Overview of Senior Design (incl. Ethics)
ECE 156 / 157 / 158
Spring 2007
1. Instructors
1.1. Professor






T. Manuccia
Office: Phillips Hall, Room 624-D
Lab: Tompkins Hall, Rooms 306a / 310
E-Mail: manuccia-at-gwu-dot-edu
WWW: http://home.gwu.edu/~manuccia
Office Hours: In class. Other times, by appointment, and only after you have discussed the
matter with your faculty mentor.
1.2. Assistant Professor





J. M. Zara
Office: Staughton Hall, Room 107
Lab: Staughton Hall, 1st floor (rear)
E-Mail: jasonzara-at-gmail-dot-com
Office Hours: In class. Other times, by appointment only.
1.3. Assistant Professor





M. Kay
Office: Phillips Hall, Room 600x
Lab: Ross Hall, Room 640
E-Mail: kaymwk-at-gmail-dot-com
Office Hours: In class. Other times, by appointment only
1.4. Assistant Professor




V. Zderic
Office: Phillips Hall, Room 600
E-Mail: zderic-at-gwu-dot-edu
Office Hours: In class. Other times, by appointment only.
1.5. Research Professor

p. 1
D. Nagel



Office: 2044 K. Street, Room 340-J
E-Mail: nagel-at-gwu-dot-edu
Office Hours: In class. Other times, by appointment only.
1.6. GTA #1




