Revised Engineering 4M06
Multidisciplinary Sustainable Engineering Projects
Discussion Document (Version 1)
March 15, 2013
Objective
The objective of this document is to provide the framework for a Multidisciplinary Capstone
Design course with a sustainability focus in the Faculty of Engineering for the 2014-15
Academic Year. Since this will involve all Engineering programs it is important that all
stakeholders are involved in its development and ultimate approval.
Briefly, it is envisioned that teams of 5 Engineering students from at least two departments and
at least one Engineering and Management students will take on a Final Year design project in
lieu of their home department capstone course. The projects will be solicited from local industry
and community groups. There will be an approval process developed to ensure that the projects
have a multidisciplinary technical issue suitable for Final Year Engineering students, and that the
project is appropriate for a quantitative Triple Bottom Line evaluation.
Background
Currently, a multidisciplinary capstone course, Engineering 4M06, Multidisciplinary Projects, is
in its second year of existence. This course was developed for students to work in
multidisciplinary teams for a “client” in a company or not-for-profit organization since this is
way in which most Engineering projects are carried out. While the project work and learning
experience for the students has been outstanding, the course suffers from low enrollment (15 in
the first year, and 5 in the current year). It is difficult to pinpoint the reasons for it, but a survey
of students and discussion with students identified:
 Difficulty in finding team members in other departments;
 Too much work forming teams and identifying company partners prior to the start of the
course, (which will not be allowed by the Registrar’s office in the future);
 Comfort and satisfaction with the home department capstone courses.
There have been 2 important developments with regard to sustainability in Engineering
Education.
1. CEAB Guidelines
CEAB Guidelines state that “design projects will be selected to apply design solutions for
complex, open-ended engineering problems and to design systems, prototypes, components or
processes that meet specified needs with appropriate attention to health and safety risks,
applicable standards, economic, environmental, cultural and societal considerations”. This
essentially states that the projects need to be evaluated against the Triple Bottom Line of
Sustainability (positive outcomes economically, environmentally and socially).
In the last CEAB Accreditation some departments were criticized for insufficient economic
analysis in their Capstone courses, and in future it is likely that further attention to environmental
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and social factors in design will be required. Therefore, any new courses should be developed to
address these issues.
2. Faculty and University Thrusts in Sustainability, Experiential Learning, Outreach and
Multidisciplinary Studies
The Faculty of Engineering has adopted Engineering a Sustainable Society as its five year plan,
and the Ad Hoc Task Force on Sustainability has been assisting departments in their plans to
incorporate more sustainability into their programs. Furthermore, sustainable design lends itself
well to Experiential Learning. The Faculty is also committed to Outreach to the local
community within the Forward with Integrity thrust in the University. The Faculty has been a
leader in developing multidisciplinary programs (Engineering & Management and Engineering
& Society) that develop skills in students to tackle real world problems to obtain sustainable
solutions. Therefore, the proposed course is well aligned with the goals of the University and
Faculty.
Examples of Possible Projects
One of the major issues in the delivery of this course is that the projects must simultaneously
satisfy several criteria:
 Substantive technical content at a level suitable for final year capstone projects for the
students from each of the participating departments;
 Appropriate opportunity to apply appropriate engineering and management tools to
evaluate the economic viability of the project;
 Appropriate opportunity to apply quantitative sustainability analysis to the project.
Since the course has not been developed, it is useful to look at projects in related project courses
that could have been developed in the proposed course.
1. Project in Eco-Entrepreneurship in SEP
Recently, the City of Hamilton has introduced an Intelligent Transportation System video data
collection technology. It now seeks to collect data to improve urban planning and management
for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. The students are using image analysis techniques to
measure the traffic, and analyze traffic flow. This is an interesting Triple Bottom Line
opportunity that is achieved through software substitution to a technology that has traditionally
been hardware-intensive. This project would potentially be suitable for Software, Electrical and
Computer Engineering, Engineering Physics and Civil Engineering students.
