Senior Design Trade Fair

Engineering Students Put Their Best Foot Forward at the Senior Design Trade Fair

In a formidable display of teamwork, innovative problem-solving, and engineering prowess, 139 Colorado School of Mines seniors presented their solutions to 33 real-world engineering problems at the semiannual Senior Design Trade Fair on April 13, 2001.

Among the products displayed were a flashlight powered by renewable energy, an unmanned vehicle for exploring hazardous mines, an easily maneuverable canoe made out of concrete, a "third arm" device for turning music book pages, a human-powered lawnmower, an ultraviolet toothbrush sanitizer, and other similarly innovative and practical products.

Senior Design is a two-semester course that is required of all CSM general engineering undergraduates. Led by associate professors
Cathy Skokan and David Muñoz in CSM’s Division of Engineering, the program teaches students the value and integrity of cooperative design efforts across traditional engineering disciplines.

The multidisciplinary 2001 Senior Design projects involved civil, electrical, mechanical, and environmental engineering components with subspecialties in robotics, motors, energy, acoustics, and communications.

The design program develops students’ problem solving skills using open-ended projects submitted by actual clients from industry, business, government, and academia. The course framework incorporates oral presentations and written reports for audiences of all expertise levels to improve students’ communication skills. By working on interdisciplinary teams and interfacing with clients in the "real world," the students ultimately develop a professional work ethic that is unique to Mines students upon graduation.

"Mines’ focus on applied learning gives us our unique advantage over all other competing schools and programs," said Skokan. "By beginning that process as soon as they enter the School, we thoroughly prepare all of our students for successful professional careers. That way, all students who graduate from Mines are highly recruited by employers because they can immediately make a positive impact in the workforce."

In addition to designing solutions to the submitted projects, students must also construct, test, and evaluate their products or systems. They prepare proposals and design reports that include complete descriptions of the project construction and test plans with estimated costs, assembly and component drawings, safety calculations, and a schedule indicating the division of labor among the project team members.

In 1997, Don Thorson Geop E 55 established a $200,000 endowment to support Senior Design in honor of his 45th reunion. Funds generated from the J. Don Thorson Endowment for Engineering Senior Design Fund support materials and research. "We absolutely couldn’t have done this much with the program if not for Mr. Thorson’s generosity," Skokan said. "The program depends heavily on our friends, alumni, and partners who recognize how important it is to teach by practical experience."

The Senior Design program in 2001 was also supported by the Slater Family Research Endowment. In 1988, Willard R. Slater G E 40 and his wife Emma donated more than $250,000 to establish the fund, which currently totals just over $1,000,000. Slater, who passed away in March 2001, always considered himself a tinkerer; he enjoyed trying to replicate the work of great historical scientists. For much of his life Slater managed water resource issues as a state and local government employee, and he referred to his office as a laboratory. Reflecting his curious nature, the Slater Family Research Endowment Fund supports the design and ultimately production of selected research projects in CSM’s Division of Engineering.

Three Senior Design projects received funds from the Slater Endowment in 2001: the baseball catching device, the scuba tank lifter, and the third hand music page turner. "We really appreciate the Slaters’ contribution. Getting support from people who’ve been here themselves really shows how important this program is," music page turner team member Gina Gassman said. "Senior Design is a long and difficult program, so it keeps you going to know that it’s not just the people who directly benefit from our work who appreciate it, but so does the rest of the community."

The Trade Fair retained 47 expert and layperson judges, including clients, faculty, and donors, 25 of whom are CSM alumni. Projects were judged on a five-point scale ("five" indicated outstanding; "one" indicated poor) that assessed students’ abilities to communicate, solve interdisciplinary problems, employ manufacturer specifications, design systems, apply modern tools, perform on a team, be creative, demonstrate ethics, and understand the global context of their work.

Because the projects are open-ended, the evaluations constitute a holistic grading method more than a letter grade system. However, after tallying all the judges’ assessments, the top performing project to win the "best in show" honor was the Clean Snowmobile Challenge. In addition, more than half the class received a blue ribbon for scoring 90 percent or higher or a red ribbon for scoring between 80 and 89 percent.

"We’re already looking forward to next year," said Muñoz. "With such strong support for such a successful program, it’s hard not to get excited about it, and to transfer that excitement to the students. After all, energy transfer’s a great design project!"

June 2001

By Jodi F. Kolber