PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 25, No. 17, March 16, 2006

New facility to feature senior design projects

By Rick Kubetz, Office of Engineering Communications

Click photo to enlarge Photo by RIck Kubetz Lofty project Engineering student Ray Bejjani, left, works with Michael Davidsaver of the Aerial Robotics Club on an autonomously controlled helicopter at the new Engineering Student Projects Laboratory.

Tucked away on the College of Engineering campus, the new Engineering Student Projects Laboratory, 1021 W. Western Ave., Urbana, is the new home for one of the university’s most innovative undergraduate instructional programs – the Interdisciplinary Design Program, managed by the Engineering Design Council. The facility was dedicated March 10 as part of the 86th Engineering Open House.

“The Engineering Student Projects Laboratory will serve as a showroom for many of the projects completed over the past few years,” said Myron Salamon, associate dean for administrative affairs at the College of Engineering. “It will also provide dedicated workspace for current students, as well as showing our sponsors what can be accomplished.”

At the dedication, Salamon was joined by Keith Hjemlstad, associate dean for academic programs, and Harry Wildblood, chair of the Engineering Design Council. Jiang J. Yu, a junior in aerospace engineering and an active member of Engineering Initiatives, also was recognized for helping name the building as part of a student contest last fall.

Engineering students are typically required to complete a semester of hands-on, team-based work in collaboration with an industry sponsor and faculty adviser from one or more departments. The Engineering Design Council provides matching support for those projects that are interdisciplinary, involving students from several departments. Award-winning capstone projects include a hybrid electric car, the Sunrayce solar car, and a better baby bottle.

“One of the compelling features of the Senior Design Program is the opportunity for large and small firms to take advantage of the latest research and technology that is available,” Salamon said. Program sponsors include corporations such as 3M, Boeing, Caterpillar, Ford Motor Co., General Electric, Hewlett Packard, John Deere and many smaller regional companies.

“Most importantly, this is not just a showroom, but also a workspace where interdisciplinary teams can meet and work on their projects. I think this space is a reflection of the nature of Engineering at Illinois, and the variety of work being done here,” Salamon said.

While department-centered senior design projects provide valuable experiences for all students, team-based, multidisciplinary projects prepare students for the workplace.

“Students and faculty members benefit by solving problems in a real-world situation,” Wildblood said. “That environment cannot be duplicated in the classroom.”

Encompassing approximately 7,000 square feet, the laboratory includes the showroom, space for team meetings, computer workstations, plus clean and “dirty” workspaces. The Engineering Design Council, a group of representatives from each of the departments within the college, provided input on the floor plan and the building.

“Primarily, we wanted to stay flexible on how we might use the building–moveable partitions, a clean room, and open workspace,” explained Peter Lenzini, a lecturer and undergraduate advisor in civil and environmental engineering, and former Engineering Design Council chair. The intent of the building is to replace two temporary facilities, and provide a permanent space.

“The Design Council promotes interdisciplinary design which brings together different departments within the college,” Lenzini said. “The groups currently work in whatever space they can find, either in their own departments or the buildings we have. Some of these groups will be able to use the space in this new facility.”

Several projects are slated for inclusion in the new facility. The ION Cubesat project – the university’s first student-built satellite, launched in October 2005 – will be on display as well two hybrid electric vehicles – originally produced for the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Challenge and FutureCar Challenge competitions – plus a hydraulic bicycle that recently won the Parker Hannifin Chainless Challenge.

The laboratory is between Daniels Graduate Hall and the Engineering Sciences Building, just east of the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory. The new structure is an addition to the Aerodynamics Laboratory facility already on that site.

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