Introducing Systems Engineering Concepts in a Senior Capstone Design Course

Michael W. Prairie; Ronald Lessard

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Conference: 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: June 10, 2012
Start Date: June 10, 2012
End Date: June 13, 2012
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Capstone Design Projects and Courses
Tagged Divisions: Engineering Management, Systems Engineering, and Industrial Engineering
Page Count: 14
Page Numbers: 25.848.1 - 25.848.14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--21605
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/21605
Download Count: 501

Paper Authors

biography

Michael W. Prairie Norwich University

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Michael Prairie is an Electrical Engineer who spent 15 years in the U.S. Air Force, managing R&D programs and developing various optical sensor technologies, and then ten years in industry developing infrared system concepts for DoD clients. In 2008, he returned to Norwich University, his alma mater, to teach electrical and computer engineering. His current interests include integrating sensors into embedded systems for controlling processes in various applications that support the courses he teaches.

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Ronald Lessard Norwich University

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Abstract

Introducing Systems Engineering Concepts in a Senior Capstone Design CourseSenior capstone design projects can often expand in complexity to include systems of systems,particularly in projects involving embedded systems to control a larger system. Principles ofSystems Engineering (SE) can be integrated into the capstone course to help students—who maynot have been exposed previously—manage this increased complexity. At the same time,students will be exposed to the language of SE so that they will be able to recognize its processeswhen encountered after graduation.This paper presents a case study of a mechatronic system (a robotic tin whistle player) for whichthe development follows and highlights many of the fundamental elements of SE, including thetop-level processes of Requirements Analysis, Functional Analysis and Allocation, Design orSynthesis, and Analysis & Control. The case study was used in a two-semester Electrical andComputer Engineering capstone design course in which the students had no prior exposure toformal SE processes. The students still had to design, build and test their projects’ systems, so abalance had to be struck between teaching basic SE principles with its various reportingopportunities, and leaving enough time to do the hands-on engineering required to produce aprototype at the end of the year.This is the second year of implementing SE fundamentals in the course, and the scope of the SEcomponent continues to be distilled so that the essential elements remain. This paper willpresent successes as well as pitfalls encountered in the implementation process, and will outlinethe current framework of SE fundamentals used in the course. Implementing the disciplinedapproach that comes with SE principles has enabled the students at the authors’ institution tobetter manage complex projects, and the authors hope that the lessons learned will benefit otherengineering programs that leverage SE principles as they seek an appropriate level of SEeducation in their disciplines.Selected References:Systems Engineering Fundamentals, Defense Acquisition University Press, Fort Belvoir, VA,2001.Systems Engineering Handbook, NASA/SP-2007-6105 Rev1, NASA, Washington, DC.December 2007.

Citation
Format

Prairie, M. W., & Lessard, R. (2012, June), Introducing Systems Engineering Concepts in a Senior Capstone Design Course Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21605

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -         Introducing Systems Engineering Concepts in a Senior Capstone                               Design CourseSenior capstone design projects can often expand in complexity to include systems of systems,particularly in projects involving embedded systems to control a larger system. Principles ofSystems Engineering (SE) can be integrated into the capstone course to help students—who maynot have been exposed previously—manage this increased complexity. At the same time,students will be exposed to the language of SE so that they will be able to recognize its processeswhen encountered after graduation.This paper presents a case study of a mechatronic system (a robotic tin whistle player) for whichthe development follows and highlights many of the fundamental elements of SE, including thetop-level processes of Requirements Analysis, Functional Analysis and Allocation, Design orSynthesis, and Analysis &amp; Control. The case study was used in a two-semester Electrical andComputer Engineering capstone design course in which the students had no prior exposure toformal SE processes. The students still had to design, build and test their projects’ systems, so abalance had to be struck between teaching basic SE principles with its various reportingopportunities, and leaving enough time to do the hands-on engineering required to produce aprototype at the end of the year.This is the second year of implementing SE fundamentals in the course, and the scope of the SEcomponent continues to be distilled so that the essential elements remain. This paper willpresent successes as well as pitfalls encountered in the implementation process, and will outlinethe current framework of SE fundamentals used in the course. Implementing the disciplinedapproach that comes with SE principles has enabled the students at the authors’ institution tobetter manage complex projects, and the authors hope that the lessons learned will benefit otherengineering programs that leverage SE principles as they seek an appropriate level of SEeducation in their disciplines.Selected References:Systems Engineering Fundamentals, Defense Acquisition University Press, Fort Belvoir, VA,2001.Systems Engineering Handbook, NASA/SP-2007-6105 Rev1, NASA, Washington, DC.December 2007.
AU  - Michael W. Prairie
AU  - Ronald Lessard
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Introducing Systems Engineering Concepts in a Senior Capstone Design Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/21605
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--21605
ER  -