A unique senior capstone course is providing aviation students with international problem-solving experience for real-world clients.

A team of students from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) visited Purdue University for a week during a semester-long collaboration with students in AT 49000, an international capstone course in Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology.

Thirty student teams in Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Engineering Technology will give poster presentations about their industry-sponsored senior capstone projects on Friday, December 8, in the Purdue Memorial Union’s south ballroom.

Each team designs and builds projects throughout the fall and spring semesters. Most capstone projects require the improvement of a process to increase safety, efficiency, or automation for an industry customer.

A new 3-D version of Fort Ouiatenon created by students in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology (CGT) provides the most accurate representation ever created of what the historical site may have looked like, and the project could be the first of several collaborations between CGT and the Tippecanoe County Historical Association.

Student teams in Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Engineering Technology will present the results of nearly 40 industry-sponsored senior capstone projects on Friday, April 28, in the Ross Enterprise Center at the Purdue Research Park. Students worked to design and build their projects throughout the fall and spring semesters. 

The senior capstone course for School of Engineering Technology students has grown from three projects in its first year to 33 in its current and third year. The college plans to create similar experiences for seniors in its other departments, and they will look to this course's success as a model for implementation

From assisting the Air Force with the design of a portable heavy lift device to prototyping an entrepreneur’s seat belt “Buckle Buddies,” seniors in the mechanical and electrical engineering technology programs are being asked to solve industry problems as part of their yearlong capstone experience.