The materials engineering senior design course has not always been industry focused. Before associate professor Matt Krane took over as head of the course 11 years ago, the focus had been on research issues, not industry problems.

“It was more a course on research methods and how to conduct research,” explains Krane. “This is very useful, but we thought, given the fact most undergrads will not end up as academics or doing research, that experience and exposure to industry projects was more important.”

However, Krane does not credit himself with the change. “The professor who worked on the class before me had started the move into industrial project experience. It was a great idea, and I merely improved on it.”

The improvements have given way to a senior design course that effectively bridges the gap between industry and education, providing students with hands-on, real-world experience with some of the country’s leading companies.

Materials engineering students John Koppes, Joshua Haynes, Isaac Janson, and Ryan Ostrye  spent their senior year working with General Electric’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, before graduating with their bachelor’s degrees in May 2007. “They wanted us to examine the possibility of using brazing as a method to repair cracks in turbine blades,” explains Koppes. “We conducted a diffusion and modeling study that examined the feasibility of repairing the cracks using silicon additions to the base alloy.” 

Other industry partners Purdue has paired with in the past include Rolls-Royce, Alcoa Engineered Products, and Delphi. Jonathan Vernon (BSMSE ‘07) presently a graduate student at Georgia Tech, and the rest of his
senior design team were asked by Rolls-Royce to characterize the interactions of a particular contamination with current thermal barrier coatings used to protect turbine engine components. “Rolls-Royce was developing new coatings in order to remedy the shortened engine life span resulting from exposure to certain contaminants during service. Our team was asked to evaluate some of these coatings,” says Vernon.

Regardless of the industry sponsor they worked for, or the problem they were given, students agree that the experience they got from senior design was immeasurable. “It was a whole new world for us as students,” says Koppes. “It was really exciting because we were finally given the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills we developed as undergraduates to a problem that our industry partner was facing.” 

Nathan Smith (BSMSE ’06, MSMSE ‘07), a materials engineer in the Mechatronics Department at Harris Corporation, says, “During every one of my job interviews, I discussed the senior design project and how it applied to an actual industry application. I think it gave interviewers an idea of how I might work with others and approach problem solving situations within their organization.”

“Although many engineering students gain experience through an internship or co-op, the senior design course ensures that every graduating senior in the School of Materials Engineering has the opportunity to work on a substantial engineering project with an industry partner,” explains Krane. “This gives our students an important edge over other engineering students entering the workforce.”

Kristen Senior