Senior Design (ME4020) Program Overview
Senior design is the capstone course of the ME curriculum. Students work in teams of 4 to 6 to engineer practical solutions to open-ended problems. It integrates previous course material with team and communication skills in this project based learning context. The teams complete the entire design cycle (Plan, Design, Build, & Test).

Corporate Partnership
Companies who sponsor a Mechanical Engineering Design Internship provide a problem for students to solve and act as the customer for the project. Throughout the process, they are in contact with student teams for questions and advice, and provide parts & test facilities as needed. Sponsorships come in the form of financial support via an educational grant ($10,000 per project).

What Makes a Good ME4020 Problem?

• There is a clear problem to be solved. It is unique and has not been solved thoroughly before.
• The customer requirements are known.
• Many concepts are possible, and not just one natural solution to which the students will gravitate.
• The solutions require application of engineering principles learned in the ME curriculum and create appropriate analytical challenges.
• Solving the problem fulfills a practical need.
• The project is reasonable in scope and complexity.
• Faculty, facilities & resources are available to the students to fulfill the project requirements.

 Benefits of Partnerships

• Access to great engineering students

• Multiple innovative ‘outside-the-box’ solution proposals

• Name recognition and presence on campus

• Direct input to the educational process

• Visits to campus to build relationships with students and Department of Mechanical Engineering

Deliverables

• Oral and written reports (Interim Review, Final Design)
• Drawings and Bill of Materials
• Rights to use ideas generated
• Prototype (to be discussed)