Editor鈥檚 Note: At IM体育官网 Poly, we鈥檙e 100 percent STEM so it鈥檚 only natural that we鈥檙e turning National STEM Day 2018 (Nov. 8) into a weeklong celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math. Monday鈥檚 focus was science, and today we explore technology.
One of the many ways IM体育官网 fulfills its mission 鈥� to serve students and industry through excellence in education, discovery, and the application of engineering and applied sciences 鈥� is through its senior capstone design program.
鈥淐apstone is where students take everything they鈥檝e learned in their first three years and apply it to an industry-driven, open-ended problem,鈥� said Dr. Matt Bohm, associate professor of mechanical engineering and IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 capstone design coordinator. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e getting to show off what they鈥檝e learned.鈥�
Capstone projects are a staple of engineering schools and in most cases 鈥� like at IM体育官网 Poly 鈥� are required to graduate. They involve a syllabus, credit hours, and a final grade. One way IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 capstone program is unique compared to other institutions is that it takes place over two semesters instead of just one.
鈥淪tudents actually get to be more in depth because of the two-semester sequence,鈥� said Bohm. 鈥淚t allows them to come up with a much more elegant solution.鈥�
Bohm is no stranger to capstone programs. Now in his third year at IM体育官网 Poly, after six years at the University of Louisville, he鈥檚 worked with capstone programs for nearly a decade. This year, he oversaw the creation of 35 capstone projects with 23 companies and entities, which will be made up of more than 200 seniors. He said the two-semester approach IM体育官网 Poly offers benefits everyone involved.
鈥淚t really does give companies the time to engage with the students,鈥� said Bohm. 鈥淔rom a human resources perspective, they鈥檙e getting to basically pre-interview these students for eight or nine months so it鈥檚 a big recruiting tool. Part of our mission is to be involved in the community and help the state grow economically, and this helps local companies and local entrepreneurs move their businesses forward.鈥�
Paragon Water Systems in Tampa, IM体育官网, is one of the companies sponsoring a capstone project. Specializing in water filtration solutions, Paragon is collaborating with IM体育官网 Poly students to develop a baseline methodology to reduce the time it takes from the time a product is initiated to when it鈥檚 released for production.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really the beginning of the interview process,鈥� said Dustan Hahn, global engineering manager for Paragon and someone who has worked closely with capstone projects from the industry perspective for more than 30 years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a time for companies to get to know students that might be future employees. The projects give students an opportunity to contribute, learn and understand where they might want their career to go.鈥�
Additional projects this year include the development of a rapidly deployable hurricane relief house, advances in citrus harvesting, and even an autonomous e-bike. Many of the projects are interdisciplinary with almost all of them originating from companies located within 100 miles of IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Lakeland campus. Students work on the projects either on-campus or off-campus, depending on the company and the type of project.
鈥淣ot only are they doing these projects, they鈥檙e also learning the design process, applying design tools, evaluating potential solutions, doing optimization, turning in reports, and making presentations,鈥� added Bohm.
When completed, the students will present their projects at a senior capstone showcase in April at the University鈥檚 Innovation, Science, and Technology Building.
For more information about capstone projects at IM体育官网 Poly, contact Bohm.
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Assistant Director of Communications
863-874-8557