Conference Session

Capstone Courses I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Leiffer, LeTourneau University; Roger Gonzalez, LeTourneau University; Thomas Hellmuth, LeTourneau University

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

with concentrations inElectrical, Mechanical, Computer, Biomedical, and Materials Joining, it is our goal to involve asmany students as possible in an interdisciplinary design experience involving two or moreconcentrations. As we offer projects each year, we define more clearly the purposes andguidelines for the senior design experience, important lessons in interdisciplinary design, and thefactors for project success.Student involvement in interdisciplinary teams is not only an expectation of industry but also hasbecome a required outcome of the ABET engineering criteria. EC2000 criteria now includeoutcome 3d which states that “engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduateshave…an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.”1

Conference Session

Capstone Courses II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bradley Rogers, Arizona State University; Dale Palmgren, Arizona State University; Albert McHenry, Arizona State University; Scott Danielson, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

effective security measures involves the methodical solution of a complexsystems engineering problem. The Sandia Methodology guides the effective design, analysis andimplementation of security systems, are very robust, and forms a foundation that can be appliedto the development of all security systems3. At ASU, this methodology formed the frameworkof the Master of Science degree in Security Engineering Technology.The Sandia methodology is the articulation of a general security systems engineering techniqueinvolving a thorough and rational set of procedures guiding the conception, design,implementation and analysis of security systems. The following chart summarizes the Sandiaapproach. Figure 1 – The Sandia Methodology for Security

Conference Session

Capstone Courses I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Sanders, Kettering University; Mark Thompson, Kettering University; Mohamed El-Sayed, Kettering University; Lucy King, Kettering University; Michael Lindquist, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

informed that the design of the mechanical mechanisms and the manufacturingprocesses for the robot play a critical role. Design is subject to realistic, competitive constraintssuch as a limited development budget and short development time.Functional SpecificationsStudents were presented with expected functional specifications and were asked to realize themduring the design process. Students were also notified that these specifications may be modifiedover the course of the term as the project evolves. These functional specifications aresummarized in Table 1.AssessmentAn important part of the integration project is the assessment. The effectiveness of the project ismeasured by students’ as well as professors’ and guests’ evaluations and comments

Conference Session

Capstone Courses II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Fernandez, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

(%) 100.0 85.2 68.2 32.3 Design reviews (%) 100.0 100.0 77.3 77.4 Code reviews (%) 95.8 74.1 81.8 71.0 Table 1. Projects (%) of Various Worldwide Companies Using Designated PracticesBy reviewing the data in Table 1, it seems reasonable to see why U.S. companies may feel comfortablewith outsourcing of software development to other countries. Outsourcing research appears to indicatethat computer science and information technology curricula lack sufficient experience and education inthe area of software design9. Programmers graduating from off shore universities which appear toemphasize this experience and education are an

Conference Session

Capstone Courses I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Smith, University of Kentucky-Lexington; Jamey Jacob, University of Kentucky; Suzanne Smith, University of Kentucky; James Lumpp, University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

-altitude experiment developed, designed, built, conducted and evaluatedprimarily by undergraduate students. BIG BLUE (Baseline Inflatable-wing Glider, Balloon-Launched Unmanned Experiment) was first proposed in 2002 to NASA’s WorkforceDevelopment program with the objective to involve talented engineering students in a state-of-the-art aerospace project, with opportunities to do complex multidisciplinary research anddevelopment and to interact as peers with researchers at NASA centers and in the aerospaceindustry. BIG BLUE was first conceived as a demonstration of unique inflatable-wingtechnologies with potential application for extraterrestrial exploration.1-3 Currently, technologiesare developed for BIG BLUE with additional consideration of other

Conference Session

Capstone Courses II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Donohue, University of Virginia; Garrick Louis, University of Virginia; William Scherer, University of Virginia; Michael C. Smith, University of Virginia; K. Preston White, Jr., Jr., University of Virginia; Peter Beling, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

information on individual projects. Articles whose main purpose is thediscussion of Capstone project administration and management are, for the greatest part, focusedon the administration and management of individual projects; see 1, 2, 3, 4 for example. Articlessuch as 5, 6 which address program-level administration of Capstone are scarce. To address thispaucity of information, we share details of the program-level administrative model used tomanage the undergraduate Capstone Program in the Department of Systems and InformationEngineering at University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), amodel that supports a vibrant program popular with students, faculty, and clients alike, in thispaper.We adopted our current program

Conference Session

Capstone Courses I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Grant Martin, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

, scienceor engineering major. Those cadets take a three-course engineering sequence in thedepartment, the goal of which is to “enhance[e] their quantitative problem-solving skillsand … provid[e] introductory engineering design experiences.”1 The sequenceculminates with a capstone course in which the cadets work with a real client to solve aproblem for him or her. That course is SE450, Project Management and System Design.This paper focuses strictly on that course, which has been successful in achieving bothdepartment and Academy goals by aligning the course assignments to a decision makingprocess and incorporating a real-world client into the course.This paper will begin by comparing the findings of some of the relevant literatureregarding capstone