Capstone engineering design projects to aid disabled persons

Design projects to meet the assistive needs of identified disabled clients have provided the Capstone engineering design class in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State University with a rich selection of opportunities for the Biomedical Concentration undergraduate students in the Biological Engineering degree program. Students who are enrolled in the two-semester senior-level engineering design class are required to select a design project from a prepared list unless they can propose a suitable topic based upon their own experience and interest. Each summer, an undergraduate student is employed to identify suitable projects and clients in consultation with various local agencies and individuals who provide assistance to disabled persons. The projects are funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Twelve projects have been completed and delivered to clients since 1997 and another 16 will be finished by May 2000. Designing, building, and delivering projects to aid disabled persons gives students interested in biomedical engineering an opportunity to hone their engineering skills while making a contribution to the community in which they live.