2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Industry Sponsored Applied Capstone Projects: Experiences in Sourcing Projects, Course Redesign, and Sponsor Engagement

2025 ASEE
Engineering Technology Division Track

Industry Sponsored Applied Capstone Projects: Experiences in Sourcing Projects, Course Redesign, and Sponsor Engagement

Daniel Rey, Bharani Nagarathnam, Malini Natarajarathinam

This paper outlines the process, design, implementation and improvements of an industry sponsored applied capstone project for an interdisciplinary undergraduate program. Improvements include moving to industry sourced projects for all teams, course redesign, students and industry engagement, and implementation of a project showcase event. Currently, about 55-60 projects are conducted every academic year.

The capstone projects were previously scoped and defined by the faculty. The projects were broad industry challenges, lacked real-world data and had low student engagement since they knew that the projects were not from industry. In the past four years, a team effort was made to source real-world projects from companies. Five instructors, all hailing from industry, were assigned to source projects from industrial and construction sectors. They worked with companies from all over the country to define and scope projects, one to three months ahead of each semester. Given their industry experience, these instructors also acted as the capstone advisors to the student teams. Course instructors were also assigned. Each project team had five students. The students were required to meet with the company sponsor and the capstone advisor in alternating weeks.

Project focus areas include sales, customer experience, business development, operations, supply chain technology, finance or human resources. Typical projects recommend process improvement measures (efficiency/effectiveness) or new business development (feasibility/market potential) creating value for the sponsor organization.

The two-semester long Capstone Project also underwent a complete syllabus, content, flow, deliverable and timeline update. Enhancements over the years include improvement to project scoping and design, background/literature review, depth of analysis, and overall writing process. A unified syllabus, student deliverable description, rubrics, advisor check-ins, and past project examples help support student experience and project outcome. The teaching assistants managed multiple sections in Canvas and supported events. A survey process was put in place for advising instructors and students to provide continuous improvement input.

A Capstone Project Showcase (poster session) is organized each semester to highlight the capstone projects. Industry sponsors, undergraduate advisory committee and all students are invited to attend. About 300-400 people attend the event. External assessments are conducted during the showcase to also provide for continuous improvement as well as used in ABET accreditation.

Authors

Prof. Daniel G Rey Texas A&M University [biography]

Daniel Rey is a 1990 graduate from Texas A&M as an Industrial Distribution major. He spent 30 years in industry, including wholesale distribution as well as the manufacture and sale of oilfield and refinery process chemicals, where he achieved roles of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, operations, and general management. Three years ago, he transitioned back to Texas A&M and serves as an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, where he coordinates the ID program's capstone process.
Dr. Malini Natarajarathinam http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1684-6476 Texas A&M University [biography]

Dr. Malini Natarajarathinam is a professor in the Industrial Distribution (ID) program in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution (ETID) at the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in purchasing, distribution logistics, strategic relationships, distribution customer experience, etc.

She has been involved in numerous research and consulting engagements in inventory management, supplier relationships, and improving profitability at several large and mid-sized distributors. Before entering academia, she worked with several automotive companies on projects focused on optimizing transportation, material handling, and decision analysis systems.

Her research interests include empirical studies to assess the impact of good supply chain practices such as coordinated decision-making in stochastic supply chains, handling supply chains during times of crisis, and optimizing global supply chains on a company's financial health. Her recent research focuses on the skills and capabilities needed for workers to work in the new Industry 4.0 enhanced warehouses.

She received her Ph.D. in Operations Management and M.S. in Applied Statistics from The University of Alabama. She also has a bachelor's and master’s degree in industrial engineering from Anna University and Auburn University, respectively.
Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam Texas A&M University [biography]

Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam is an Associate Professor of Instruction and Director of Master of Industrial Distribution program at the Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University. He co-founded the Talent Development Council that works with Distributions on Talent acquisition, management, and development practices. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Industrial Distribution. He has over 25 years of experience in teaching, applied research, and academic program management. Dr. Bharani has worked on industry projects, consortia, and professional development programs for 100+ industrial distributors and manufacturers. He has published in academic journals and industry publications. He is the co-author of two books. Dr. Bharani holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development, and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025