College of Engineering Dean Michelle Scherer has selected William “Bill” Endres, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), as the featured instructor in this week’s Deans’ Teaching Showcase.
Endres will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other spring showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.
“Bill Endres and his team have built a remarkable capstone experience for our students. It is a model of quality and efficacy not only here at Tech, but across the nation,” said Scherer.
Endres’ role as director of the two-semester sequence — MAE Senior Capstone Design Program — is more like a head coach leading a team of assistant coaches, working together to support the student teams. But Endres said it’s ultimately the students’ hard work that delivers value to their customers. “It’s my colleagues on the advising team I lead who really make it work,” he said, “along with the shop staff and ‘supply chain’ that is the MAE curriculum, the ME Practice courses in particular.” Ultimately, his goal is to evolve the students’ mindset, which he defines as “how they think, not what they think.
Endres leads the program much like a business, working on 30-40 projects a year via 150-200 employees who turn over every eight months in two waves. Continuously improved processes and tools support this cycle, some of the best of them evolving from input and ideas of the advising team and shop staff. “We truly are a team,” he emphasized.
Comments from the program’s sponsors and students demonstrate its success. For instance, decade-long sponsors from the Air Force Research Laboratory University Design Challenge commented on a seeming lag in progress by Tech teams in early project stages. “Now we get it… what seems like a slow start,” said the AFRL. “Your teams consistently understand the problem better than others.”
“So far, I’ve found the disciplined approach to project development to be excellent,” said a new sponsor.
“Understanding the problem before jumping into solutions has stood out. I liked seeing the various documents that guide the process. We use similar methods. The students seemed surprised that what they are learning is also used in the ‘real’ world.”
And what have students said? One student mentioned, “It’s professors like you, doing things like this, that make me want to send my kids here.” Another, shortly after graduation, said, “You run a tight ship … it’s the most beneficial experience I think I’ve had here… the program is really great.”
“It’s largely about messaging and culture,” said Endres, “one where everyone involved aims high toward greatness in all that we do… along with a good dose of grit.” The MAE Senior Capstone Design Program experience, for students, is indeed akin to alloying iron in the heat of a furnace.
About the College of Engineering
Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering offers over fifteen bachelor of science degrees in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil, environmental and geospatial engineering, electrical and computer engineering, engineering fundamentals, geological and mining engineering and sciences, manufacturing and mechanical engineering and technology, materials science and engineering, and mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Our engineering graduate degree options include master’s and PhD programs, along with robust online certificate programs for busy professionals. Follow Michigan Tech Engineering on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for the latest happenings.