The senior design activity in Mechanical Engineering at Syracuse University is an intense engineering exercise that spans the fall and spring semesters of each mechanical engineering student’s senior year. During this course sequence student teams are required to provide an engineering solution to a client’s need. The solution should include some component of design and require a commitment of approximately 300 hours per student (10 hours per week per student). The progress of each project is continuously monitored using a gated review process that provides regular feedback to the students from the client, the faculty, student peers, and a review panel.
Capstone projects are designed to encourage students to think critically, solve challenging problems, and develop skills such as oral communication, public speaking, research skills, media literacy, teamwork, planning, self-sufficiency, or goal setting—i.e., skills that will help prepare them for college, modern careers, and adult life. This student activity is intended to simulate the environment an engineer would experience in an industry setting. The traditional product development process as shown below will be followed.