533565473
ECE Senior Design
Project Submission Form
Please type in your responses directly on this form. Rename this file using the following naming
convention: ECE156-LastName_FirstName-PF_Proj0n.doc, and email to the course Gmail account,
200x.spring.ece156@gmail.com . Always use the same file name as the subject line of the email, replace
“x” with the current year, and replace “Proj0n” with “Proj01”, “proj02”, etc.
1. Project title:
2. Name(s) and email addresses of participating student(s):
3. Date of submission:
4. Faculty or external sponsor / mentor (if applicable) – full contact information:
5. Purpose of Project – State exactly what your project should do (e.g., “sound a loud alarm if the time
between successive breaths of the sleeping patient is more than 6 seconds, but must be immune to
reasonable movement and other measurement artifacts to avoid unnecessary false alarms.”). This is not
the section in which to discuss other related devices or systems UNLESS the main goal of your system is
to improve on them. ( 1 paragraph max):
6. Quantitative Goals of Project – For example, if your system measures something, state the minimum
detectable concentration, min detectable signal level, maximum false positive rate, min levels of interfering
signals/substances that it must deal with, minimum acceptable measurement accuracy, time required to
perform the action, etc. If your system produces mechanical output, state the minimum acceptable force,
torque, time, displacement, etc. (1 paragraph max per goal):
7. Summarize similar existing devices, commercially or otherwise available. Be precise in pointing out any
differences between what your device will do, and what these other devices already do. SD projects almost
always have more limited functionality compared to similar commercially available systems. This is
perfectly acceptable and expected, but you must demonstrate in this section that you have an excellent
knowledge of the field. Give a precise URL for each related device you mention. (1 paragraph max):
8. Summarize the exact technical approach and/or theory of operation you are proposing to use.
p. 1 of 6
533565473
( 4 paragraphs max. Don’t waste space on basic information / definitions that the readers of this document
(i.e., the instructors) almost certainly already know. However, nor should you try to use advanced
sounding jargon and buzz words in an attempt to impress us unless you know exactly what they mean. We
will immediately disallow any project proposals in which the author is obviously beyond their technical
depth.):
9. If the physical principles behind the operation some critical components or sub-systems would not be
obvious to a classmate, please summarize ( 1 paragraph max for each):
10. If similar devices exist, contrast your technical approach / theory of operation to that used by existing
devices ( 1 paragraph max):
11. Describe *all* of the inputs and outputs of your device / system. Be sure to include everything that
your system needs to measure, all user inputs, all non-electrical inputs and outputs (e.g., mechanical
forces, torques, displacements & rotations, acoustic and optical inputs and outputs, exact composition of
acceptable samples, fluid flows, etc.). In this section, do not describe anything internal to your system,
only what goes in and out of it. (Please format as a bulleted list):
12. List the major modules of all types (e.g., electrical, software, hydraulic, pneumatic, optical, mechanical,
chemical, etc.). For each, describe the inputs it receives, the outputs it generates, and the function it
performs, and whether you will design and construct it, or you will purchase it or obtain it by some other
means (e.g., loan). Give an approximate cost for all modules that you intend to purchase. There is no
limitation on the number of modules given, but the description of each should occupy no more than 1
paragraph. Make sure your intellectual contribution (i.e., exactly which modules, HW and SW, you intend
to design and make) is immediately clear.
13. Describe the major technical hurdles that you anticipate in this project. Which do you expect to be the
most difficult parts of the project and why? You can discuss issues arising from a lack of suitable training
in this section, but we are more interested in reading about technical, not training hurdles. Example: “the
minimum detectable signal level successfully received should be above 1 uV. (1 paragraph max per
hurdle):
14. List any resources not available in the ECE teaching labs needed to complete your project. Describe
each, if not obvious. Examples include unusual fabrication or testing equipment, access to other student
projects such as the mini-Baja car, chemicals, clean room facilities, large outdoor areas needed for tests,
etc.:
15. Does the project have any research components (use the definition on the ECESD website)? If so,
describe (1 paragraph max):
p. 2 of 6
533565473
16. Your Intellectual Contribution – Be especially concise and precise in stating this. Example: “I intend to
purchase a commercial dielectric rod antenna and use circuits from the literature for the design of the
microwave front end, but will integrate these COTS components with an envelope detector and audio
stages that I will design and build. I will design, build and write all the software for the microcontroller that
controls the system and provides the user interface.” (1 paragraph max):
17. If the project is a team project, describe the proposed division of responsibilities. Is each sub-project
sufficiently complicated to stand alone as a separate senior design project? Describe exactly how you
intend to accommodate the unexpected departure of a team-mate.
