Capstone senior design at the University of Alabama

The mechanical engineering program at the University of Alabama has had a two-course capstone design sequence (the Design Clinic) since the late 1970´s. Although several changes have been incorporated over the years, the use of external industry-sponsored projects has remained a constant. Students participate in a common, competitive design project during the first two-thirds of the first course (ME 489). During the last third of the first course and the entire second course (ME 490), each team of three or four students works on a single, extended external project. We focus on the extended design activity. The overall organization of the course sequence and projects, including faculty support options and the process used to select student project teams, is outlined. We describe our various sources of projects, along with some of the possible advantages and disadvantages of each. Financial considerations for the course sequence and the impact of finances on project selection are also covered. Finally, brief descriptions of several recent projects are given. Interested faculty members should be able to use these suggestions in the development of their own senior design courses