Enhancing Capstone Design With An Industry Sponsored Project Center

Senior capstone design courses have become a critical component of undergraduate engineering education, as mandated by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Design at North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T) is a two-semester project course. The course allows students to take design projects from conceptual design to prototype fabrication, testing and evaluation. Projects are ranging from industry sponsored projects and design competitions sponsored by professional societies. The competitions include Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design Competition, Formula SAE, and Mini Baja, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Design Competition. Industry sponsored projects include those from Gillette, Boeing, Caterpillar, Kimberly Clark, Michelin, and others.