University-industry technology interchange through a unique engineering projects course

A program for student design projects involving the University of Maine (UM) and the MITRE Corporation is presented. In this program, students are required to complete MITRE-originated design projects satisfactorily in order to graduate. Both electrical engineering faculty and MITRE personnel participate in the guidance of the students. Other features of the program include: student selection by MITRE based on interviews at UM and MITRE; MITRE support for students during the Christmas and spring breaks and during the summer; student project presentations at MITRE and UM; and support for items such as student travel and faculty time and travel. To date, all students have completed their design work, built working prototypes during the summer, and finished their presentations and written reports midway through their senior year