ENGR 490

Multi-Disciplinary Capstone Design Project

Fall/Winter 2024-25

Course Instructor: Krzysztof (Chris) Skonieczny, Associate Professor

e-mail : [email protected]
Office : EV12.187

Office Hours: Mondays 14:00-15:00

Tutorials: N/A

Labs: N/A

Course Calendar Description:

Students work on a supervised team project to solve a complex interdisciplinary design problem. The
project is completed by a team of students from at least two different departments in Gina Cody School
of Engineering and Computer Science. The project must provide clear goals for each
discipline‑specific task and each student must have sufficient exposure to subjects in their program of
study. Student eligibility and project topics for this course are subject to approval by the ENGR 490
Design Committee, which includes a member from each department in Gina Cody School of
Engineering and Computer Science that offers undergraduate programs. This committee vets each
project to ensure the clarity and scope of the goals and its relevance to the learning outcomes of students
from each discipline.

The project is carried out over both Fall and Winter terms. Students are expected to provide a
preliminary project proposal, a progress and a final report (as a group); take part in group discussions
in audit sessions during the design phase; and participate in a poster session involving individual oral
presentations at the end of the Winter term. In addition to the technical aspects, students are expected
to learn how to evaluate their designs for compliance to regulations, environmental and societal
expectations and economic issues. Students learn how to work in a multidisciplinary environment and
receive exposure to entrepreneurial skills.

Prerequisites: Eligibility to register in one of these courses: AERO 490, BLDG 490, CIVI 490, COEN
490, ELEC 490, INDU 490, MECH 490, SOEN 490 or COMP 490.

NOTE: Students work in groups under direct supervision of a faculty member.

Co-requisites: N/A

Specific Knowledge and Skills Needed for this Course:

Engineering Design, Engineering Analysis, Teamwork, Project Management

Course materials
Required Textbook: N/A
Grading Scheme
Tasks Expected Due dates Grading
Group formation and preliminary project proposal Groups are already
• Groups determined.
• Faculty supervisors By Sept. 16, all groups
• Justification for the interdisciplinary nature must find a faculty
• Industry partners and support letter (if any) supervisor.
Formal project proposal which includes: Sept 26 5%
• Objectives
• Potential application areas / customers
• Current or potential competitors
• Product main features/specifications
• Validation/demo plan
• Design methodology and schedule Gantt chart
• Main risks
Detailed design report Dec 2 10%
• Alternative solutions
• Evaluation of alternatives
• Candidate solution that best serves the objectives
• Simulations, technical drawings, layouts, etc.
• ELSEE analysis

Bi-weekly presentations (attendance is required) Throughout the 35%

• What were the objectives for the previous two academic year
weeks
• Progress in past two weeks for each group
member
• What are the plans for the next two weeks

Progress demo Mid-February 5%

• Prototype
• Computer Simulations
• Physical mockups, subsystem assembly, etc.
Evaluation of design with respect to:
• Ethics and equity
And impact on:
• Society
• Environment
Final project report and presentations/demos First week of April 35%
• Working prototype of the best alternative
• Evaluation of the project with respect to its
compliance to design objectives
• Manufacturing process and cost of manufacturing
or: Dissemination cost (for software projects)
• Engineering critique: An analysis of differences
between original design and the final product
• Entrepreneurship opportunities
• Potential customers
• Potential investors
• Funding sources
• IP and patent issues
• Competitors/Benchmarking
• Life-cycle analysis
• ELSEE analysis

ELSEE Analysis according to the guidance given by Dr. Must be completed 5%

Farrah Fayyaz prior to final
presentation
All students must attend at least two events from Law 5%
Meets Engineering Lecture Series

Tentative Course Schedule

Lectures: Sept 6, 20, Mar 28
Invited guests: Sept 20, Mar 28
Regular student progress presentations: throughout academic year

