Supporting a Capstone Project

Support of Collaborative Experiences (CoEx) offers a unique platform to tap into a symbiotic relationship.

Industry partners can form close connections with students much in the same way an internship does, while students gain invaluable real-world experience and industry exposure. Support also comes with the added benefit of name recognition and student exposure to what your company does and what it has to offer as a potential employer.

Real World Experience in the Classroom

The intent of a Collaborative Experiences Capstone Course is to simulate an engineering consulting firm as much as possible in an academic setting. Just like in industry, students will have opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary projects. Project teams will consist of 3-8 students, a faculty advisor, and an industry advisor as well as be a mix of on campus and online students to simulate today's job market where video conferencing and distance collaboration are part of normal day-to-day life. A typical estimate for a project team's work output is about 250 hours per student over two semesters.

Benefits of CoEx

Name Recognition

Supporting these experiences connects your company directly with our students. It gives your company a chance to show future hires what your company is about and what kinds of amazing things that you are doing there. With today's engineering internship market as competitive as it is, companies need more options to get the word out about who they are and what they do. Supporting a Collaborative Experience does just that. Then as name recognition grows, so will your applications for internships and full-time positions.

CoEx Capstone Sponsorship

The sponsorship to cover the cost of participation is $7,500 and it covers both semesters of the program. This sponsorship does not cover the budget for the project and the procurement of materials or equipment, which is the responsibility of the supporter based on agreed budgetary constraints in the application form. A CoEx capstone sponsorship invoice will be sent to the supporter once this document is finalized and signed by the supporter, the project is accepted by the program and staffed for the upcoming fall semester.

Please note, as sponsorship to a non-profit educational program, results cannot be guaranteed, and the project work should not be considered contract engineering.

Project Budget Funds

It is recommended that the project's budget be administered by the industry supporter. This will give the supporter the greatest control over project-related expenditures like materials, travel, expenses, etc., as well as give the students an opportunity to experience what procurement processes are like in industry. If a supporter wants CEM to administer the project budget, additional funds to cover the budget along with at 20% administration fee will need to be sent to College of Engineering and Mines Finance Department. Note: this is separate from the sponsorship of $7,500.

Intellectual Property

Supporters should identify any proprietary material before the project begins. The CoEx teams and CEM respect all proprietary information and possess extensive experience managing sensitive data. Any additional non-disclosure or IP agreements must follow UND policies.

CoEx Timeline

Our goal is to have fall semester projects defined by the first week of August of any academic year. There are a limited number of slots, projects are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and once sold out, a project will be put on a waiting list for the following semester.

Before the Start of Fall Semester

• Industry partner decides to support a Collaborative Experience Capstone Project at CEM
• UND Collaborative Experiences Sponsorship Application is sent to CEM by the industry partner
• Capstone instructor works with industry partner to develop a project description with specifications and criteria for success for the project as well as any NDAs or other intellectual property documents
  • Ideally completed by the first week of August

Fall Semester

Semester Kickoff

• During the first week of class, students apply to their top five projects that they are interested in with resume, cover letter and application file.
• Typically the last week of August
• During the second week of class, resumes and cover letters will be given to industry partners. Partners will then have that week to tabulate a list of students that they are interested in.
• By the middle of the third week, project teams are established, introductions are made to the industry advisor(s) as well as the faculty advisor.
• Weekly meeting times are established.
• A charter is created with all the pertinent information for the project, including specifications, criteria for success, deliverables, estimated timelines and stakeholder registry.
• By the fourth week of class, projects should be underway.

Mid Fall Semester

• Preliminary design review (PDR) should be conducted.
• Mid-semester presentation
• Mid-semester evaluation by industry and faculty advisor(s).

Late Fall Semester

• Critical design review (CDR) should be conducted.
• Bill of materials, funding requests and material procurement conducted.
  • Recommended estimated time early November

End of Fall Semester

• Semester final presentation
• Semester final report
• Industry and faculty advisors evaluations
• Semester project wrap-up

Spring Semester

Beginning of Spring Semester

• Continue work on project
• Complete any fabrication and/or testing required

Mid Spring Semester

• Continue work on project
• Mid-semester presentation
• Mid-semester industry and faculty advisors evaluations

Late Spring Semester

• Complete project
• Prepare all documents and files for knowledge transfer

End of Spring Semester

• Semester final presentation
• Semester final report
• Conduct and document any transfer of project materials including fabricated items when applicable.
• Final industry and faculty advisors evaluations

CoEx Project Application

Our goal is to have fall semester projects defined by the first week of August of any academic year. There are a limited number of slots, projects are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and once sold out, a project will be put on a waiting list for the following semester.

How to Apply

• Download the UND Collaborative Experiences Sponsorship Application
• Complete the application and return to the Collaborative Experiences Director, Dominik Steinhauer
• The application requires:
  • Technical and financial representative contact information.
  • A brief project description with expected objectives.
    • Students use these descriptions to select their preferences, and faculty use them to develop staffing plans. Examples from completed forms from past projects can be viewed at the links below.
• Once CEM approves the application, the Finance Department will send an invoice for payment. If you need assistance defining your project scope or success criteria, please contact the Collaborative Experiences Director.