Alum turns panelist for capstone design reviews
Members of Team 25036 analyze a 3D model of a hydraulic mining shovel component in Caterpillar’s Virtual Reality Cave. Photo: David Rumph.
Seniors completing Interdisciplinary Capstone projects face two reviews at critical moments in their yearlong journeys to Craig M. Berge Design Day. During the preliminary and critical design reviews, conducted during the first semester of the capstone course, student teams present their projects to a panel of expert engineers, their team sponsor and faculty mentor.
“It’s arguably the most important part of the engineering design process,” said David Rumph, student leader for Team 25036. “It mimics real life.”
Participating in design reviews is a rewarding experience for panelists and sponsors too. Lloyd Becker, senior design engineer at Caterpillar and sponsor for Team 25036, loves the process of brainstorming ideas with students and watching them learn along the way.
The same feeling goes for Nicole Statler, a systems engineer at Raytheon, an RTX Business. The U of A engineering alum is a panelist whose memories of design reviews gave her insight into what Design Day judges are looking for. She tries to pass on some of the same helpful feedback that she received when she was in their shoes.
“Ultimately, Design Day is the goal, so I try to help them make it less stressful,” said Statler, who graduated in 2022 with a BS in systems engineering.
Explore how design reviews helped Rumph's team get back on track.