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Improving Municipal Infrastructure in Capstone Through a Consulting Firm Model

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Conference

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Atlanta, Georgia

Publication Date

June 23, 2013

Start Date

June 23, 2013

End Date

June 26, 2013

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Trends and Applications in Curricula and the Capstone Experience

Tagged Division

Civil Engineering

Page Count

11

Page Numbers

23.717.1 - 23.717.11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--19731

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/19731

Download Count

333

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Paper Authors

biography

Daniel M. Dulaski PE Northeastern University

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Dr. Daniel M. Dulaski, PE, joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Northeastern University in 2009. His research is primarily in transportation engineering which includes safety, roadway design, human factors, and sustainable transportation systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and is a registered professional engineer in Massachusetts. He is the academic advisor for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) student chapter.

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Abstract

Emulating a Consulting Firm in a Classroom Setting for CapstoneCapstone experiences in engineering disciplines vary by school, major, and sub-discipline. Requirements formechanical engineers may include designing and building a prototype, electrical engineers may have to design andbuild a sensor, while computer engineers may have to write an advanced algorithm that monitors changes intemperature. For civil engineers, where the world is their laboratory, it is challenging to find a project that resultsin a real world design at the end of a typical 14 week semester. Moreover, although prototypes can be developed,analyzed, and tested over the course of a semester, civil engineering projects take months if not years to design,vet, and construct. As a result, finding projects that are manageable in one semester is a challenge for civilengineering instructors. Ensuring that the students’ experience is true-to-life, and emulates consulting firms, thetransportation capstone program at Northeastern University (NU) has created a program that benefits thestudents and the surrounding communities. This paper explores the experience of students taking thetransportation capstone at Northeastern University.

Dulaski, D. M. (2013, June), Improving Municipal Infrastructure in Capstone Through a Consulting Firm Model Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19731

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