IE Highlights Capstone Design Project: Providing real-world experiences from the com<strong>for</strong>t of University Park 2
IE Highlights The objective of the capstone design course is to provide students with real engineering problems <strong>and</strong> challenges, much like they will face in the work<strong>for</strong>ce. By: Am<strong>and</strong>a Bucher At Penn State there are numerous opportunities <strong>for</strong> students to gain real-world experience while enrolled at the University. Many industrial engineering students take advantage of co-op <strong>and</strong> internship opportunities, <strong>and</strong> roughly 67 percent of all graduating IE students participated in an out-of-classroom learning experience last academic year. However, Penn State students are not limited to co-ops <strong>and</strong> internships in order to acquire short term work experience. The capstone design project, required of all engineering undergrads, exposes students to the technical dem<strong>and</strong>s, potential problems <strong>and</strong> professional expectations of a practicing engineer—successfully building a bridge between what the students learn in the classroom, <strong>and</strong> what will be expected of them in their future careers. Student presenters fill the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center during the College of Engineering’s spring Design Showcase. Photo credit: Penn State Department of Public In<strong>for</strong>mation Timothy Simpson, director of the Learning Factory <strong>and</strong> professor of industrial <strong>and</strong> manufacturing engineering, believes the capstone design project is an excellent way to supplement the internship or co-op experience. “The project is kind of like a reverse co-op,” said Simpson. “Our students still face all the challenges they would in an internship; they are h<strong>and</strong>ed a real-world problem <strong>and</strong> they must figure out a solution, but they have the added benefit of having access to all the resources Penn State has to offer.” The objective of the capstone design course is to provide students with real engineering problems <strong>and</strong> challenges, much like they will face in the work<strong>for</strong>ce. It teaches students to work effectively in teams, develop their ability to communicate with their peers <strong>and</strong> supervisors, develop project planning <strong>and</strong> management skills <strong>and</strong> solve a real problem of importance to the industry sponsors. Once student teams are presented with the problem they are tasked with preparing a proposal that identifies <strong>and</strong> defines the problem, provides background on the company, proposes a methodology <strong>for</strong> addressing the problem (including appropriate measures <strong>and</strong> metrics), allocates project management responsibilities <strong>and</strong> defines anticipated results <strong>and</strong> deliverables. Students are also responsible <strong>for</strong> weekly progress memos to their corporate sponsor, interim progress report due to their faculty adviser <strong>and</strong> a final report <strong>and</strong> poster presented during the College of Engineering’s Design Showcase. The work is evaluated not only by the faculty advisers, but also through peer evaluation <strong>and</strong> evaluation by the corporate sponsor. The capstone design project provides an opportunity <strong>for</strong> students to collaborate with peers outside of their discipline <strong>and</strong> away from University Park. According to Dr. Simpson, 70 percent of all capstone design projects managed by the Learning Factory involve two or more disciplines, <strong>and</strong> of those, ten percent span multiple academic colleges. Students have partnered with individuals from the Colleges of Business, Health <strong>and</strong> Human Development, Communications, Earth <strong>and</strong> Mineral Sciences, In<strong>for</strong>mation Sciences <strong>and</strong> Technology, <strong>and</strong> Arts <strong>and</strong> Architecture. In addition, several capstone design teams consist of students from Penn State <strong>and</strong> other universities. Utilizing videoconferencing technologies available in the department’s Global Learning Lab, ten project teams comprised of students from Penn State <strong>and</strong> students from China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University have collaborated this semester on global projects <strong>for</strong> companies such as Air Products <strong>and</strong> Chemicals, Dresser-R<strong>and</strong>, Home Depot, SpeeCo Inc., <strong>and</strong> Tyco Retail Solutions. One unexpected benefit to both industry sponsors <strong>and</strong> students is the potential <strong>for</strong> employment after the projects are completed. 3
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