MSE 498-2C Capstone Senior Design Project I

Term: Fall 2021

Instructor: Lee Moradi, Ph.D., P.E. Office: CBSE 140
Office Phone: (205) 975-2718 Email: moradi@uab.edu
Class Time when required by instructor: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM, EEC 158.
Office Hours: By appointment
Preferred Methods of Contact:
Email is the preferred method of contact if you have questions. Please expect a response within 24
hours on weekdays and a slower response on weekends (OR Emails received after 5 pm on Friday will
be returned Monday morning). Include <insert prefix, course number, and section code> in the subject
line of your email for a faster response. I am available to meet with you in person or virtually via
Zoom by appointment.
Instructional Method:
In Person: This class will be in-person and on-campus instruction. Students must come to class on the days
and hours listed in the Class Schedule. There will be a significant amount of out-of-classroom learning
activities. This course is delivered in person and helpful material is provided on the Canvas Learning
Management System.
Course Information:
Course Number and Title: MSE 498-2C, Capstone Senior Design Project I

Course Description and Objectives:

1. To give the student a firm foundation on design and development of a real-world projects
2. To introduce the student to design concepts and hand-on hardware development
3. To help the student understand the relationship between environmental issues and engineering projects
4. To familiarize the student with team work, division of responsibilities, quality of product, schedule and
milestone, and cost
5. To introduce the concept of working in Engineering organizations and fulfilling the requirements of a
project
Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: N/A
Required Text and Course Materials: N/A
UAB Policies and Resources:
Add/Drop and Course Withdrawal
 Drop/Add: Deadlines for adding, dropping, or withdrawing from a course and for paying
tuition are published in the Academic Calendar available online. Review the Institutional
Refund Policy for information on refunds for dropped courses.

 Withdrawal: To avoid academic penalty, a student must withdraw from a course by the
withdrawal deadline shown in the academic calendar and receive a grade of W
(withdrawn). Failure to attend class does not constitute a formal drop or withdrawal.

Misconduct:
The University of Alabama at Birmingham expects all members of its academic community to function
according to the highest ethical and professional standards. Students, faculty, and the administration of the
institution must be involved to ensure this quality of academic conduct. Review the Academic Honor Code
and Non-Academic Student Code of Conduct linked below.

 Academic Honor Code

 Non-Academic Student Code of Conduct

DSS Accessibility Statement:

Accessible Learning: UAB is committed to providing an accessible learning experience for all students. If you
are a student with a disability that qualifies under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act, and you require accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services for
information on accommodations, registration and procedures. Requests for reasonable accommodations
involve an interactive process and consist of a collaborative effort among the student, DSS, faculty and staff.
If you are registered with Disability Support Services, please contact DSS to discuss accommodations that may
be necessary in this course. If you have a disability but have not contacted Disability Support Services, please
call (205) 934-4205, visit their website, or their office located in Hill Student Center Suite 409.

Title IX Statement:
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to providing an environment that is free from sexual
misconduct, which includes gender-based assault, harassment, exploitation, dating and domestic violence,
stalking, as well as discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If
you have experienced any of the aforementioned conduct we encourage you to report the incident. UAB
provides several avenues for reporting. For more information about Title IX, policy, reporting, protections,
resources and supports, please visit UAB Title IX webpage for UAB’s Title IX, UAB’s Equal Opportunity, Anti-
Harassment, Duty to Report, and Non-Retaliation policies.

Mandatory Masks:

2
 1. In accordance with CDC guidelines and for the health and wellbeing of all faculty, staff and students.
Students, faculty and staff are required to wear cloth face coverings or face masks at all times. In the
event that a student refuses to comply with these requirements, the instructor will report the student to
Student Conduct.
Course Grading:
Late Assignment Policy: Due dates for assignments are in the course schedule below.
Grading Scale:
The default grading will be the normal letter grade method.
A = 100-90 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = < 60
Student Access to Grades:
TBD
Graded Assignments & Activities Overview:
Assignments & Activities Point or Percentage
TBD

Total Points or Percentage 100

Exams: There are no exams for this course.

Working in Groups:
The Capstone Senior Design Project is multi-disciplinary with each project made up of a team of four to five
students. Working as a team with each member making significant contributions is of utmost
importance to the success of the project. Each team will work together for two semesters to complete
their projects and fulfill all requirements.
Time Commitment:
This course is worth 3 credit hours. You should prepare to spend about 15 hours per week on course activities.
Senior design classes are generally very time consuming and students are encouraged to prepare themselves for
proper commitment of time. This class meets only when the instructor requires it.
Course Netiquette:
There are course expectations concerning etiquette on how we should treat each other online. It is very
important that we consider the following values during online discussions and email.
 Respect: Each student’s opinion is valued as an opinion. When responding to a person
during discussions, be sure to state an opposing opinion in a diplomatic way. Do not
insult the person or their idea. Do not use negative or inappropriate language.

 Confidentiality: When discussing topics be sure to be discreet on how you discuss

children, teachers, and colleagues. Do not use names of people or names of facilities.

3
  Format: When posting use proper grammar, spelling, and complete sentences. Avoid
using ALL CAPITALS. This signifies that you are yelling. Avoid using shortcuts/text
abbreviations such as 'cu l8r' for 'See you later.'

 Relevance: Think before you type. Keep posts relevant to the discussion board topic.

Weekly Course Schedule: TBD

Session Day Date Topic Assignment
1 Tuesday 8/24 Introduction
2 Thursday 8/26 Introduction
Tuesday 8/31
Thursday 9/2
Tuesday 9/7
Thursday 9/11
Tuesday 9/14
Thursday 9/16
Tuesday 9/21
Thursday 9/23
Tuesday 9/28
Thursday 9/30
Tuesday 10/5
Thursday 10/7
Tuesday 10/12
Thursday 10/14
Tuesday 10/19
Thursday 10/21
Tuesday 10/26
Thursday 10/28
Tuesday 11/2
Thursday 11/4
Tuesday 11/9
Thursday 11/11
Tuesday 11/16
Thursday 11/18
Tuesday 11/23 Thanksgiving Break
Thursday 11/25 Thanksgiving Break
Tuesday 11/30
Thursday 12/1
Tuesday 12/7 Week of Finals