2. Project A in Engineering & Management 5B03
The objective of this project with a local company was to develop a cost-effective solution to
increase the insulating value of the exterior wall system and contribute to achieving the net-zero
energy goal of the ExCEL project. This project would be suitable for students in Civil,
Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
3. Project B in Engineering & Management 5B03
The objective of this project was to assess the feasibility of nanoparticle flotation collectors for
nickel extraction and to further engage mining companies in the development of product(s) for
nickel extraction. This project would be suitable for Chemical Engineering, Materials
Engineering and Engineering Physics students.
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Course Organization
There are several steps in the formation of project teams, approval of projects and selection of
projects by students.
1. Workshop in February or March prior to the Course
A Workshop will be held on campus for students and prospective companies to network on
potential projects. Sustainable Hamilton participated in one organized for Eco-Entrepreneurship
and Engineering & Management students last fall (that identified the first project in the last
section). Sustainable Hamilton is very well connected with businesses, not-for-profits and
various governmental agencies, and has a mandate to connect with McMaster University. At this
event, the projects will be assessed to determine if they meet the criteria described in the
previous section (substantive technical, economic and sustainability content), and to determine
which disciplines could be potentially involved in them.
The workshop will also give students opportunities to meet potential team mates. Students can
also bring their own ideas for projects to the workshop.
2. Approval of Projects
The projects that were identified at the Workshop will be vetted by the Departments potentially
involved along with Engineering & Management and Engineering & Society to ensure that the
detailed descriptions are suitable in the 3 criteria. These Faculty members will form the
Instructional Team for the course. The Instructional Team will also serve as the advocate for the
course in the department, identifying students and companies that could become involved.
Experience with the solicitation of projects for the Sust 2A03 course from the local community
showed that there could be some considerable back-and-forth discussion of the details. Sust
2A03 have staff support for this function, and this may be required for the proposed course. The
newly created Outreach Office in the Faculty could potentially administer this function. The
Outreach Office, through their multiple contacts with many companies, could also identify
potential partners and projects throughout the year.
3. Website Posting
The course website will serve multiple functions:
 General information about the course for prospective students and companies;
 A discussion group section so that students can post their skills and interests, and find
potential team partners;
 Posting of Approved Projects, and a means to have on-line discussion with the
Instructional Team and Companies about the projects.
4. Project Selection
Approved projects will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as the team skills
match the project, as determined by the Instructional Team. It is expected that this process will
be completed well before September.
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Calendar Description
ENGINEER 4M06 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS Capstone Course
in which students work in multidisciplinary teams to develop an integrated design or solve a
problem for an organization (company or not-for-profit organization) that has technical,
economic, environmental and/or social aspects. Two Labs (3 hours each); both terms
Prerequisites: Registration in final year of an Engineering program, a CA of at least 8.0, and
permission of Department and Instructor.
Antirequisites: All departmental capstone courses, ENG MGT 5B03, ENG SOC 4Y03
Notes:
1. This course runs from September to April, but participation in a prior Workshop is required.
2. Enrollment is limited to 50 students (10 teams of 5 students) by the procedure described
below.
3. Students in Engineering and Management will take this course instead of ENG MGT 5B03
and the capstone course in their department.
4. Students in Engineering and Society will take this course instead of and the capstone course in
their department.
4. Students are advised to register in their department capstone course (and ENG MGT 5B03 or
ENG SOC 4Y03) and then switch registration if they are admitted to this course.
Learning Outcomes
The objective of this course is to give students experience in open-ended projects that are based
on real-world technical problems that are multi-disciplinary, and have significant economic and
sustainability aspects. The projects will be selected to apply design solutions for complex, openended engineering problems and to design systems, prototypes, components or processes that
meet specified needs with appropriate attention to health and safety risks, applicable standards,
economic, environmental, cultural and societal considerations.
The specific learning outcomes include:
a)
The ability to assemble a multidisciplinary team.
c)
The ability to work productively as a consulting team to deliver a project outcome that
adds value to the client.
d)
The ability to work with an open-ended project that may be in an unfamiliar field.
e)
The ability to cope effectively with changing circumstances, issues and difficulties that
may arise before, during and after the project.
f)
Demonstration of professional skills in all aspects of the course. In addition to writing
skills, speaking and presentation skills, the team should demonstrate initiative, time
management, and analytical ability.
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