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Computer Engineering Design Projects in Collaboration With Industry Sponsored Competitions

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Conference

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Atlanta, Georgia

Publication Date

June 23, 2013

Start Date

June 23, 2013

End Date

June 26, 2013

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Education (DEED) Engineering Poster Session

Tagged Division

Design in Engineering Education

Page Count

13

Page Numbers

23.320.1 - 23.320.13

DOI

10.18260/1-2--19334

Permanent URL

https://sftp.asee.org/19334

Download Count

364

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Paper Authors

biography

Robert A. Meyer Clarkson University

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Robert Meyer is an associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clarkson University. He teaches courses in digital systems design, software engineering, and the senior design course for Comuter Engineers. His research interests are in embedded systems and digital signal processing.

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John McLellan Freescale Semiconductor

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Mr. John McLellan is the North American coordinator of University Programs at Freescale Semiconductor Inc., a global embedded solutions company. The program works with over 600 universities world-wide to provide the latest tools and support so that students knowledgeably enter the high-tech workforce. While at Freescale, McLellan helped to build a portfolio of academic oriented, project-based student learning kits, support curricula, and competitions to facilitate academic innovation and invigoration. McLellan holds a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Texas A&M University.

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Jeffrey S Sumey California University of Pennsylvania

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Prof. Jeffrey Sumey is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Engineering and Technology at California University of Pennsylvania. He is program coordinator for the Computer Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology programs and teaches digital, microprocessor, and robotics design courses. His research interests are in embedded control systems, data networking and real-time operating systems, and robotic applications. He has been active in recent years with grant projects sponsored by ONR and NASA involving data gathering technologies.

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Abstract

Computer Engineering Capstone Design Projects in Collaboration With Industry Sponsored CompetitionsWe present an effective collaboration between universities and industry in capstone designprojects for computer engineering programs. For the past two years we have aligned our seniorcapstone design project in computer engineering with participation in a competition sponsoredby XXX Corporation which challenges students to design an autonomous model race car whichmust follow a black line track as fast as possible. These competitions are held in severallocations around the world including regional competitions in the United States.Our capstone senior design project is a one semester, six credit hour course, in which studentsmust work as a team to design, build, test and compete against other teams with their finalproduct. We have a local competition which is then followed by one of the XXX sponsoredregional competitions. For the local competition, students must also specify optionalenhancements to the functions of the model car and demonstrate the successful implementationof these additions.Capstone design projects often have several objectives in addition to providing students with amajor design experience, including fostering the development of teamwork skills and providingan opportunity to work on a multidisciplinary project. Assessment of student achievement ofobjectives is done during the course at key milestones and at the conclusion. The assessmentprocess is done by the instructor, by peer evaluation among the students, and by student self-assessment. The paper will discuss the details of our objectives, the assessment process andpresent data from the previous two years.Collaboration with an industrial partner provides some unique advantages to the overall projectdesign experience for the students. The XXX Corporation has packaged the mechanical,electrical, and software components that make up the core hardware platform and provides theseto the university at a substantial discount. The University provides students with a budget thatmay be used for purchase of additional components such as sensors. Participation in thesponsored event is optional but serves as an excellent motivator for students to receiverecognition and earn prizes. A web site dedicated to these competitions is maintained by XXXand includes tutorials on each of the problem areas that must be addressed in designing asuccessful project. The web site fosters a sense of community among the students with otherteams at universities worldwide. Students and faculty are able to post questions, responses, andnew ideas for enhancements. The web site is a valuable resource for learning and crossfertilization among the teams.

Meyer, R. A., & McLellan, J., & Sumey, J. S. (2013, June), Computer Engineering Design Projects in Collaboration With Industry Sponsored Competitions Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19334

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