Senior Design

The senior design classes, MEEN 401 and 402, are the capstone of the mechanical engineering curriculum. In these courses the students integrate the knowledge they have acquired in their engineering science courses to design a system or device to meet a customer need. They learn and apply an advanced design process based on a top down systems approach that encourages and enables innovation. These design courses also address a variety of issues that are critical in the corporate environment but cannot be covered in depth in the undergraduate curriculum; e.g., cost, manufacturing, teamwork, oral and written communication, ethics, environment, project management, etc.

Projects range from systems for drilling on Mars, to large tensioners for offshore drilling platforms, to tiny orthodontic appliances. Many of these challenging projects are provided by our industrial partners, who also provide support from engineering staff to define the project, answer questions during the design process, and critique the students at several design reviews. Sponsors benefit from a fresh perspective on the design because the students do not know what cannot be done. Confidentiality agreements can be executed and the sponsor owns any intellectual property developed. Past projects have led to new products and patentable concepts for the sponsoring companies. The sponsoring company managers and engineers also benefit by interacting with students during the design process and updating their design skills.

During the last 11 years 40 companies have sponsored 149 projects. For example, this year the students worked on projects sponsored by 3M, Boeing, Schlumberger, Lockhead Martin, Ingersoll-Rand, Sandia, Shell, Cameron, and the Formula SAE student design competition. Recently, the faculty have been seeking interdisciplinary projects involving students and faculty from other departments. The 3M project involved students from both mechanical and electrical engineering, and the Boeing project involved students from mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineering. Project attributes that enhance the educational value to the students and the technical value to the sponsor are: technically challenging, of current interest to the sponsor but not an active project (schedule not critical), project sponsor with decision authority, and company commitment.

For further information on the Department’s design program contact Dr. Make McDermott, (979) 845-4337, mmcdermott@tamu.edu.