Design Expo FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can't find the answer you're looking for here? Contact engin-mdp@umich.edu!

It is material/information that may be protected under the patent, trademark, and/or copyright laws. Intellectual Property projects will typically require you and your team to sign a confidentiality agreement at the beginning of the term. Always review this condition with your instructor and sponsor before registering for Design Expo.
Your project will have a scheduled “presentation time” on the day of Design Expo in a private conference room. Your presentation time will be scheduled by your faculty or by the Design Expo coordinator. Typically, faculty will schedule presentation times. This will also mean that your project will not be displayed for the public. Again, confirm with your faculty member before registering for Design Expo as an IP project.
Your team will receive an easel only.
Your team will receive a table, table cover and an easel. In the event that space is limited in your section, you may find it helpful to put the easel on your table along with any display prototypes.
Yes, power strips and extension cords will be provided for teams who indicate that electricity is required. Every effort is made to locate your project adjacent to an electric outlet. All cords must be secured to the floor to avoid hazards (tape will be provided). All cords, power strips, and tape must be returned to the Design Expo coordinator by 4pm on the day of the Design Expo. Plan for this.
Yes, your poster should be mounted on poster board or form core. There are several locations on North Campus that will do this including Ground Works, the Duderstadt 3D Center, and Fed Ex. Ground Works | phone number: (734) 647-5739 | groundworks@umich.edu Duderstadt 3D Center | phone number: (734) 615-9699 | emaslows@umich.edu Fed Ex (2609 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor) | phone number: (734) 996-0050 | usa0465@fedex.com
Teams can arrive to set-up anytime between 9 am – 11:45 am. Design Expo starts promptly at 12pm. All projects must be set and ready to display by 12 pm.
Each team will be assigned a specific easel/table and location in the Expo areas. You will be notified of your location within 7 days of the Expo. Your easel/table will be labeled with your name and number.
This is a project that will not fit on a 4'×2' table. However, if your project is very large/heavy (larger than 10’x10x10’ or exceeds 250 lbs.) you may need to coordinate your delivery time with the Design Expo coordinator.
The size of your poster depends on your course. Please check with your faculty/GSI about the size. We recommend posters be no larger than 48” x 36”.

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ENGR 456

ENGR 456: Mentorship/Leadership Experience

Prior to ENGR 456:

Students should have completed a minimum of two semesters of significant, curricular participation on team/organization in multidisciplinary engineering design at the 300 level or above.

Role within host organization:

Students take on the role of leader or mentor focusing on engineering, engineering instruction and/or engineering design. Ideally the organization they mentor will be the same as their multi-term project; however, other outside organizations could be allowed by petition (this is often the case if the multi-term project organization no longer exists).

Examples include:

    • Leadership role within a student competition team (Chief Engineer, Subteam Lead, senior member)
    • Mentor for MDP-organized partner sponsored projects, leadership position within faculty research groups
    • Mentor/instructor to a Michigan Engineering Zone team
    • Class mentor for ME 350
    • FIRST Robotics mentor

Mentoring portion:

Please note that organizations may have requirements in addition to those listed below and a student may have personal goals which they wish to pursue.

Requirements:

    • Define a set of goals (2 minimum) that support the objectives of the host organization. The goals must be focused on the transfer of engineering skills/knowledge, development of people, development /improvement of the organization’s structure or capability, and/or the improvement of processes within the engineering organization. This experience may not be defined in terms of delivering an engineering technical function.  These goals are detailed in first writing assignment of the seminar.
    • Work toward achieving their goals while reflecting upon their personal experience obtained in their MDP multi-term project, their engineering education as a whole, and content (e.g., models and framework) presented in the seminar portion of the course.
    • The effort required is 54 hours (equivalent to 4 hours per week/14 weeks).
    • The achievement/effort is evaluated on a pass/fail basis.
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Requirements to earn credit on an MDP Project for ISD 503 Credit

ISD Requirements for earning 503 credit on an MDP project team:

  1. Good academic standing through the entire 2 semester project requirement
    1. Completed minimum 18 credits prior to semester with 503 enrollment  (Fall 2018 for the 2018 MDP cohort).
    2. Students may not receive 503 credit based on the 1st semester of an MDP 2-semester project.
  2. Both the MDP Faculty Mentor and the ISD Program Director must approve student’s individual project proposal. Projects proposals may be written any time after the MDP Team’s Requirements Design Review has been completed (typically mid-February). The MDP Faculty Mentor will function as the ISD Faculty Advisor.
  3. The student is solely responsible for completing the proposal paperwork and correctly submitting to all parties, first to MDP Faculty Mentor and then to the correct ISD Grad Program Coordinator (who will send it to the Program Director).

