Submit A Project

Submit a Senior Design Project

Thank you for considering interaction with the UCSD Department of Bioengineering and our undergraduate students by being a Sponsor of a Senior Design Team.

A Senior Design Project is now required for all of our undergraduate majors, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, and Biosystems, which are accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, as well as for Bioinformatics.  
We are now soliciting sponsors for design projects to be completed in Academic Year.

We emphasize that these projects are exceptionally important to our students. Many go on to graduate school, possibly in the sponsor’s laboratory or area; some are involved in commercializing your technology. However, all leave UCSD with an exceptionally positive impression, in significant part from your mentoring, which is of great value to the department and university. Clearly there are great societal benefits from intelligent and motivated graduates shaping all of our futures.

Sponsor / Client + UCSD Bioengineering Faculty Member

• Sponsor / Client may be an individual in academia, government, or industry.
• Design and fabrication is done under UCSD faculty supervision in the either the faculty member’s laboratory or in the Bioengineering Instructional Lab, which has capabilities for prototype development and testing.

Expectations for Sponsor / Client

• Develop the project with the Course Coordinators
• Provide information for an overview of the project to prospective students (Spring)
• Meet with the design team, 1hour/week for two 10-week quarters (Fall and Winter)
• It is often appropriate for the primary contact to be a PhD student, a Post-Doc, or a Staff member. Please communicate to the students and Prof. Taylor.
• Attend the final presentation event (Spring)
• Additional support and other costs associated with project (supplies, materials)
• The Bioengineering Department supports a modest budget for each project. For many projects the amount covers the project expendables; for more expensive projects the amount is a solid contribution to the mentor’s support.
• Project Summary for Academic Sponsors – Click here to view the Document.
• Project Summary for Industry Sponsors - Click here to view the Document.
• Responsibilities for Mentors - Click here to view the Document.

Please Communicate with the Course Director

Prof. Taylor (atayloramos@ucsd.edu) is most interested in discussing your project.

Flow of Activity During Senior Design

• Spring: juniors are assigned projects, are mentored by seniors
• Fall: design/preparation for your project, which should start before the quarter’s end
• Winter: implement, build, redesign, and finish your project
• Spring: seniors report – written, oral, web, video

Educational Requirements vs. Intellectual Property

We must ensure that students have

• Designed, implemented and reported
• and have accomplished other aims not involving intellectual property

To assist sponsors who are concerned about IP we include

• Template Non-Disclosure Agreement for each team/supervisor – Click here to view Document.

We Offer:

• Flexibility in what is included in reporting
• Flexibility in media in which reports are propagated

Examples

• Not publishing the video and/or web presentation
• Permitting the oral presentation to include methods and non-proprietary data, but exclude competitive data/results
• Permitting the oral presentation to include results but not proprietary methods 
   

Submit a project now