Mr. Esam Al-Araby
Office: TBD
E-Mail: esam@gwu.edu
Office Hours: In class. Other times by appointment only.
2. Course Websites
2.1. Official course website: http://ecesrd.seas.gwu.edu
2.1.1.
Contains official policies and procedures, descriptions and
examples of major deliverables, the course schedule, etc.
2.2. Prof. Manuccia’s – http://home.gwu.edu/~manuccia
2.2.1.
For copies of old lecture notes from previous years go to
http://home.gwu.edu/~manuccia/Courses.htm
3. Prerequsites
3.1. Status & grades
3.1.1.
ECE-156 - Junior status in ECE
3.1.2.
ECE-157 – Passing grade in 156
3.1.3.
ECE-158 – Passing grade in 157
3.2. A solid understanding of engineering fundamentals (in your
curriculum) is prerequisite to beginning Senior Design
3.2.1.
All engineering and science builds on previously learned
material. You must not think of what you learned in freshman physics
p. 2
as unrelated to your current courses.
3.2.2.
An understanding of fundamentals is the single most important
factor in predicting your success in Senior Design because it enters
every homework, every deliverable, every design decision in all three
semesters of this course.
For example, if you have taken ECE 11, and can not immediately and without preparation explain how
an RLC resonant circuit works, you will likely have terrible difficulties in this course. If you have
taken courses in computer science, and you can not tell me the difference between a compiler, linker
and loader, you should immediately begin a serious review of your previous classes.
With clockwork predictability, each year, there will be some EE student(s) who can’t tell me if the
resistance of a wire increases or decreases with length, or a BME who doesn’t know the definition of
pH.
To be blunt, if you can’t answer basic questions such as these, you should not have registered for this
course, because you are unprepared and there is no chance you will be able to demonstrate the level of
knowledge necessary to pass Senior Design.
3.2.3.
To test your knowledge of engineering fundamentals, shortly
after the beginning of the semester you will be given an exam. If you
don’t pass this exam, you will be given the remainder of the semester
to review the appropriate material.
3.2.4.
You will be given a second opportunity to take the exam (different
but related questions) near the end of the semester. If you can’t pass
it on the second try, you automatically fail that semester of Senior
Design.
3.2.5.
The exam covers only the most important / fundamental /
representative topics from the core courses for the various curricula
(eg, ECE, CompE, the various tracks of BME).
3.2.6.
While the exam contains some questions that are intentionally
advanced, you only have to answer the sophomore and lower level
questions to pass.
3.2.6.1.
Detailed instructions for the exam, as well as a list of topics covered (not
courses) will be posted on the SD website.
3.2.6.2.
Obviously, every student taking Senior Design will have to answer
questions from freshman physics and math. Beyond freshman year, the various
curriculum differ somewhat, so, depending on the curriculum your degree
requires, we give you the chance to opt out of a question by indicating that you
p. 3
did not have to take the corresponding course.
3.3. A second prerequisite for SD is adequate course work and lab
experience in the specialty areas needed for the project you select
Examples include: Analog circuits, digital circuits, microcontrollers, RF, sensors, actuators, power
systems, filters, signal processing, biomedical specialties, assembly programming, optics, chemical
engineering, biochemistry, etc
The obvious solution to any problem in this area is to *very carefully* define / select a project that
does not require skill in an area you are not already trained, subject to the proviso that the project can
not become too simple.
4. Senior Design is a mandatory, *must-pass* course unlike any
other in the undergrad ECE/BME curriculum
4.1. Senior Design is an introduction to, and simulation of a real-world
engineering environment
4.2. Differences between SD and typical undergrad courses
4.2.1.
SD demands truly independent thinking and completely
independent work.
4.2.2.
Senior Design does not consist of multiple choice questions and
“cookie-cutter” labs where you are given a list of components and a
schematic and asked to build the circuit.
4.2.3.
No single textbook or other source of information
4.2.4.
You will have to synthesize solutions from extremely diverse
sources.
4.2.5.
Almost all important feedback from the instructors will be verbal.
4.2.5.1.
It is absolutely critical that you take careful notes when we are critiquing
some aspect of your project.
4.2.5.2.
Some students use audio recorders to record our critiques. This is fine
with us.
4.3. One important purpose of Senior Design is to demonstrate to the
p. 4
ECE faculty your command of the undergrad curriculum.
4.4. The ECE faculty feels Senior Design is so important that it
requires you to pass all three semesters in order to graduate. It is
the only course in the department like this.
4.5. Fail just one semester of SD, and your graduation is delayed by a
minimum of one year.
5. Effort required
5.1. Credit hours
5.1.1.
ECE-156: 1
5.1.2.
ECE-157: 3
5.1.3.
ECE-158: 2
5.2. Estimated non-classroom hours
5.2.1.
Non-classroom hours include homework, library and on-line
