Capstone Design: Sculpture And Structure

Obtaining funding for senior design projects can be a challenge. This paper presents an example of a community and university project for which the funding was obtained from a charitable foundation. The project was successfully completed as one of the projects in the interdisciplinary capstone design course at Binghamton University (SUNY). The Discovery Center, which is a hands-on children’s museum in Binghamton, NY, commissioned an outdoor sculpture from a local sculptor, Yvonne Hobbs. In conjunction with the Mechanical Engineering Department at Binghamton University, funding was received through a grant from the Marilyn Gaddis Rose and Stephen David Ross University and Community Projects Fund. Mechanical engineering students performed the work as part of their engineering design course, as well as assisted students from the Art Department of Binghamton University with the fabrication. The mechanical engineering students were selected for the project because they were familiar with the computer-aided engineering tools Pro/Engineer TM and Pro/Mechanica TM . These software tools were used to perform the design of the framework for the sculpture. The engineering students were required to ascertain the sculptor’s desires and create a Pro/Engineer TM solid model of the sculpture from the artist’s scale model. They then designed and analyzed the frame and foundation and selected materials for both the frame and surfaces. Significant testing of various material combinations was performed. The sculpture was completed in September 2004. President DeFleur of Binghamton University dedicated it on 1 October 2004. The incorporation of a senior capstone design course into the proposal to obtain funding for a community project is one of the unique features of this project. Also interesting is the inclusion of students from both the School of Engineering and the Liberal Arts and Sciences College.