BioEngineering

Capstone Help File for Faculty

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Capstone Projects
2. Capstone Related Courses
-----BIOEN 481 Course Description
-----BIOEN 482 Course Description
3. Capstone Approvals and Petitions
-----Approving the Capstone Proposal
-----Petitioning for a Co-Advising Arrangement
-----Petitioning for a Capstone Extension
4. Capstone Registration
-----Length of Project
-----Continuous Registration in Senior Capstone
-----Number of Credits per Quarter
-----Honors Students
-----Working for Credit vs. Working for Pay
5. Capstone Grading
-----"N" Grade
-----Co-Advising Arrangements
-----Final Submission of Project Report
-----Progress Evaluations
6. Additional Capstone Information
-----Anticipating Problems
-----Design vs. Research
-----BS/MS Students
7. Contact Information

Appendices

ABET Syllabus and Grading Rubric for BIOEN 482
Undergraduate Petition
BIOEN 482 Quarterly Progress Evaluation Form
Satisfactory Progress and Continuation Policy

1. Overview of Capstone Projects

All undergraduate students are required to complete BIOEN 482, a semi-independent ABET compliant design project related to a current biomedical problem. Students will choose a host lab in their junior year. The preferred supervisor is a Bioengineering core or adjunct faculty member.

Proposals for projects are developed in spring of the junior year during BIOEN 481. Examples of past capstone projects include: Schlieren imaging system to monitor ultrasound therapy; Computer model of brain tumor growth; pH-sensitive gels for timed release of antibodies; Low-cost, portable test for STDs; Implantable materials with enhanced biocompatibility.

Projects must have definable goals and be novel enough to merit publication in a science or engineering journal. Seniors enroll in 8 credits of BIOEN 482 over 2-4 quarters to complete their capstone project, which is graded on the basis of a final senior project report and poster.

2. Capstone Related Courses

BIOEN 481, Bioengineering Design and Capstone Principles, and BIOEN 482, Bioengineering Capstone Project, assist in the transition from student to bioengineer by providing training in design implementation. A successful culminating design experience is the centerpiece of the undergraduate education in Bioengineering.

BIOEN 481 (4 credits) is offered spring quarters only and is taken at the end of your junior core courses. BIOEN 481 has two primary goals: to have a design experience that incorporates many aspects of engineering not previously covered in classes; and to prepare the junior to conduct an extended, semi-independent capstone project. In order to successfully complete the assignments in BIOEN 481, the student should confirm a laboratory placement for capstone by beginning of the course. To help facilitate this process, the department hosts a mandatory junior kick-off meeting prior to the start of autumn quarter, as well as a winter quarter capstone check-in meeting.

The student will finalize detailed plans for the capstone project during BIOEN 481 and submit a detailed project proposal at the end of the quarter. This proposal includes a signature page signed by the student and the student’s capstone supervisor(s). A student who does not have a signed proposal by the deadline given on the BIOEN 481 syllabus will receive an incomplete in BIOEN 481.

The grade in BIOEN 481 is based on the work completed during the course. However, there is an additional review of the proposal. In early July the Student Affairs Committee reviews all the signed capstone proposals. If there are any problems, the student and his/her supervisor(s) are notified, and the student must submit a revised proposal (with original attached) to the Student Affairs Committee by the end of summer term in mid-August. If a student’s capstone project has not been approved by the start of autumn quarter classes, the student will be dropped from his/her capstone credits for fall. Please note that enrollment in BIOEN 482 in the fall is necessary to make satisfactory progress in our program.

BIOEN 482 (8 credits) is a semi-independent design project carried out in a laboratory under the supervision of a faculty adviser and his/her laboratory staff. BIOEN 482 carries “W” credit and requires completion of a senior project report and poster. Students are encouraged but not required to submit their work in manuscript form for publication in appropriate science and engineering journals. Each student registers with an individual faculty adviser; writing progress and other issues are supervised by a single instructor (Dr. Chris Neils), who will hold regular class meetings so that students may:

The BIOEN 482 ABET Syllabus and Evaluation Rubric describes the year-long capstone course requirements and expectations.

3. Capstone Approvals and Petitions

Approving the Capstone Proposal

The student will finalize detailed plans for the capstone project during BIOEN 481 and submit a detailed project proposal at the end of the quarter. This proposal includes a signature page signed by the student and the student’s capstone supervisor(s). A student who does not have a signed and acceptable proposal by the deadline given on the BIOEN 481 syllabus will receive an incomplete in BIOEN 481.

