Mechanical Engineering Capstone Project Guidelines for Sponsors
Real-world Capstone design projects are a vital part of the Mechanical Engineering curriculum at Rose-Hulman. Our upperclassmen work in teams of four students and value the chance to work with a client. Student teams work on design projects over three consecutive terms, with the main sequence beginning in September and ending in May.
Why be a Client for the Capstone Project?
- Fresh Perspectives – Creative, energetic students bring new ideas and approaches
- Innovative Solutions – Explore back-burner or exploratory projects with low cost and risk
- Talent Pipeline – Engage with motivated students preparing for professional engineering careers
- Expert Guidance – Faculty mentors oversee the students’ progress from an academic perspective
- Resources & Facilities – Access Rose-Hulman’s state-of-the-art prototyping and testing facilities
Characteristics of Great Capstone Projects
- Project that improves your workflow or saves you time
- Scope is comparable to a project given to an entry-level engineer
- Allow multiple solutions that are acceptable to the client
- Give students autonomy to design, build, and test solutions
- Projects with realistic solutions involving proven technologies
Projects to Avoid
- Critical path projects for your company
- A research project with unsolved technical challenges
- Project that relies heavily on proprietary material or trade secrets
- Project that requires machines or instrumentation that are not available at Rose-Hulman
Expectations from a Client
- Provide a client representative to clarify the project's expected outcomes and provide timely feedback
- Commit a minimum of an hour every other week
- Regular communication is essential for project success
- Clients should be aware that not all projects end successfully, and sometimes students fail. This is a learning environment, and we cannot guarantee success.
- Clients are expected to support the costs associated with the project (for more information, reach out to mecapstone@rose-hulman.edu)
Responsibilities of the Rose-Hulman team (Students & Instructor)
- Typically, teams of four students are assigned to each project.
- ME Capstone Design Faculty provides individual attention and support to our project teams
- They oversee the teams’ progress from an academic perspective.
- Students are expected to make substantial weekly progress on the project
- Estimated work expectation is ~ 12 hours/week for each student for approximately 28 weeks in total
- Project deliverables
- Quarter 1: Project proposal presentation and preliminary design report
- Quarter 2: Detailed design and Budget approval presentation
- Quarter 3: Final Design Review and project hand off
Figure 1. Approximate timeline for mechanical engineering Capstone
ME Capstone Timeline
Project proposals should be submitted by August 1. The projects will be officially accepted and assigned to students in September. Most projects start in September, but a few start in March and finish in February.
In the meantime, faculty may contact sponsors for additional information. Students begin working on their senior design projects in September and follow project timelines through May. We are on a quarter system, so there will be three major milestones/deliverables at the end of each quarter (the week before Thanksgiving, the third week of February, and the second week of May). The students showcase their work by presenting these projects at our Capstone Design expo, the ‘Rose Show’. The projects that require a non-disclosure agreement will not be presented in a public setting.
Ready to submit your project idea? Click here!
For funding information or any questions, please contact the mechanical engineering capstone coordinator, Dr. Shraddha Sangelkar.
Benefits of Sponsoring a Team
- Impact the learning of students
- Promote your culture
- Get a new perspective on a problem
Call for Community-Based ME Capstone Projects
The Mechanical Engineering Capstone Program is currently seeking meaningful, community-based projects for the upcoming academic year. Our students value the opportunity to support positive change by creating innovations that build on existing strengths within our local community. We are especially interested in working with persons with disabilities, historically marginalized groups, and groups experiencing disadvantages within the Wabash Valley.
We invite organizations (ideally municipal or non-profit) and individuals to submit project proposals. Additionally, we invite folks to connect us with individuals or organizations who may benefit from student-led engineering solutions. If you know someone who could benefit from a Mechanical Engineering Capstone project, please contact Shraddha Sangelkar ( mecapstone@rose-hulman.edu) by August 1st.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we can offer funding support for select community-service minded projects. We strongly encourage clients to provide financial support for their projects when possible. This investment not only helps offset project costs and sustain this model of engagement but also promotes a stronger sense of ownership and commitment to the project's success.
Community-based project example: In the 2024-2025 academic year a mechanical engineering student team (Emily Buchta, Cole Chmielewski, Libby Smith, and Cate Stauffer) designed a stream table for the Montessori Academy of Terre Haute. This stream table enables Montessori students to have an interactive experience while learning about environmental science topics.
