Brigham Young University
Capstone Program
Outline
College of
Engineering &
Technology
Capstone
Overview
Design
Capabilities
Examples of
Past Capstone
Projects
Becoming a
Capstone
Project
Sponsor
Where is Brigham Young University?
Brigham Young University Overview
• Established in 1875
• One of the largest private universities in the USA
• 33,000 students
• From 120 Nations & all 50 U.S. States
• Over 75% of students speak a foreign language
• 80 different languages taught
• 3,500 engineering students
Fulton College of Engineering & Technology
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Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Electrical & Computer Eng.
Mechanical Engineering
School of Technology
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Construction Management
Facilities & Property Management
Industrial Design
Information Technology
Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Technology & Engineering Education
What is Capstone?
Two-semester (8 month) design course
Projects provided by industrial sponsors
Projects include both design and build elements
Senior engineering & technology students
Multidisciplinary teams
• ME, MET, EE, ChemE, and others
• Teams learn to use a structured design approach
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BYU Capstone Organization
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Students allocate 8-10 a.m. each day (M-F)
Typical team size: 5-6 students
Each team has a faculty coach
2 Instructors
1 External Relations Manager
1 Administrative assistant
2 TA’s & secretaries
BYU Capstone History
• Capstone began at BYU in 1990
• 673 sponsored projects to date
• 32 sponsored projects every year
• Over 225 different companies/organizations
• 14 countries
• 27 different states (USA)
• Provided design education & experience to more than 3,500 students
BYU Capstone Project Locations
BYU Capstone Sponsors
Capstone Program Objectives
• Desire to learn
• Understanding of
manufacturing processes
• Ability to develop appropriate
solutions
• Creative and consistent
design capability
• Willingness to consider
alternatives
• Able to understand the
relationship of design and
analysis (modeling)
• Understand the quality
process
• Broad view of engineering
disciplines
• Good understanding of the
engineering process
• Grasp the value of working
with hardware
• Appreciate the value and
complexities of the
manufacturing enterprise
• Excellent communication
skills
• Skilled and effective in team
settings
Emphasis in Capstone
Students work in teams & performance evaluated in teams
Students create project schedule and track progress
Students hold weekly team meetings
Students communicate regularly with sponsor
• Provide weekly progress reports
• Weekly teleconferences
• Student teams learn to work with others to get job done
• Industrial sponsors, vendors, university staff, etc.
• Regular design reviews & presentations
• Teach students to present their work both formally and informally
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Capstone Learning Environment
• Team interaction
• Class is not “business as usual”
• Nearly all class assignments relate directly to projects and their
“Deliverables” or reports
• Student project teams work with “Liaison Engineer” from sponsoring
company
Capstone Resources
• Structured design methodology with 25 years experience
• Intellectual property granted to sponsor
• Student project teams have access to:
• Engineering analysis
• NASTRAN, ANSYS, FLUENT, ADINA, Pro/MECHANICA, MATLAB,
OptdesX, ProModel
• Engineering fabrication
• Machining, CNC, rapid prototyping, EDM, plastics, composites,
metal forming, casting, welding, water jet & laser cutting
• Engineering laboratories
• MEMS, combustion, experimental and computational fluid
dynamics, wind tunnels, automation, microscopy, and material
testing
• Super computer
Project Outcomes - Examples
• Medical Device Manufacturer
• 4 hour process reduced to less than 3 minutes
• Large Transportation Company
• Aerodynamic design with potential fuel savings of millions of dollars
per year
• Large Electronics Company
• Designed & developed new ergonomic keyboard
• Patent issued
• Current monthly production = 50,000 units
Capstone Benefits
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Real-world work experience for students
Progress made on mid to back burner projects
Sponsors benefit from real work on real projects from student teams
Industry sponsors retain all intellectual property
Sponsors evaluate students and students evaluate sponsors for
potential employment
The Best Type of Capstone Projects
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Design and build
Mid-to-back-burner
600-800 project engineering
hours
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Project types:
New or improved product prototypes
Process machines
Tooling and gauging
Test machines
Semi-automation
Process optimization
Becoming a Capstone Sponsor
1. Generate possible projects ideas
2. Submit project ideas (Deadline: Friday June 27th) capstone.byu.edu
BYU will work with you to find a good project match
3. Sign and return Capstone Sponsor Agreement
4. Make arrangements to pay educational grant of US$20K
5. A Capstone Team and Faculty Coach will be assigned to your project
Questions?
capstone.byu.edu