Lab Details
Resource Contact person(s) Contact Information
EDML Michael Rembacz, Engineer [email protected]
in Residence – Mechanical,
Design, Engineering, Testing
& Manufacturing
consultation
Makers Space Alexis Gosselin, [email protected]
Coordinator
Aerospace Amir Jalini, Engineering in [email protected]
Residence, Aerospace
Electrical and Computer Dmitry Rozhdestvenskiy, [email protected]
Engineering Engineer in Residence,
Electrical and Computer
Eng.
Engineering Tools
Simulation, CAD, FMA, Programming,
MatlAb, Python, Arena, Solidworks, Amp-Calculator, Logic Simulator,
Details on assessment tools: N/A
Other relevant information: N/A

Graduate Attributes:
The following is the list of graduate attributes (skills) that students use, learn and/or apply throughout
the term.

Level
Assessment
Covered
Graduate Attribute Graduate Indicators Results
in the
Reported
course
Knowledge base of mathematics Advanced NO
A knowledge base for
Knowledge base of natural science Advanced NO
engineering
Knowledge base in specific domain Advanced NO
Problem identification and
formulation Advanced NO
Modelling Advanced NO
Problem analysis
Problem solving Advanced NO
Analysis (uncertainty and incomplete
knowledge) Advanced NO
Background and hypothesis
formulation Advanced NO
Designing experiments Advanced NO
Investigation
Conducting experiments and
collection of data Advanced NO
Analysis and interpretation of data Advanced NO
Define the objective Advanced NO
Idea generation and selection Advanced NO
Design
Detailed design Advanced NO
Validation and implementation Advanced NO
Ability to use appropriate
engineering tools, techniques and
resources Advanced NO
Ability to select appropriate tools,
Use of engineering tools
techniques, and resources Advanced NO
Demonstrate awareness of limitations
of tools, create and extend tools as
necessary Advanced NO
Cooperation and work ethics Advanced NO
Contribution: practical/conceptual Advanced NO
Individual and teamwork
Initiative and leadership Advanced NO
Delivering results Advanced NO
 Writing process Advanced NO
Information Gathering Advanced NO
Communication skills
Documentation Advanced NO
Oral presentation Advanced NO
Role and responsibilities of
Professionalism professional engineers Advanced NO
Professional practice Advanced NO
Awareness of society and
Impact of engineering on
environment impact Advanced NO
society & the environment
Sustainability in design Advanced NO
Professional ethics and accountability Advanced NO
Ethics and equity
Equity Advanced NO
Fundamentals of economics Advanced NO
Economics and project
Economics evaluation of projects Advanced NO
management
Project planning and implementation Advanced NO
Identifying missing knowledge and
learning opportunities Advanced NO
Life-long learning
Continuous improvement and self-
learning Advanced NO

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):

By the end of this semester, students are expected to master the following industrial engineering
concepts.
CLOs Relevance to Graduate Attributes
Engineering design methodology Design, Life-long learning
Criteria identification and ranking Design, Investigation, and Life-long learning
Evaluation of design alternatives with respect to Design and Investigation
identified criteria
Revenue and Cost analysis Economics and Project Management, and Life-
long learning
Formulate hypothesis to compare each Design and Investigation
alternative against each other for the given set of
objectives
Reinforce communications skills through term Communication Skills
project
Reinforce teamwork skills through term project Teamwork, Professionalism
Impact of engineering in society and the
Life-cycle analysis of engineering products environment, Economics and Project
management, and Life-long learning
Equity, Ethics and Impact of engineering in
Engineering design and the society
Society and the Environment.
Impact of rules and regulations on engineering Professionalism, and Life-long learning
design
Health and Safety Guidelines
All health and safety rules specific to this course can be found in the lab manual. General health
and safety instructions and available health and safety trainings can be found at:
Safety Programs - Concordia University (https://www.concordia.ca/campus-life/safety/general-
safety.html)

On Campus Resources
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students.
Student may find the full list of available resources at:
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(https://www.concordia.ca/students/services.html)

• A-Z Student Services - Concordia University (https://www.concordia.ca/students/services/a-

z.html)

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