research, as well as independent work in the lab on your project. Do
not get behind on this work because it is almost impossible to catch
up.
5.2.2.
Estimate a absolute minimum of about 5 hours per week per
credit hour when school is in session. By semester:
5.2.2.1.
Spring semester, Junior year: 5 hours / week
5.2.2.2.
Fall semester, Senior year: 15 hours / week
5.2.2.3.
Spring semester, Senior year: 10 hours / week
5.2.3.
Total non-classroom hours: 400 - 600
5.2.4.
Implication: Take a light course load and minimize other time
commitments, particularly during your senior year.
5.2.5.
Senior Design is not a course where you can cram down one
chapter of a book at the last minute before the test on that chapter,
p. 5
and still pass the course. In SD, if you don’t give yourself plenty of
time to think, play in the lab, and discuss with your classmates, you
are at vastly greater risk of failing the course.
6. The “Secret” to getting an “A” in Senior Design
6.1. We should be able to point to any discrete component, IC,
module, sub-system, interconnection, input, output, requirement,
etc., and you should be able to explain EVERYTHING about it. For
example, you should be able to explain what alternatives were
available, why you selected the parameter value or design that you
did, what requirement drove you to make this decision, etc. etc.
Showing that each and every one of your design decisions was
based on logical reasoning is probably the single most important
thing we look for when grading a student.
7. Final Grade
7.1. If the quality of your final presentation / oral exam and
deliverable(s) in a semester is unacceptable, you will not pass that
semester, no matter how well you have done in earlier deliverables,
homeworks, presentations, etc.
7.1.1.
This is necessary because your work in each semester is almost
entirely built on the progress you have made in the previous
semester.
7.2. If your final presentation, oral exam & deliverable are in the
passing range, then your final grade for the semester will be a
weighted average of homeworks, major deliverables, quizzes,
professionalism (which includes technical credibility, classroom
participation, behavior and attendance), a project difficulty factor,
etc.
7.3. Your grade on the final deliverable of each semester is still the
largest single contribution to your overall grade. The main criterion
that we use to assign this grade is how likely is the student and
project able to progress to the next step in the sequence.
p. 6
7.3.1.
For example, at the end of 157, we judge your project by whether
or not your design is sufficiently complete, accurate, and error free for
you to be able to begin fabrication of your system.
7.4. The distribution of final grades each semester is typically quite
flat with roughly equal numbers of “A’s”, “B’s”, “C’s”, and “D’s”.
Each year a few people typically drop the course at some point in
the semester, and 10-15% of those that do complete a semester do
not meet the minimum bar and receive an “F”.
8. Meeting time, duration, attendance, lateness, dress, etc.
8.1. Class Schedule
8.1.1.
ECE-156 Section 10 – Wednesday, 0945 to 1100 – Tompkins 306
8.1.2.
ECE-156 Section 11 – Wednesday, 1115 to 1230 – Tompkins 306
8.1.3.
ECE-158 Section 10 – Wednesday, 1830 to 2130 – Tompkins 306
8.1.4.
ECE-158 Section 11 – Thursday, 1830 to 2130 – Tompkins 306
8.2. Attendance and punctuality are critical in this course because the
rate of data transfer is high, the chances to meet with your faculty
mentor are limited, and there simply is not enough time to repeat
things.
8.2.1.
Each unexcused absence reduces the “professionalism”
component of your grade for that semester by 10%. More than three
unexcused absences (or the equivalent in tardiness) triggers an
automatic “F” for the entire course.
8.2.2.
Each 5 minutes of tardiness is equivalent to one-quarter of an
unexcused absence.
8.2.3.
Attendance will be taken and punctuality will be recorded.
8.3. For major deliverables, the student must dress for the
presentation as he/she would for a formal business or professional
meeting.
p. 7
8.3.1.
For regular classes / labs, normal college attire is fine.
9. Textbooks
The following books tend to be practical (but advanced) in nature, very different from the
pedagological / theoretical texts you used in previous undergrad courses.
9.1. Required:
9.1.1.
For all students
“The Art of Electronics” by Horowitz and Hill ($75 from Amazon)
9.1.1.1.
9.2. Highly recommended – almost essential:
For all students – Technical / Academic Writing
9.2.1.
“The Chicago Manual of Style” ($33 from Amazon)
9.2.1.1.
9.2.2.
For BME sensor and general instrumentation projects
“Medical Instrumentation” by John G. Webster ($103 from Amazon)
9.2.2.1.
9.2.3.
9.2.3.1.
For most RF hardware projects
“The ARRL Handbook” ($25 from Amazon – in paperback)
9.2.4.
For projects involving electromechanical actuators and/or simple
microcontrollers
9.2.4.1.
“Introduction to Mechatronics & Measurement Systems” by David G.
Alciatore & Michael B. Histand ($118 from Amazon)
9.2.5.
For projects involving microcontrollers, embedded programming,
real-time systems
9.2.5.1.
p. 8
xxx
10. Submission of major deliverables, homework, etc. Routine
emails.
10.1. Routine emails
10.1.1. I must be cc’ed on all emails pertaining to SD between students
and their faculty mentors.
10.1.2. Routine emails (e.g., requests for info, notification of sickness,
