An Enhanced Educational Experience For Capstone Design Projects: Using Sae Student Groups In An Industry Sponsor Role

The Mechanical Engineering Department at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) is enhancing the educational experience of students by using Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) student groups in the role of industry sponsor for capstone design projects. In many engineering programs, industry sponsors are used as a resource for capstone design projects. This format involves many institutional and educational benefits and challenges. Industry sponsors provide capstone design students with a project that includes a problem definition, domain knowledge, possible funding, and possible facilities. Capstone students work in a team on the project, experiencing the technical, teamwork, leadership, political, and emotional aspects of the design process. The institution provides advanced technical and, sometimes, entrepreneurial outreach to the region. Using SAE student groups in an industry sponsor role enhances the education experience in many ways. The SAE student group gains the experience of managing an engineering project by providing the problem definition, prioritizing groups, choosing the projects to outsource, establishing budgets, setting deadlines, allocating resources, and supplying the domain knowledge. Capstone students involved in these projects experience all the hig hs and lows of these challenges. The SAE student group sees the benefits from a form of outreach. Using SAE student groups in the industry sponsor role exposes SVSU engineering students to a broader design process experience, thus enhancing their education.