Your grade in BIOEN 481 is based on the work you completed during the course. However, there is an additional review of your proposal. In early July the Student Affairs Committee reviews all the signed capstone proposals. If there are any problems, the student and his/her supervisor(s) are notified, and the student must submit a revised proposal (with original attached) to the Student Affairs Committee by the end of summer term in mid-August. If a student’s capstone project has not been approved by the start of autumn quarter classes, the student will be dropped from his/her capstone credits for fall. Please note that enrollment in BIOEN 482 in the fall is necessary to make satisfactory progress in our program.

Petitioning for a Co-Advising Arrangement

The capstone project supervisor is generally a Bioengineering core or adjunct faculty member. By petition, affiliate faculty or others may serve as the primary adviser as long as a core faculty member will assume responsibility for co-advising the capstone project. In such a case, the student registers under the core faculty member. To have a non-BIOE core or adjunct faculty member approved for capstone supervision, the student must submit a petition to the Student Affairs Committee via the Academic Counselor. Students will use the Undergraduate Petition form (Appendix B) and the Capstone Petition Supplement form to request a co-advising arrangement. The petition should be approved by the Student Affairs Committee prior to the confirmation of a lab placement during the first few weeks of BIOEN 481.

Petitioning for a Capstone Extension

Students may extend for a 4th quarter by petitioning the academic counselor. Students must provide evidence of approval from the capstone adviser(s). In rare instances, the student and faculty supervisor may petition together for extension through a 5th quarter, but only in cases where the student has maintained satisfactory progress and faces circumstances beyond his or her control.

Students and faculty will use the Undergraduate Petition form (Appendix B) and the Capstone Petition Supplement form to petition for extensions.

4. Capstone Registration

Students may begin taking BIOEN 482 during the summer or autumn following completion of BIOEN 481. BIOEN 482 requires the core or adjunct professor’s faculty code. Faculty codes are found on the Bioengineering administrative home page as part of the Student Information and Resources section. BIOE majors are given access to this page when they enter the department.

Length of Project

Students register for BIOEN 482 for a minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 quarters. Our expectation is that the normal student will finish in 3 quarters; however, students may petition for a 4th quarter extension. The final paper must be submitted to the capstone adviser(s) and to the Department no later than the last day of instruction of the 4th quarter. Students who are struggling to balance coursework and research should lighten the course load rather than delay the research project. In rare instances, the student and faculty supervisor may petition together for extension through a 5th quarter, but only in cases where the student has maintained satisfactory progress and faces circumstances beyond his or her control (clinical trial delays, failure to obtain animal protocol, etc.).

Continuous Registration in Senior Capstone

Once students have begun taking capstone credits, they are expected to be enrolled in BIOEN 482 every quarter, summer included, until they have completed the project. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the project supervisor and should be communicated to the academic counselor and, in certain cases, the Student Affairs Committee. The purpose of this rule is to ensure that laboratories are not affected by unexpected absences.

Number of Credits per Quarter

Students can register for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 credits of BIOEN 482 per quarter. Students earn a total of 8 credits of BIOEN 482 over 2-4 quarters to meet their graduation requirements. The department allows students to decide how to distribute their credits over the quarters so long as their plan meets with supervisor approval. We also tell students that they should expect to work the hours needed to meet their quarterly goals (often 10-15 hours per week), even though they may only be registered for 2 or 3 credits.

Honors Students register for an Honors section of BIOEN 482 and for an additional 2 credits of capstone credit under BIOEN 499 Honors. Usually the extra 2 credits are taken in the last quarter of the capstone project. Honors students must also make a public presentation of their capstone project. Opportunities include the Spring Undergraduate Research Seminar, the BIOEN Departmental Seminar during Spring Quarter, a conference presentation, or a final honors presentation arranged with the department, singly or with other graduating students. The academic counselor communicates directly with the students about fulfilling their honors requirements.

Working for Credit vs. Working for Pay :

Faculty members are under no obligation to pay a capstone student an hourly wage. The department respects your policies, your philosophy of working with undergraduates, and your need to manage your funds. Furthermore, the department’s policy is that students may not be paid for hours worked for credit. While the usual rule of thumb is that students spend 3-4 hours in the lab for 1 credit, most capstone students will work hours well in excess of this. Faculty may choose to pay a capstone student for these “excess” hours. An example would be a student who is taking 2 credits of BIOEN 482 but working 15 hours a week in the lab. The first 6-8 hours each week would not be eligible for pay because they are worked for credits (2 credits x 3-4 hours per credit, as the faculty supervisor decides). Hours beyond that may be paid if the supervisor wishes. In this case the student should be asked to carefully log the hours worked each week.

