Project Timeline

During the first week of the semester, students form groups of three and choose from among the potential projects submitted by sponsors. The following week, each team makes a plant trip to its sponsor's facility. Information gleaned from that visit is combined with the results of independent research to produce a Project Statement (a description of the project which demonstrates the team's understanding of the problem). During this stage, each team selects an advisor (a faculty member who will provide guidance and technical counsel).

Less than a month into the semester, each team sends its sponsor a Project Proposal, a document which serves to define the problem, outline specifications (including costs), list special results required, delineate the methodology to be employed, and present the projected schedule (in the form of a Gantt chart. If necessary, the proposal may be reworked to meet the needs of the sponsor and/or the educational requirements of the program.

As the students formulate alternative design solutions, they use the Project Notebook to record ideas developed, information obtained, references consulted, and decision processes employed.

The mid-semester Design Review gauges the status of each project based on a written report and a peer-critiqued oral presentation.

Each Team's Written Final Report is due approximately two weeks before the end of the course. This report (along with any developed prototypes) represents the primary product received by the sponsor. It summarizes the project background, discusses the alternate solutions considered, presents the embodiment of the chosen design solution, and offers recommendations for future work. In the final week, each team delivers a one-hour Oral Presentation of the completed work to its sponsor and the teaching staff.