Call for Industry Sponsored Design Project Topics

Introduction: Senior Student Design Capstone Classes (EE4910/EE4920) are offered twice a year, Fall/Spring Semesters (from Sep. to April.) and Spring/Fall Semesters (from Jan. to Dec. not including summer term) by the Department of Electrical Engineering at Wright State University. The classes are taken by graduating senior students who have completed at least one out of five electrical engineering tracks: 1) Wireless Communication/Digital Signal Processing; 2) Microwave Engineering/Antenna; 3) VLSI/Computer Engineering; 4) Electronics; 5) Control/Autonomous Systems. The classes are running in a project oriented fashion with only a few lectures/presentations. Students work as a group with their faculty advisor. Each group, in general, consists of three students and one faculty advisor. If the project is sponsored by an industry partner, it usually involves an engineering mentor from the company sponsoring the project. The group of three students should spend at least 20 to 40 man/hours per week on the project. At the end, each group should achieve a demonstrable engineering design and implementation result from the project.

What will an industry sponsor do and provide?

1. The industry sponsor will serve as a customer/client/buyer to define the problems that need to be solved. It will also interact with the group of students working out detailed specifications. The problem should be tailored to fit a 30-week period.
2. The industry sponsor will have an engineering liaison who will serve as an engineering mentor to the student group to offer advices and answer questions that the students might have during the project design and development.
3. The industry sponsor may also provide components, special tools/equipments, and manufacturing capabilities needed for the project. (The industry sponsor will retain the project deliverable, if all the components are paid by the sponsor.)

What will industry sponsors gain from the project?

1. Help us to train engineering students to solve real world engineering problems using professional tools such that they can provide quality services to your industry after they graduate.
2. The industrial sponsors can spot promising students for future hiring. The students to be hired are already familiar with your technical problems and professional tools. In addition, he or she has already worked with your senior engineers, their future mentors.
3. The industry sponsors can test some potential product/product improvement ideas with very little cost. The sponsors may also obtain some fresh ideas and engineering solutions from the students and faculty advisor working on your project.

What will the students gain from the industry sponsored project?

1. They will get a taste of real world engineering experiences and learn how to solve a real engineering problem in an industrial setting. It will help prepare them for their employment.
2. The students will get to learn the specific industry and gain professional connections with the engineers and managers of the company.
3. In some project, the students may get to use some of the professional tools and gain valuable working experiences which can give them an edge in the competitive job market.

I think this is a win-win situation for everyone involved. I hope I can get your support in this matter.

Kefu Xue, Ph.D., (937) 775-5037 Course coordinator for the Senior Design classes

Department of Electrical Engineering EE4910 (2.0 hours) and EE4920 (3.0 hours)

Wright State University kefu.xue@wright.edu