ME 4054 Advisor MeetingME 4054 Advisor MeetingSeptember 4, 2008September 4, 2008

Prof. Thomas R. ChaseProf. Thomas R. Chase

Mechanical EngineeringMechanical Engineering

University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota

OutlineOutline

Quick introduction Overview of the course Advisor’s responsibilities Suggestions on advising a team

Goals of the courseGoals of the course

Provide real-world design experience for students

Generate value for sponsor Teach a formal design process

Course structureCourse structure

Teams of 4-5 students work on your project for 14 weeks

Weekly lectures that cover design process About 12 hrs/week/student effort on your

project Common deliverables

Design ProcessDesign Process

Example Portion of aExample Portion of aProduct Design SpecificationProduct Design Specification

Example Concept Selection ChartExample Concept Selection Chart

What you need to doWhat you need to do Weekly

Meet with your team onceReview Technical Memos (& draft deliverables)

Midway throughAttend mid-project reviews (October 21 or 23)Review notebooksAssign mid-course gradeAttend site visit (11/11 or 13) or poster review (11/25)

At endAttend Design Show as jury member (Dec 9)Read final report (Dec 9-14)Review notebooksSuggest gradesAttend grading meeting (Dec 15)

LogisticsLogistics

Parking procedures Bring parking ticket (UMN ramps only) to Patricia Meyer (Room

240) for stamping

Meeting roomsSee “Teams” link on main course page

Project $Industry projects pay their own prototyping costs, work out

reimbursement/ payment methods with studentsFaculty projects allocated $100 for prototyping, students must get

authorization from advisors & submit to TA

Intellectual propertyIntellectual property

If nothing done up front, IP belongs to student inventors

May have students assign IP rights to company, alert them at first meeting

OK to have students sign non-disclosure agreements, but they should be allowed to present at mid-semester review, final report, and Design Show

Approved forms at: http://www.me.umn.edu/education/courses/me4054/agreements

If U-sponsored research projects, IP belongs to U

Contents of Advisor PakContents of Advisor Pak

1. Welcome Letter

2. 1-Page “Adviser’s Guide”

3. Student Info (Schedule & Syllabus)

4. Project Descriptions

5. “First Meeting Agenda” (for 1st team mtg)

6. “Team Responsibilities” (for 1st team mtg)

How should I run my first meeting?How should I run my first meeting? You lead the first meeting (it’s the only one that you

lead) Present project background Walk thru “First Meeting Agenda” (tech memos,

notebooks, …) Go over “Team Responsibilities” form (agenda item 2) Clarify that you expect a process (presented in lecture)

and modeling to back up the final product Assign Action Items: Gather customer requirements Students develop draft mission statement after you

leave

How are later meetings run?How are later meetings run?

Team leader prepares agenda; scribe takes notes (if leader rotates, last week’s scribe = this week’s facilitator; otherwise, rotate scribe)

Give team space…but keep on track Facilitate access to experts and information Team should develop all deliverables

(specifications, etc.), but they should be approved by you

If needed, recruit coordinator to be the “heavy hand”

GradesGrades

Team grading (A through C)Quality of design

Quality of reports and presentation

Individual grading (+/- from team grade)Overall contribution to the project

Understanding of design process

ME 4054W DESIGN PROJECTSME 4054W DESIGN PROJECTSFall 2008Fall 2008

Advisor Pack Contents:Advisor Pack Contents:1. Adviser’s Guide1. Adviser’s Guide2. Student first-day info packet2. Student first-day info packet3. Project List3. Project List4. Suggested “First Meeting Agenda”4. Suggested “First Meeting Agenda”5. Suggested “Team Responsibilities” forms (rotating or fixed leader)5. Suggested “Team Responsibilities” forms (rotating or fixed leader)

ME 4054 Staff:Thomas R. Chase (Coordinator) trchase@me.umn.edu, 612-625-0308Emily Robin-Abbott (TA) robi0175@me.umn.eduPatricia Meyer (Course Assistant) pmeyer@me.umn.edu, 612-625-6715

Important dates:September 4, 2008 Project kick-off meetingsOct 21-23, 2008 Mid-semester review presentationsNov 11, 13 or 25, 2008 Poster Show or Site VisitDec 9, 2008 Design Show (Report submitted Dec 9)Dec 15, 2008 Advisors grading meeting