Brigham Young UniversityCapstone Program

College of Engineering

& Technology

Capstone Overview

Design Capabilities

Examples of Past

Capstone Projects

Becoming a Capstone

Project Sponsor

Outline

Where is Brigham Young University?

Brigham Young University Overview• Established in 1875• One of the largest private universities in the USA• 33,000 students

• From 120 Nations & all 50 U.S. States • Over 75% of students speak a foreign language• 80 different languages taught

• 3,500 engineering students

Fulton College of Engineering & Technology• Chemical Engineering• Civil Engineering• Electrical & Computer Eng.• Mechanical Engineering

School of Technology• Construction Management• Facilities & Property

Management• Industrial Design• Information Technology• Manufacturing Engineering

Technology• Technology & Engineering

Education

What is Capstone?• Two-semester (8 month) design course• Projects provided by industrial sponsors• Projects include both design and build elements• Senior engineering & technology students• Multidisciplinary teams

• ME, MET, EE, ChemE, and others• Teams learn to use a structured design approach

BYU Capstone Organization• Students allocate 8-10 a.m. each day (M-F)• Typical team size: 5-6 students• Each team has a faculty coach• 2 Instructors• 1 External Relations Manager• 1 Administrative assistant• 2 TA’s & secretaries

BYU Capstone History• Capstone began at BYU in 1990• 673 sponsored projects to date

• 32 sponsored projects every year• Over 225 different companies/organizations• 14 countries• 27 different states (USA)

• Provided design education & experience to more than 3,500 students

BYU Capstone Project Locations

BYU Capstone Sponsors

Capstone Program Objectives• Desire to learn• Understanding of

manufacturing processes

• Ability to develop appropriate solutions

• Creative and consistent design capability

• Willingness to consider alternatives

• Able to understand the relationship of design and analysis (modeling)

• Understand the quality process

• Broad view of engineering disciplines

• Good understanding of the engineering process

• Grasp the value of working with hardware

• Appreciate the value and complexities of the manufacturing enterprise

• Excellent communication skills

• Skilled and effective in team settings

Emphasis in Capstone• Students work in teams & performance evaluated in teams• Students create project schedule and track progress• Students hold weekly team meetings• Students communicate regularly with sponsor

• Provide weekly progress reports• Weekly teleconferences

• Student teams learn to work with others to get job done• Industrial sponsors, vendors, university staff, etc.

• Regular design reviews & presentations• Teach students to present their work both formally and

informally

Capstone Learning Environment• Team interaction• Class is not “business as usual”• Nearly all class assignments relate directly to projects and

their “Deliverables” or reports• Student project teams work with “Liaison Engineer” from

sponsoring company

Capstone Resources• Structured design methodology with 25 years experience• Intellectual property granted to sponsor• Student project teams have access to:

• Engineering analysis• NASTRAN, ANSYS, FLUENT, ADINA, Pro/MECHANICA,

MATLAB, OptdesX, ProModel• Engineering fabrication

• Machining, CNC, rapid prototyping, EDM, plastics, composites, metal forming, casting, welding, water jet & laser cutting

• Engineering laboratories• MEMS, combustion, experimental and computational

fluid dynamics, wind tunnels, automation, microscopy, and material testing

• Super computer

Project Outcomes - Examples• Medical Device Manufacturer

• 4 hour process reduced to less than 3 minutes• Large Transportation Company

• Aerodynamic design with potential fuel savings of millions of dollars per year

• Large Electronics Company• Designed & developed new ergonomic keyboard• Patent issued• Current monthly production = 50,000 units

Capstone Benefits• Real-world work experience for students• Progress made on mid to back burner projects• Sponsors benefit from real work on real projects from

student teams• Industry sponsors retain all intellectual property• Sponsors evaluate students and students evaluate sponsors

for potential employment

The Best Type of Capstone Projects• Design and build• Mid-to-back-burner• 600-800 project

engineering hours

•Project types:• New or improved product

prototypes• Process machines• Tooling and gauging• Test machines• Semi-automation• Process optimization

Becoming a Capstone Sponsor1. Generate possible projects ideas2. Submit project ideas (Deadline: Friday June 27th)

capstone.byu.edu BYU will work with you to find a good project match

3. Sign and return Capstone Sponsor Agreement4. Make arrangements to pay educational grant of US$20K5. A Capstone Team and Faculty Coach will be assigned to

your project

Questions?

capstone.byu.edu