1. ECE 445: Lecture 1
Prof. Arne Fliflet Prof. Xiaogang Chen
Prof. Kiruba Haran
Prof. Wei He
ECE Main Slide

2. Agenda 4:00pm - Welcome, Introductions, Course Overview
4:15pm - Project Pitches
David Jun – Petronics
Prof. Arijit Banerjee
Prof. Rakesh Kumar
4:30pm - Guided Brainstorming and Ideation
5:30pm - Winter is Coming

3. Course Introduction
ECE 445 is a capstone course for the ECE Department
Draws on the entire ECE undergraduate experience
Projects simulate the work environment of the professional engineer
Our expectations for you are high
Students frequently produce impressive results - this is your chance to stand out
Outstanding project teams will be able to earn awards
Outline of course structure
Students will identify projects and organize into teams of 2-3
Students may propose a project or take on a pitched project
Teams must identify a problem, determine a solution, and build a product that satisfies the solution
The design and build process will stress communication, teamwork, systems design, and applied technical knowledge
The semester culminates in a demonstration of a working product that meets all project objectives

4. Staff and Support Structure
Four professors and nine TAs
Each project will have one TA mentor and one professor
Project teams meet weekly with their TA – the TA is the primary guide and point of contact
Instructors
Professors Xiaogang Chen, Arne Fliflet, Kiruba Haran, Wei He, and Gary Swenson (ex-officio)
TAs
Channing Philbrick (Head TA), Anthony Caton, Kexin Hui, Amr Martini, Zhen Qin, Nicholas Ratajczyk, Hershel Rege, Dongwei Shi, and Evan Widloski
Course Directors
Professors Kumar and Oelze

5. Closing Remarks
This has been a quick overview – a lot more information is coming
This course is like an express train that is now leaving the station
Expect to work hard
Course grading includes many small assignments with deadlines
Each project includes some risk
Expect to encounter obstacles
Don’t be afraid to seek help
Good Luck!

6. Meet the Professors Prof. Xiaogang Chen Prof. Arne Fliflet
Prof. Kiruba Haran
Prof. Wei He

7. Meet the Teaching Assistants
Channing Philbrick
Tony Caton
Kexin Hui
Amr Martini
Zhen Qin
Nick Ratajczyk
Hershel Rege
Dongwei Shi
Evan Widloski

8. Project Pitches David Jun – Petronics (4:15pm)
Prof. Arijit Banerjee (4:20pm)
Prof. Rakesh Kumar (4:25pm)

9. Winter is Coming
September 13th: Project approval (16 days from now) • Brainstorming, team formation, successful RFA
September 20th: Project proposal (+7 days) • Refinement of project idea, requirement specifications, schedule
October 4th: Design Document (+14 days) • Complete paper design of project, requirement & verification, parts list, cost
December 3rd: Project demonstration (+60 days) • Implement design, order parts, assemble, test, and document everything, demonstrate a fully functioning project