required
to submit to the team advisor, the SDC, and the MEM Senior Design Committee before
the final presentation. Selected teams will then proceed to the
·
· Form a team of 5 - 6 students, not necessarily from the same discipline.
· Search for several realistic problems; use you team members' experiences and contacts, e.g. from co-op or other employment, friends, faculty. Check the various senior design homepages and bulletin boards around campus, etc.
· Brainstorm as a team in order to determine which of those problems seem most interesting to the team, and which ones seem most amenable to solution within the time constraints of the design course.
· Do some research to narrow the problem choices to one or two good problems.
· Find a Faculty Advisor who would be willing to act as your team's "consultant" for the chosen problem areas; work with the Faculty Advisor to identify the single best problem for the team to address.
· Submit a pro-proposal for approval.
· Do more focused research to establish the real problem to be tackled, what the constraints on its solution might be, what tasks are required to be completed in order to solve that problem, etc.
·
Write the proposal and present it orally and in
written formats.