The most successful projects involve design and fabrication of a technical solution to a real-world but non-critical problem:
- Real-world need. It is important that the students see this project as delivering a working solution for a real need, not just an academic exercise.
- Non-critical. This is a student-designed project with an academic calendar timeline, so it should not be critical to the Sponsor’s operations. Projects are typically wish-list items that may not deserve internal engineering resources, or proof-of-concept prototypes for projects being considered for future implementation.
- Significant complexity. The project should be challenging but realistic for a team of 3-4 senior mechanical engineering students over eight months. Note that even “simple” projects generally grow in complexity as students get into the details. Large or overly complex projects can be assigned to multiple teams.
- Includes fabrication. The students must fabricate a working prototype, scale model, proof of concept, etc.
- Sponsor involvement. To the extent the Sponsor can do so, involvement is encouraged and expected. This generally means a few meetings and calls each semester and attending a presentation twice a semester (in person or virtual). Student team visits to the Sponsor’s site are encouraged to thoroughly understand the design problem.
- Sponsor funded. The Sponsor reimburses the costs of materials to fabricate the device, plus a 20% fee for tooling or additional resource acquisition, equipment maintenance, professional development activities, and other overhead costs. The sponsor is not charged for engineering services or labor. Funding is commensurate with the desired scope and quality of the finished project, with recent costs ranging from $3,000 to $12,000.