etc.) should be sent directly to the regular name@gwu.edu or
name@gmail.com accounts of the appropriate instructor(s)
10.1.3. The subject line of all such emails must begin with, “ECE-15x: …”
(where x is either 6, 7, or 8).
10.1.4. If the email contains any attachment over 50k in length it should
not be sent to our regular GWU email accounts. Rather, it should be
sent to the appropriate course email account (see below) with a short
“heads-up” email sent to our personal account(s). We do not
regularly look at the course email inbox unless we are expecting a
homework assignment or major deliverable
10.2. Electronic submissions of homework and major deliverables
10.2.1. We require an electronic copy of all homework and major
deliverables. These include both written reports in Microsoft Word
format and oral presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint file format.
Please include your name in the name of each file you submit as per
the following example.
10.2.1.1.
File naming convention: “ECE156-Manuccia_Tom-HW#1.doc”
10.2.2. Objects like Gantt charts from Microsoft Project, schematics from
ORCAD, scope traces recorded using WaveStar, photos, software
flow diagrams, and all such similar materials should all be embedded
in either a Word or PowerPoint document.
The files must be emailed to 2007.fall.ece157@gmail.com (or the
obvious appropriate variant of that address) by 9 AM of the
Tuesday before the assignment is due. We use the received time
stamp as proof of on-time delivery. Occasionally, we will require an
10.2.3.
p. 9
assignment to be delivered earlier than this to give us time to look
over the submissions. We will notify you of such changes.
10.2.4. Every email to an instructor or to a Gmail account must contain a
clear descriptive subject. The subject line must begin with “ECE-156:
xxx”. I use a script to automatically route such messages to the
correct folder in my inbox. If you forget to do this, I may not see your
email amongst the ~75 messages per day I usually receive.
10.3. Hard (i.e., paper) copy submissions of major deliverables
10.3.1. We do not require that you submit paper copies of homework
assignments. Just email each homework assignment to the
appropriate Gmail account.
10.3.2. However, for major deliverables, you MUST submit one hard copy
of the deliverable for departmental files, and a second copy of the
deliverable for your own uses (e.g., to bring when consulting with
instructors, to bring to future job interviews, etc.).
10.3.3. Major deliverables must be professionally bound. Spiral and
“finger” bindings are acceptable. Stapling, low cost metal
straps/folders, etc. are not. If there is any question see us first.
10.3.4. If a deliverable consists of both a written report and an oral
presentation, we want copies of the slides to be bound into the
printed copy of the deliverable at the very end. You should print no
more than 2 slides per page. Double sided copying is OK. Do NOT
waste space by printing lines for “notes” next to each slide.
10.3.5. You should bring your hard copy of the latest deliverable each
time you consult with an instructor.
10.4. Handwritten submissions will not be accepted except on in-class
tests.
p. 10
11. Academic dishonesty, particularly plagiarism, as relevant to
Senior Design
11.1.1. Each student must write, submit, and present his or her own
work.
11.1.2. However, we expect students to find and use other people’s
circuits, application notes from manufacturers, concepts from books,
journal articles, reports, etc. If you don’t make use of such material,
you are re-inventing the wheel, and likely making things very difficult
for yourself.
11.1.3. To distinguish the two sources of intellectual contributions, all
quotes and other information from outside sources MUST be cited in
both reports and presentations.
11.1.4. If you don’t cite the source of such material, even out of simple
forgetfulness, you risk being accused of plagiarism.
11.1.5. PLAGIARISM IS AN ACT OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND WILL
NOT BE TOLERATED! (http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html ).
11.1.5.1. If the student has no previous “record”, on the first incident of plagiarism,
the student will receive a zero on the assignment and a permanent notation on
his transcript. If the assignment is one of the major deliverables, receiving a
zero on it effectively makes it impossible to pass the course.
11.1.5.2. On the second incident, the student will be given a failing grade for the
semester and thus, can not graduate on time.
11.1.5.3. We take this issue extremely seriously. Every year we usually discover at
least one student trying to pass off someone else’s work as their own. Don’t risk
your graduation by either intentional plagiarism, or by simply forgetting /
neglecting to cite your sources in the rush to complete an assignment.
11.1.5.4. Use an “endnote” style of citation such as given in the “Chicago Style
Manual” or the IEEE “Formatting guidelines for authors”. Hopefully, in the
next few months, we will post our own “Style Manual” specific to this course.
p. 11
12. Topics, tasks, tools typically covered in Senior Design
12.1. Theoretical as well as practical concepts, skills, & approaches
needed for individual student projects
12.1.1. Teaching students how to find and learn engineering information
and concepts that may be completely new to them
12.1.2.
12.1.3.

