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I'm not sure I would be where I am without it.” “Experienced engineers mentoring me was, and still is, a significant part of my development into a well-rounded individual.
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“Contact with the students helps me see things from their point of view, which is very different from mine, and I gain more perspective from the difference.”.“Exercise my engineering skills while learning new techniques.”.So the mentors provide some perspective to the students…a little like that course.” As an undergraduate I found these lectures/stories very helpful in providing perspective. “When I was a senior at Penn State, there was a one credit course where Penn State alumni came in and provided some lectures about their job in the real world.“Most importantly to me, I feel good regarding my ability to give back to future generations of Penn State ChEs and my alma mater in a meaningful way, much more than just a monetary donation.”.As an alum, I feel this gives me a level of connectivity to Penn State I wouldn’t not have otherwise.” “I get to stay in contact with ChE students at Penn State.“I enjoy giving back to the university that educated me as well as being able to give the students a perspective from industry that is difficult to get in the classroom.”.We asked previous mentors why they became a mentor and what their experience was like, and this is what they told us: a quote that they can adjust for time and capacity). Icarus Process Economic Analyzer, Aspen+, HYSYS) or can be provided to the students (i.e. The only limitation is that the required information to create the model and determine cost is either available within the Aspen+ Suite of programs (i.e. The teams meet with mentors each week to receive guidance and feedback.Īlso, we are always looking for new projects. We are looking for industry volunteers to serve as mentors and gatekeepers for the design process. Each semester a new project is proposed, and the best design is awarded the “Lee and Mary Eagleton Award for Excellence in Design.” How You Can Help Students apply what they have learned in the chemical engineering core curriculum to create a model of their plant and calculate the economic feasibility of it. The CHE 470 Capstone Design Project focuses on using economics to drive the design of a process at a chemical plant. However, Learning Factory projects do not involve designing processes nor using economics to drive their decisions, like ours do. Like those projects, ours involve cross-functional teams and working with industry/industrial contacts. Our senior capstone design projects are a bit different than the other Penn State College of Engineering capstone design projects done via the Learning Factory. In some courses the students must develop material to justify their design decisions to regulatory agencies and the public.Įthical questions concerning relationships with clients, regulatory agencies, and other professionals also are considered as well as global and contemporary issues.Volunteer for our senior capstone design program Therefore, designs must consider performance objectives, costs, environmental impacts, and legal ramifications. The courses are intended to simulate a real-world design experience. No strict rules are imposed on each course since flexibility is needed for different types of design projects. Often practicing professionals will review a project or act as part of a juror panel. Several capstones involve practitioners in the project formulation, or for the supply of input data. These courses involve teamwork, report writing and/or oral presentation of the project, open-ended problem solving, and multi-disciplinary coverage. Each capstone design course provides sufficient experience and opportunity to apply material learned in previous courses. This focus does not mean that the design is related only to one narrowly focused topic. At least one course is provided in each major civil engineering focus. The Department has six capstone design course options. Participating companies reap benefits as well building relationships with students and getting new ideas for real design problems. Senior-Year Capstone Design Projects offer students the opportunity to get involved in sophisticated engineering design challenges.
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