Center for Engineering Design & Entrepreneurship

The Purpose

The Center for Engineering Design & Entrepreneurship provides senior students with real world engineering projects which are sponsored by private and public companies, giving our students opportunities to utilize engineering skills and interact with professional engineers.

The experience enhances the design content of the engineering programs at Gonzaga University by promoting interaction within the private and public sectors and the academic communities. The Center's mission is to organize, support and provide guidance to senior engineering student teams. These teams undertake design projects that are provided by respective sponsors from both the private and public sectors.

The Team

A project team typically consists of three to five students having a diversity of knowledge and experience that best suits the project. Together they make effective use of their available resources to perform and manage the project activities.

By working on a real engineering problem, each student has the opportunity to make decisions as part of a team and to interact with professionals in the sponsoring organizations.

Advisors

Gonzaga engineering faculty, who advise the student teams, are ideally suited as advisors. They have professional experience outside of academe. A faculty advisor lends knowledge and experience to the project team by guiding and counseling the students in the technical and managerial decisions required by the project.

Liaison Engineers

A liaison engineer from the sponsoring organization provides technical direction and advice to the student team, monitors the project's progress and ensures that the project meets the needs of the sponsor. The liaison engineer also assists the team in making the best use of the sponsor's resources and facilities.

Sponsors

Projects involving civil, computer, electrical, mechanical engineering design, and computer science are sought from prospective sponsors throughout the year. Sponsors who are supportive of engineering education provide ideas, resources, and funds for projects.

By identifying project topics and the technical areas that are of interest to them, they help direct students to realistic engineering problems that are important to their organizations.

Design Exposition Day

At the end of the academic year, a day is dedicated to the presentation of projects, during which the student design teams present their projects and reports, and demonstrate models and prototypes. Sponsors, faculty members, prospective students, and members of the community are invited to attend the event and to interact with the project teams. For the year 2013, Design Exposition Day will be Friday, May 3rd, 2013.