Project Lifecycle Details
Proposal
The project proposal from the sponsor should be submitted five weeks prior to the start of the semester. Prior to the semester, the project will be reviewed by EMET faculty and staff to ensure that all the requirements of the program are being met by the project. Cost evaluation will also be made to verify the donation required by the sponsor.
Project Description
A one-page detailed description of the project needs to be submitted two weeks prior to the start of the semester to be presented to the students during the first week of classes. The outcomes of the project should also be listed.
Selection of Teams and Pitching the Projects
The one-page proposal will be given to the students during the first week of classes. The students will then be grouped into teams of two and three students depending on the complexity of the project. The teams are selected by using the interest of the students and student background and knowledge in the project.
Design
The remainder of the first semester is devoted to the research and design of the project. Weekly meetings will be held with the sponsor and faculty adviser to monitor the project's progress. A Microsoft Project timeline will be created to assist with keeping projects on track.
Build
The materials are sourced at the end of the first semester to allow lead time and have the material available for the beginning of the second semester. The first 13 weeks of the semester are used to build and program the design.
Testing
The last two weeks of the semester are used for testing the design and recording results. Depending on the project, many different tests may be run using a variety of test equipment.
Student Showcase
The students present the sponsors' projects at the Student Showcase in downtown Altoona at the end of the semester. This includes a presentation with calculations, drawings, research and outcomes for the project. At the conclusion of the presentations, the projects are demonstrated on the Ivyside campus of Penn State Altoona.
Conclusion
Student teams will present to the sponsor after the presentation technical reports, drawings, computer programs, presentations, and/or videos and posters.