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:
- 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.
- 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