Senior Design Projects
Senior design projects (also known as "capstone" projects) are the centerpiece of the ME curriculum's professional component, allowing students to be involved in interesting, real-world activities. Each senior is required to complete this course. Without exception, all ME 495 projects must be team efforts. Teams must consist of between three and five students, at least three of whom must be simultaneously enrolled in ME 495. Capstone projects are each advised by a full-time tenured or tenure track faculty member who works with the teams.
Students can pursue their varied technical and professional interests through a selection of projects that include:
- Competition-based projects (human-powered submarine, SAE formula race car)
- Topically specialized projects (mechatronics, fuel cell)
- Industry-inspired/sponsored projects (MEDRIX UV water treatment system)
Capstone design projects allow students to experience the rigor and structure of a full-cycle design, including: problem definition, benchmark studies, concept generation and feasibility study, engineering design analyses, and in most cases, prototype fabrication and testing.
Through the capstone courses, students learn to fully define a design problem. This includes not only a statement of the project deliverables and objectives in the layman's/client's terms, but also a full definition of the agreed upon functional requirements and constraints (quantified). In the case of the competition-based projects, the problem definition is based on the detailed rules and guidelines of the competition.
All of the capstone projects draw upon at least several fundamental engineering science areas and involve significant quantitative analysis often in the form of numerical simulation, typically preceded by approximate analytical solutions. Industry-inspired projects are carefully selected on the basis of the required fundamental engineering science areas and also to align with the core expertise of the faculty advisor.
Capstone Design Awards
In 2012, the College of Engineering awarded funds to 15 student project teams — five of them ME teams — to move
their capstone projects from design to reality.
Undergrad engineering students can apply for up to $3,000 for materials, equipment and travel relevant to their capstone projects. Applications are due in March. Awards are announced in April. For information about the Capstone Design Awards program, contact Pat Johnson.
| 2012 Student Design Team | Student lead | Adviser |
|---|---|---|
| Eco Car | Trevor Fayer | Brian Fabien |
| Helical Turbine-Tidal Micropower Generation System | Ryan Knott | Brian Polagye |
| UW Formula SAE | Cheak-Hung Ng | Ashley Emery |
| Microgravity Team | Cameron Turner | James Riley |
| Non-invasive Urinary Removal Device Project | Tyler Wickstrom | Randall Ching |
Sample Senior Design Projects
Capstone Project Highlights
EcoCAR Challenge - A 3-year engineering competition that challenges teams from 15 universities to reduce the environmental impact of a
Chevy Malibu without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability. Read more:
UW EcoCar team |
Seattle Times article
Human Powered Submarine - Each year the team designs and manufactures a submarine to compete at the International Submarine Races
Read more:
UW HPS team |
Competition website
SAE Formula Car - Each year the team designs, builds, tests and races a small formula style race car. Students do the engineering,
machining, find sponsorship, manage resources and handle PR.
Read more:
UW SAE Car team