An Extension Service Approach to Industry-Sponsored Senior Design Projects

The Mechanical Engineering (MCHE) Department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) has recently made the commitment to focus its Senior Design course more toward solving real-world engineering design problems for local industry through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEPoL), rather than toward entering design competitions. The benefit of this change is that the students get a more realistic design experience while local industry gets the engineering support that it needs to be more competitive. During the Fall 2002 semester, MCHE students from UL Lafayette began working on two assembly-line automation projects for MEPoL clients. This paper describes the progress made and the challenges encountered as this transition from design competition to real-world projects has taken place, and focuses on the benefits of using an extension service as a vehicle for industry-sponsored projects. researchers projects 4,5,6 , little said those is of this paper.