University of Wisconsin–Madison

What value does a real-world project bring to students?

Real-world projects in a senior civil engineering capstone design course offer a multitude of benefits, providing students with invaluable experience that goes beyond traditional classroom learning. These projects, proposed by actual clients, immerse students in the civil engineering process, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge to practical, real-world scenarios. The multidisciplinary and open-ended nature of these projects expose students to a broad array of themes, including in this case, building design, transportation design, and environmental design, helping them develop a well-rounded skill set.

How do you decide what projects to work on?

Senior capstone projects are selected through collaboration with organizations who support students in gaining practical civil engineering experience. For example, we work closely with organizations like the Dane County Clean Lakes Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to improving and protecting the lakes, streams, and wetlands in the YaharaRiver Watershed. Each year, our instructional team meets with the Clean Lakes Alliance to identify potential student projects that align with the organization’s priorities and goals. This approach keeps our projects relevant, impactful, and provides students with comprehensive, real-world engineering experience.

How did this project prepare students for professional practice?

Incorporating community-driven projects like the Community Manure Treatment Facility into the capstone course provides students with invaluable practical experience. Working on projects that directly benefit communities helps students enhance their technical skills while also cultivating a commitment to public service and community engagement. This hands-on experience allows students to understand the societal impact of their work and the importance of contributing positively to society. Additionally, these projects equip students with essential problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills, all of which are critical for success in their professional careers.

What advice do you have for other programs wanting to add similar collaborative projects to their curriculum?

For programs looking to add collaborative projects to their curriculum, consider these three key aspects of the UW–Madison’s CEE Senior Capstone Design program:

What did you like best about participating in this project?

I appreciated the opportunity to learn about emerging methods for improving sustainability in agriculture. There are only a few facilities like this one across the country, but there’s an increasing understanding that we need to find new solutions to mitigate environmental impacts while meeting the needs of a growing population. A community manure digestor is a unique opportunity for a variety of stakeholders to work together to align sometimes contradictory goals.

What did you learn?

Our group learned a lot about the overall anaerobic digestion process. We had limited familiarity with the topic coming into the project so had to start with the fundamentals. During a field visit at a local community digestor, we learned a great deal from operators with years of experience. They offered insights ranging from equipment/technology selection to routine maintenance requirements to design considerations that could prevent issues during operation.

How did the participation of professional engineers improve the experience?

Our mentors and instructors were able to offer guidance that helped us maintain and build momentum throughout the project. There were many points where we weren’t sure what direction to head next, but our mentors were able to provide big picture perspectives, lessons from their careers, and design guides and resources to help us move forward. The instructors also connected us with a local P.E. that had anaerobic digestor design experience which was very helpful considering the limited literature, case studies, and design guides available for these facilities.

What do you think the engineers learned from working with students on this project?

I think our mentors learned a lot alongside our group throughout this project. Though they both have extensive professional experience, they had never worked on a project like ours. It was an opportunity for them to extend their expertise to unfamiliar areas and may have given them new perspectives on how to approach novel problems.

Why did you get involved with the project?

I’ve had the opportunity to participate for several semesters now as either a judge or mentor. I got involved at the invitation of one of the instructors and have continued to volunteer because it is a joy to see students’ enthusiasm in working together and applying what they’ve learned at UW–Madison to solve challenging design problems.

How did you assist the students in the project?

My co-mentor and I met with students weekly, helped them navigate the design process, shared our experiences, reviewed their work, and pointed them to resources. Although neither of us have experience with manure management facilities, we prompted students to explore viable alternatives and new technology, focused them back to their client’s needs, and made them aware of constraints that could affect the project design and schedule.

What did you learn from working with the students?

I saw that despite an uncertain start, the students effectively organized themselves into different roles and each took on specialized tasks to bring the project together. And from the student’s work, I learned about various community manure management collectionand treatment options, as well as associated benefits and challenges.

What did you want students to learn from working with you?

I wanted students to recognize the importance of communication and collaboration. Students functioned well as a team and reached out to mentors, their client, and industry experts throughout the semester. They did a great job sharing the work, doing research, and learning from others and each other.