Degree Programs and Graduate Program Coordinators:

Program Course Program Director Grad Program Coordinator
Automotive Engineering AUTO 503 Jim Freudenberg Ronda Hamilton
Energy Systems Engineering ESENG 503 Suljo Linic Ronda Hamilton
Global Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering AUTO 503 or MFG 503 Pingsha Dong Kathy Bishar
Program in Manufacturing MFG 503 Judy Jin Kathy Bishar
Systems Engineering and Design ISD 503 Robert Bordley Gail Carr
  1. The student must receive approval for the 503 proposal from the ISD Program Director no later July 1 prior to the semester where they will utilize the substitution.   (Students are strongly encouraged to plan ahead.)
  2. Project proposals must be submitted and approved before a student may register for 503.
  3. In order to receive a Satisfactory Grade in 503, MDP Students must receive a grade of ENGR 599 with B- or better AND receive a Satisfactory Grade on their final report.
  4. 503 students must fulfill all MDP team requirements whilst enrolled in 503.

MDP Requirements

  1. Participation in “JumpStart” workshop (early January).
  2. Successful completion of all project assignments (Design Reviews, Peer Evaluations, Workshops, Poster Sessions, etc.).
  3. Consistent, successful, weekly team participation
  4. Average 8 hours effort / week

Term

Course Enrollment / Actions

Grade end of Winter Term

Grade end of Fall Term

 Winter    2017

ENGR 599, 1 Credit Hour

Grade: “Y” – Placeholder Grade for Winter Term. This converts to a letter grade at the end of the Fall Term.

  Letter Grade for ENGR 599, 1 credit placed in the   transcript in Winter term

 Summer  2017

Submit 503 Proposal to ISD (Due July 1, 2017) 
 Fall 2017

IF APPROVED: Enroll in XXX 503, 3 Credit Hours

Grade 503 S/U

IF NOT APPROVED: Enroll in ENGR 599, 3 Credit Hours

Letter Grade for ENGR 599, 3 Credits Fall  term
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Requirements to earn credit on an MDP Project for ME Technical Elective Credit

ME 290, 390 or 490 (Technical Elective) Substitution Information

Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors may utilize Mechanical Engineering RISE projects (ME 290, 390, or 490) for one semester (3 credits) of their two-semester (7 credits total) requirement in MDP Partner Sponsored Projects. Students who successfully complete all requirements of ME 490 are able to count it for Technical Elective 1 or Specialization Elective credit from the ME department.

In order to substitute ME x90 for ENGR x55 students must complete all requirements of both courses.

Click here to view all ME 490-eligible projects.

 

Instructions to ME Substitution

To receive ME department credit for MDP projects, students must fulfill all x90 requirements. Students are responsible for recruiting ME faculty member as their x90 instructor, enrolling in the appropriate x90 section and meeting weekly with their x90 instructor for project guidance.  Students are responsible for properly submitting their RISE proposal, and acquiring approval by posted deadlines.  Projects must involve significant ME content and may not be “build only” or project management.  To meet this requirement, students may need to extend their MDP project scope.  For credit, students must participate in MEUS (ME UG symposium).  If project has IP restrictions that constrains public presentations, students must indicate this at time of the proposal and work with the department for accommodations to meet x90 final requirements.

 

Proposal Process:

Students are solely responsible for the following items:

  1. Students must professionally request and be accepted by an ME Faculty member who will oversee their work as their ME Rise Faculty Mentor.  Participation in the RISE program is at the discretion of the ME faculty.
  2. Students must enroll in the appropriate ME x90 section for their ME instructor for the fall term
  3. Students must complete the RISE proposal process. Student must submit a proposal to the RISE website.  RISE proposals must be approved by MDP faculty mentor before being sent to the ME RISE faculty mentor. Work must support the objectives of the MDP team.  For the RISE proposal, your project must have significant ME content and may not be “build only” or project management. To meet this requirement, students may need to extend their MDP project scope per guidance of their ME faculty mentor.
  4. RISE proposals are submitted to ME via the RISE website, after which they go through an approval process by your ME faculty mentor and ME department.  Your project may require iteration before being fully accepted.  Student must submit and receive approval for their x90 course before the add/drop deadline in Fall Semester. Please refer to the RISE page for department deadlines.
  5. Students must indicate any IP/NDA requirements of their project in their RISE proposal. Students are not allowed to publically present work controlled under an IP/NDA agreement. Students must work with the ME Undergraduate Chair to make accommodations for this case (such as substituting a paper and presentation to only the RISE mentor and ME UG Chair) and get approval during the proposal stage.
  6. Students who fail to obtain approval for a ME x90 proposal will complete the 2nd semester of their MDP project in the appropriate ENGR x55 course.  Please note that ENGRx55 will not count as technical or specialization elective credit in Mechanical Engineering.  For technical elective 1 or specialization elective credit in Mechanical engineering, students must have approval for their RISE project and properly complete all RISE requirement.

