Students: Design Clinic: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

MAJOR DESIGN EXPERIENCE

Believe it or not...

A project sponsor recently said, "Most of a project is coordinating with your team members, gathering customer information, performing design tradeoffs, and making presentations. Only a small part is the stuff you learn in a classroom."

The purpose of the Design Clinic is to give you some experience in team-work, mentor you through the systems analysis process, and help you make something useful and real.

Its a course...

As a student you participate in the Design Clinic through the "major design experience" course sequence EME 185 A & B offered by the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (although faculty from any Department or College may be involved).

Learning by doing...

Industrial sponsors provide real-world problems for you to solve as part of a team. Sponsors expect concrete help rather than theoretical analysis. You will meet twice a week with a faculty member: once for a lecture and once, as a team, for a discussion of project progress.

design students with client

Chelsea waits patiently as mechanical engineering students Nelson Dichter, Blake Summers and David Shira adjust a physical therapy device they designed
Credit: Liese Greensfelder/UC Davis photo

About the lectures...

Lectures in the first quarter cover the following:

Design cycle.
Complexity and system design; definition of systems.
Requirements and specifications in terms of performance, constraints, customer priorities, cost, and quality.
Case studies.
Defining problems and identifying critical design elements
Design issues: function, manufacturing, reliability, quality, maintenance, customer appeal. Critique of cases.
Functional analysis and interfaces: expanded statements of function, diagrams, interface issues, information flow.
Lab exercise.
Design architecture and tradeoffs: design trees and structures and tradeoff analysis methods.
Failure modes, reliability analysis, cost analysis, project scheduling.

Project presentation.

Lectures in the second quarter are adapted to issues that arise in the course of project performance. Often they use case study format, with the cases being the real projects being performed.

Course milestones...

You will work to three milestones: a concept design proposal, a preliminary design review, and a final design review. The course assumes general engineering knowledge.

What you get...

You get:

Exposure to the product development process.
Guidance and classroom instruction tightly coupled with a real problem.
A chance to cap the course work in your major with a significant project.
Practical experience using appropriate software and machine tools.
A first look at a potential employer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I do this?

Engineers make things. Here's your chance to make something. If the engineering profession is for you, you will find this great fun. Along the way, you will meet working professionals, make design tradeoffs, work from the "big picture" to actual products, and find joy in being part of a team. Which is what you will do when you graduate.

Do other people do this?

At other top engineering schools, upwards to 80% of graduating seniors complete at least one research or engineering project.

Do I have to think up my own project?

You can, but you are not expected to. Most students participate in a project found by Design Clinic faculty.

Will I get paid?

Mostly, no. The exception is a project in which a sponsor wants to retain property rights to your work. You do get academic credit. Money for project expenses will come from the Design Clinic, which is in turn supported by industrial sponsors.

Will projects take place off campus?

Most project work is done on campus, but you will probably need to go off campus to gain project specifications, design information, and customer needs.

Who gets the rights to my ideas?

Please see the "ground rules" section for information on intellectual property rights.

Questions or comments to MAE Design Clinic Web Response.

2011-07-18 15:53