INSPEC vs Google

“Bible” books

Application notes

“Spec” sheets
Teaching students technician-level skills such as:

Proper operation of electronic lab equipment

General soldering and construction techniques

Soldering and de-soldering under a microscope

White-wiring, etc.
Remedial academic topics will NOT be covered
12.1.4. General concepts, tools, process & issues in engineering
practice and management

Engineering ethics

Market studies

Exposure to traditional engineering documents
i. Lab notebook
ii. Application notes
p. 12
iii. Component datasheets
iv. (Fall semester) The industry wide standard sequence of the
1. White Paper
2. PDR – Preliminary Design Review
3. CDR – Critical Design Review
4. FDR – Final Design Review
v. (Spring semester)
1. BFD – Board Fabrication Details
a. Note: BFD includes BOM (Bill of Materials)
2. Progress Reviews (incl. Mechanical Design Review for mostly electronic products)
3. PTR – Product Test Review
4. FPR – Final Product Report
vi. Interface control documents
vii. Engineering change notices

Practice in delivering oral presentations

Improve student’s skills in technical writing and developing presentations through multiple cycles of
revisions and additions to a base document.

Project management / Time and cost tracking
i. Gantt charts
ii. Microsoft Project
iii. Module matrices
iv. Burn rate and cumulative expenditure graphs, etc.

Use of OrCAD for simulation of electric circuits

12.1.5. Specific advanced topics in EE, CompE, and BME are offered to
individual students and groups of students on an “as-needed” basis.
1. Use of OrCAD to produce board schematics (ie, use of parts libraries, footprints,
keep-out zones, through-hole vs. surface mount parts, etc.)
2. Introduction to mechanical drawings, dimensioning, etc. Use of AutoCAD to
produce drawings of their mechanical parts (incl. Enclosures for their circuit boards
and connectors.)
3. Practical aspects of digital design
4. Simple device-to-device communications:
a. Serial
b. Parallel
p. 13
c.
GPIB, IEEE bus, etc.
d. USB
e. IR links
f.
Local VHF (RF) links
5. Display devices
6. Sensors
7. Actuators
12.1.6. The list above was taken from previous years. Because of the
large increase in BME students, this list for this year could easily
include BME topics such as optics and imaging, spectroscopy,
ultrasound, chemical reaction engineering, biomechanics, etc.
12.2. Learning and demonstrating aspects of the formal ( ECE )
engineering design process

Requirements

Specifications

The Design process itself (i.e., outline/specify, design, implement, test, redesign,
Document)

Context Level diagrams

The distinction between logical vs. physical

Logical architecture

Recursive decomposition of needed functionality into logical modules that perform
specific functions

Graphical representations of design
1. Context level diagram
2. Architecture diagrams
3. Signal /data flow diagrams
4. Power spectrum and waveform diagrams
5. Execution path (flow) diagrams for software
6. Timing diagrams for digital systems
7. State diagrams
p. 14

Data throughput analysis (for both analogue and digital HW)

Mapping of logical modules into physical hardware and software modules

Basic embedded Software design (polling, interrupts)

Physical architecture

Design vs. Implementation

Design schematics vs board schematics

Testing methods (analog/digital/SW)
12.3. Selecting, defining, designing, and finally, actually building and
testing their projects
p. 15