18. Provide a list of the most important *QUANTITATIVE* things that the system must do in order for it to
be considered a success. Each entry must be numerically measurable. Examples include: “detect aircraft
up to 1 mile away and 1 mile high”, “distinguish between ten words spoken by one person”, etc. Do NOT
attempt to list the things the system doesn’t have to do, don’t list the technical means it will use to
accomplish its tasks, and don’t list any qualitative requirements. (Please format as a bulleted list):
19. What equipment is needed to test that each of the quantitative requirements listed in #18 have indeed
been met. For example, if your system promises to detect aircraft a mile away, exactly how would you test
that this requirement (i.e., promise) has been met? Rent a plane and fly it around? Is this feasible?
20. If the project is suggested and/or sponsored by a commercial entity or faculty member:
a) Might the above requirements change over time?
b) What funding, critical equipment and materials will the sponsor make available to you?
c) Does the sponsor “need results” earlier than a month before you are expected to graduate?
21. Senior Projects must be neither too difficult nor too easy. This can be difficult to judge, but is probably
the single most important constraint on senior project selection. To help you in this area, we have
attached a table of various academic disciplines, technical skills and specific devices / techniques that are
often needed in SD projects. Please indicate the approximate level of each skill needed to complete your
project. Acceptable responses are HS (high school), Tech (technical school or technician training), UGlower (freshman & sophomore courses), UG-upper, Grad School, or Post-Grad. If the skill corresponds
directly to a GWU ECE courses, just list the course number. For other courses, the course level you
indicate should correspond to the course number. For example, if your project relies on testing techniques
from Psych 1, that would be listed as UG-lower because even though you might not take Psych 1until your
p. 3 of 6
533565473
junior year, psych majors take it as freshman, and it is not listed as a 100 or 200 level course. In the last
two columns of the table indicate if you already possess the skill / training of column #1.
Please feel free to summarize the skills below in text form, as well as to add rows to the table for technical
areas, skills, etc. not already mentioned.
p. 4 of 6
533565473
TECHNICAL AREA, SKILL, ETC.
LEVEL OF TRAINING
REQUIRED
Enter: HS, tech, UGlower, UG-upper, Grad,
post-grad, or course
number in this column.
Leave blank if not
applicable.
ECE - GENERAL
Actuators (specify)
Analog ckts
Communication networks
Communications
Control systems, feedback, etc.
Digital ckts
Electromagnetics (ECE 30, 31 & 32)
Power
RF techniques
Robotics
Sensors - biomed (specify)
Sensors - non-biomed (specify)
Signals & DSP
Solid state devices
Use of analog equipment in teaching labs
Use of digital equipment in teaching labs
ECE - DIGITAL DESIGN
Device-to-device digital communications (e.g. Serial,
Parallel, GPIB, IEEE bus, USB, IR links, Bluetooth, other
local RF links, etc.)
Digital display devices (specify)
Microprocessor design
Non-numerical general algorithms & data structures - eg.
FIFO, trees, priority queues, sorting, etc.
Programming - FPGAs - VHDL / Verilog
Programming - microcontrollers - eg, PICs
Programming - midware level - e.g., APIs
Programming - real time embedded systems - data
throughput analysis, memory requirements, buffering,
interrupts, etc.
VLSI design, testing and fab
PHYSICAL SCIENCES, MATH and non-ECE
Biophysics
Chem Engr - eg, flow reactors
Chemistry - general, analytical, organic, biochem, etc.
Fluid flow
Materials Science (not biomaterials)
Math - Computational - incl. simulations (physics,
mechanical, EE, optics)
p. 5 of 6
Training
Training
Possess at
beginning
of ECE156
Indicate by
“Y” or “N”
Will possess
by beginning
of ECE157
Indicate by
“Y” or “N”
533565473
Math - Numerical programming on workstations
Math - not computational
Mechanical design (ie, mech drawings, mech requirements,
specs, etc.)
Mechanical design - Strength of materials
Mechanics - Statics & dynamics
Optics - devices - sources, detectors, filters, etc.
Optics - quantum effects
Optics - ray
Optics - wave
Physics - solid state
Physics - other (i.e., not listed above)
Thermodynamics
ENGINEERING - TECHNICAL SKILLS
PCB board design - OrCAD parts libraries, footprints, keepout zones, through-hole vs. surface mount parts, etc.
Mechanical drawings, dimensioning, etc. of mechanical
parts (incl. enclosures for their circuit boards and
connectors.)
Use of specialized or research level equipment (specify)
Use of machine shop equipment
LIFE SCIENCES:
Bioinformatics
Biology (cell and organism level)
Biomaterials
Biomed imaging methods
Biomed instrumentation
Biomed signal & image analysis
Genetics
Medicine
Pharmaceuticals
Physiology
Rehab medicine & engineering incl. prosthetics
OTHER: (please specify)
p. 6 of 6