In order to provide a real-world design experience in an educational environment, the UCSD Mechanical Engineering capstone design course solicits projects from industry, research, and the community. Teams of 3-6 students are given an open-ended design problem, and at the end of the 15 week design period, deliver a working prototype to the sponsor. Project topics can be interdisciplinary and have included electromechanical, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and computer control. High levels of student motivation and creativity have lead to award winning design solutions that have been adapted by the sponsoring companies as part of their products or manufacturing processes. One can browse examples of prior projects to get a sense of the scope of the projects.

   The cost of sponsoring a project covers materials and shop expenses. Typical overall budgets range from $2,000 to $10,000. Students elect to work on industry projects, and assign patents rights to the sponsoring company. Complete project guidelines and other information is available by emailingmae156b-admin@mae.ucsd.edu. Projects are initiated twice a year.