Please see the ME RISE website for more information on the RISE requirements and process.

 

Sample Enrollment Schedules

Seniors

Winter Semester Summer Fall Semester
ENGR 355 or 455

Depending on credit hours

completed/standing

4 Credit Hours

 ME 490 Proposal Approval

must be received &

ME Faculty Member

must be identified by the beginning of August.

 If Proposal is Approved and an ME Faculty Mentor is found: ME 490 – Technical Elective

If Proposal is NOT approved: ENGR 455

3 Credit Hours

Juniors

Winter Semester Summer Fall Semester
ENGR 355 or 455

Depending on credit hours

completed/standing

4 Credit Hours

 ME 390 Proposal

Approval must be received & ME Faculty Member

must be identified

identified by the beginning of August.

 If Proposal is Approved and an ME

Faculty Mentor is found: ME 390

If Proposal is NOT approved: ENGR 355 or 455 depending on credit hours completed/standing.

3 Credit Hours

Sophomores

Winter Semester Summer Fall Semester
ENGR 355 or 455

Depending on credit hours

completed/standing

4 Credit Hours

 ME 290 Proposal

Approval must be received & ME Faculty Member must be identified

by identified by the beginning of August.

 If Proposal is Approved and an ME Faculty Mentor is found: ME 290

If Proposal is NOT approved: ENGR

255 or 355 depending on credit hours

completed/standing

3 Credit Hours

Please see the ME RISE website for more information on the RISE requirements and process.

 

Click here to view all ME 490-eligible projects.

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Student Initiated Project Teams

Requirements for credit for students seeking to earn credit through the ENGR x55 courses through a newly-forming group of students.

Through the Multidisciplinary Design Program, Michigan engineering students have an opportunity to earn credit for their engineering experiences outside of their normal curriculum study. Engineering teams and engineering organization activities provide an avenue for students to earn engineering credit while working on real world problems on a team of other UM students.

In order to earn academic credit for work on a student-initiated design team, teams must meet the following requirements:

  • Team must be student-initiated, Engineering-focused design team; with at least 3 unique majors represented.
  • Team must secure a faculty member to provide the credit.
  • Team must provide a team proposal, including the following things:
    • a team assignment for what your team will be accomplishing this year
    • stating why you choose to curricularize/have your team earn credit
    • the team structure/org chart/ideally in pictoral format (and how they relate to others in the team)
    • overall team objective/impact statement
    • plan for execution
    • timeline estimate
    • identify customers/clients/users (who team is delivering to); who would evaluate you (team lead/faculty/subteam lead)?
  • After your team is approved, each member of the team will need to complete an individual credit proposal form and provide to your faculty advisor and the MDP academic advisor (Megan Langille; mlangill@umich.edu).
  • Team MUST do a Design Review – this is not a final report, but an opportunity to pull in people who can give you feedback that you can act on; can be at any time, scheduled for when makes sense for your team [can also do them for just your subteam]).
  • Suggested timeline:
    Team Action Timeline Example Date
    Confirm faculty mentor Early/mid-semester
    before earning credit    		 October or February
    Complete team proposal and email to MDP (to be approved by MDP Director) Mid-semester before earning credit with MDP November or March
    Complete individual proposals Before/during backpacking Mid-November or Mid-March
    Receive approval and course override from MDP Before the Add/Drop deadline December or April

In order to receive credit for their design experience, students are required to develop a proposal during the beginning of their activities a gain the approval through the Multidisciplinary Design Program.

The proposal should have the following components:

  • For each credit hour students are expected to spend 3-4 hours per week on the project. Provide an indication of time expenditures during the semester. This is a general estimate of an average week, and may vary widely during the course of the project.
  • The students should make a specific proposal of what they want to accomplish during the semester. Specific contributions to the project are much more important than time allocation estimates, and the bulk of the proposal should be spent in this area.
  • The students should propose peers who might provide input on their accomplishments.
  • The students will need to demonstrate what they achieved; either through a formal portfolio, the Design Reviews, or individual meetings. The proposal should outline how students will document their work.
  • Students are required to establish a meeting schedule with the faculty member to monitor progress.

After the proposal is developed it must be approved by the student team’s faculty member and/or a member of the faculty associated with the Multidisciplinary Design Program.

Click to see an example of a Student Initiated Team Proposal

(NOTE: This proposal is being shared with the author’s permission)

Please contact Megan Langille (mlangill@umich.edu), Academic Advisor for MDP, with any questions.

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