Capstone program part of curriculum innovation engaging aspiring engineers

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Experiential learning has become more collaborative and innovative than ever before.  Engaging students in real-world experiences deepens their knowledge, supports new understanding and extends learning from practical application back to the classroom.

Just ask Rob Siston, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at The Ohio State University.  Siston teaches a senior capstone design program where students learn engineering design by working in project teams.  “Engineers are problem solvers,” Siston says.  “Our capstone design program teaches students how to use some of the best aspects of mechanical engineering to determine how the world around them works and then apply design thinking to create new products and services.” 

Case in point: The Shuttle Run.  This four week project is a fun yet challenging introduction to the design process.  The assigned project is designing a robot from scratch.  Students first identify a strategy and approach for The Shuttle Run game and what functions their device should accomplish.  The class holds a design review session with teams of students who give a brief oral presentation about their preliminary work.  A written report details design, fabrication and testing of their functioning robot prototype.  In class, they share their design, get feedback and start preliminary construction. 

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The winning Shuttle Run Team, "Scott
Students are asked to build a robot that will race down a track, deposit at least one tennis ball into a scoring zone, race back in the direction from which they came and stop in a predefined area.  “It’s like a combination of the shuttle run you did in elementary school; tennis and target practice,” Siston said.  “While performance is important the emphasis is on the engineering and design of the device,” he noted. 

Before the Shuttle Run, students are graded on their ability to follow the design process and convey the right information.  Then, they are required to demonstrate the performance and reliability of their devices in the lab accounting for 25% of their grade.  The game is a single-elimination head-to-head competition between two opposing teams.  Points are given for tennis balls placed in three target zones; lower, middle and upper.  Teams who maneuver their device back to cross a midfield line earn extra points and those who stop their device within a designated stopping zone earn additional points.

 “Students learn by having direct experience with the design concept,” Siston said.  “But in the process, they also learn teambuilding and project management skills, manufacturing planning, prototyping and improvisation based on testing.” 

On game day, October 3, 2016, 22 teams of students showcased their final projects in the courtyard of Scott Lab with a crowd of enthusiastic fans cheering them on.  The winning team, “Scott’s Tot’s I,” was comprised of four students with strong machining backgrounds, giving them an advantage in knowing what could be manufactured on a timeline of four weeks.    

Preparation consisted of extensive detailing of the functions and objectives of their robot and finalizing design which used all parts from a single power drill for the drive-train, and a power drill motor.  The launching mechanism that deposited the tennis balls in the target was a spring cannon that used a crossbow trigger to launch the tennis balls. 

Team member Adam Honious said the team quickly realized they had to simplify their design to complete it on time.  “We used one drill motor instead of two and one spring cannon to shoot five balls instead of five cannons to shoot five balls individually,” he said.  “We made our linkages for our drive system out of wood by hand instead of spending time to machine them out of metal.”  Honious feels the team won because they made a fast, reliable robot that was well machined. 

“We learned a lot about the design process and how to scale a project to fit in a tight time frame,” Honious commented.  “The project gave us the opportunity to take the technical skills we have learned over the past three years and apply them in a team setting which has better prepared us for graduation.”

A total of 112 students competed in the Shuttle Run.  Siston says a similar competition will occur annually as a way to publicly showcase the best design projects.

 “These students worked extremely hard and did an amazing job,” Siston said.  “We should all feel proud about how they are representing the department.”