The ÂSPIRE Capstone Program was developed in partnership with the Army C5ISR Center Research & Integration Directorate (RTI). ÂSPIRE is a capstone series to foster university student development, critical thinking, team building, cross-disciplinary and cross-university projects, and Army application skills to develop future workforce for the Army C5ISR needs in research, technology and innovation.
ARMY STRATEGIC PROGRAM FOR INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENT
Collaborative Capstone Projects with the Army C5ISR Center Research & Technology Integration Directorate.
The proposed capstone program is designed for education & workforce, practical experience and collaboration with C5ISR Center RTI and ÂSPIRE community. Each of these two-semester projects consists of a team of undergraduate students supervised by the university faculty and guided by the Government, and work with the sponsor’s technical staff when possible. In general, the student team will develop an engineering design, write their results in interim reports and a final report (in the form of posters), and present their results at the RTI workshop. In the ÂSPIRE program, student teams will also present their work exclusively to the RTI management and staff. The students also have the opportunity to present their results in regional and national science & engineering student conferences and competitions.
The objectives of the capstone projects are to introduce the students to important areas of science and technology that are of interest to C5ISR applications. It prepares students to enter the workforce in government labs and in industry, get recruited as well-trained students to graduate school, and learn about research & technology in areas of interest to C5ISR Center RTI. These projects enhance interaction between the university faculty, students, RTI staff and ÂSPIRE community researchers and help guide educational and research efforts at the university towards innovation.
STANDARD DESIGN COURSE
The standard design or capstone experience for undergraduates is a two-semester course. The first semester is mainly devoted to proposal development and design for a multidisciplinary group project. The capstone design projects aim at developing engineering design skills. Elements of developing a successful design proposal are emphasized along with written communication skills, engineering professional development, technical presentation skills, developing an understanding of the societal impact of the project, and developing realistic constraints on the design based on engineering standards. In the second semester, the students implement the design proposal developed in the first semester, build a working model or prototype, write their final report, and demonstrate/present their results in oral and poster formats. In most cases, a practical working model and/or prototype demonstration is showcased to the sponsors.
COURSE LEARNING MAJOR OUTCOMES
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Test, design, determine functionality and limitations
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Write a professional engineering report
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Appreciation of engineering ethics
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Practice of the engineering design process and develop scientific skills
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Present a professional oral presentation and/or demonstration
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Skills necessary to interact as productive members of an engineering team
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Learn Army challenges by working on projects provided and sponsored by the Army
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Implement the engineering design, understand design constraints, and explore alternative designs
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Develop awareness of societal, environmental, educational, and economic issues of the engineering profession
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
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Execute STEM Capstone projects provided by the RTI technical staff
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Two workshops with C5ISR Center RTI with students for potential recruitment
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Two Industrial/Government Speakers (Tutorial) on science & technology
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Summer Internship opportunity
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Hands on training in the respective projects
PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) • George Mason University (GMU) • Old Dominion University (ODU)
Virginia Tech (VT) • Virginia State University (VSU) • Norfolk State University (NSU) • Christopher Newport University (CNU) The City College of New York (CUNY) • North Carolina Agriculture & Technical State University (NCAT)
University of Delaware (UDEL) • Texas Tech University (TTU) • Virginia Military Institute (VMI)
