Mechanical Engineering
Solutions Center
Overview
Solutions Center is an industry-academic-government partnership within the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Lyles College of Engineering at California State University, Fresno. Solutions Center is a proven concept in engineering education, fostering innovative, technical collaborations with business, industry, and government agencies. The Center brings real-world projects to undergraduate students in mechanical engineering at California State University, Fresno, where integrated teams of 3 to 7 undergraduate students, a faculty advisor, and an industry point person develop workable solutions. Student teams work on selected projects in two modes:
a) Senior Design Capstone Project: Projects take place in two consecutive semesters within two linked courses (ME135 and ME155) and deliver tested, functional hardware and documentation to the sponsor at the completion of the project.
b) Embedded Project: Projects take place in one semester within a single course and typically deliver documentation to the sponsor at the completion of the project.
Some Projects in Action
Important Dates for Solutions Center
Senior Design Capstone Projects
- 1st week of April: Project Concept
- 1st week of June: Project Concept: Full capstone project information form (PIF) with budget and invoicing form
- 1st week of August: Full payment
- Early September (Fall Semester): Project start, ME135 – Sr Capstone Design 1
- Early May (Spring Semester): Project end, ME155 – Sr Capstone Design 2
Embedded Projects
- 1st three weeks of semester prior to project: Project concept
- 2nd three weeks of semester prior to project: Full project information form (PIF) with budget and invoicing form-second three weeks
- Before last week of semester prior to project: Full payment
- 2nd week of semester: Project start
- Last week of semester: Project end