Such hourly positions would be classified as Academic Student Employees and are governed by a labor contract. Appointment letters are required. In Co-Advising Arrangements, the preparation of the appointment letter should fall to the payroll coordinator in his or her home department, for we assume that the student would be paid from the primary supervisor’s grant.

5. Capstone Grading

“N” Grade

BIOEN 482 is a “hyphenated course” which means that students receive a grade of “N” until the final quarter, when the numerical grade assigned will fill in retroactively for each quarter the student was enrolled in BIOEN 482. When a student is also registered for honors capstone credit, BIOEN 499 Honors, the same final grade will be submitted for both courses. Students applying to graduate school, medical school, or other programs may obtain a letter from the department that explains the N-grade function and procedure.

Faculty need only remember this rule: No final paper, no grade! Once the student submits the capstone paper, a grade may be issued for the entire capstone project, which includes laboratory progress and conduct, in addition to the written report and poster. Please refer to the BIOEN 482 ABET Syllabus and Evaluation Rubric for the grading criteria.

Co-Advising Arrangements

Because the student is registered under the BIOE faculty code, the grade sheets will come to the core BIOE faculty adviser and will require his/her signature. The primary capstone adviser serves as the principal grader for the final capstone report and poster, as well as for the student’s time in the laboratory. The core BIOE faculty adviser provides department oversight to see that capstone requirements are met, and serves as the secondary grader for the final capstone report and poster. Assessment and grading of the capstone project requires close communication between the faculty supervisors.

Final Submission of Project Report

The capstone paper and poster must be submitted to the supervising professor and the academic counselor no later than the last day of instruction of the final quarter of BIOEN 482. A grade must be given at this point. Should the project report not be submitted, a failing grade will be issued at the end of the 10th week of the final quarter. Keep in mind that it is necessary to earn a 2.0 or better in the capstone project to receive a degree in Bioengineering. Faculty or students anticipating any problems with completion should seek the advice of the academic counselor at the first possible opportunity.

Progress Evaluations

The final grade should not come as a surprise to the student. The department recommends that each student enrolled in BIOEN 482 meet at least quarterly with his or her primary faculty supervisor to complete the Progress Report/Evaluation form (Appendix C). Both student and faculty supervisor should keep a copy of the signed form. It is in the student’s best interest to meet often, and the responsibility for initiating the meeting is the student’s. In co-advising arrangements, the student is expected to communicate regularly with both capstone supervisors.

6. Additional Capstone Information

Anticipating Problems

Capstone students, as with all undergraduates, are subject to the terms of the department’s Satisfactory Progress and Continuation Policy. The satisfactory progress of students is under the supervision of the Bioengineering Student Affairs Committee, chaired by the Vice-Chair of the department. The academic counselor is usually the first point of contact for faculty and students if something is not working well in the capstone project, and will involve the Vice-Chair and Chair of the department and other faculty as needed. Please contact the academic counselor any time you have questions or concerns.

Design vs. Research

Research is an important aspect of the Bioengineering program. All students are encouraged to engage in research throughout their years in the BS BIOE curriculum. A substantive research experience is particularly beneficial for those who plan to apply to graduate or professional school for further education in bioengineering, medicine, or a related field.

Many Bioengineering majors begin undergraduate research and design work in the freshman, sophomore, or early junior year, well in advance of their required senior capstone design project. It sometimes happens that the “research” a student begins during his or her early years may evolve into a senior capstone project – the student’s culminating design experience. However, not all research laboratories will be able to host a design project that meets the criteria for capstone. Faculty and students should consult with the department with questions about the design component of a potential capstone project. The ASEE white paper “ Design versus Research: ABET Requirements for Design” is one resource for understanding the design/research distinction.

BS/MS Students

A student considering the BS/MS must be ready to begin in a laboratory by autumn quarter of the junior year. Junior year will be spent working in the lab in which he or she wishes to complete the senior capstone project. This early start in the lab is necessary to progress enough to complete a master’s thesis within one additional year. Please note that it is important to define a project that will fulfill the engineering design requirement (capstone project) for the BS but which can also be taken a step further for the master’s thesis. Summer following senior year and the fifth year are spent completing master’s thesis research and coursework, as well as writing and defending the thesis.

In addition to graduate program admission criteria, BS/MS applicants will be evaluated on the following factors:

7. Contact Information

Ms. Kelli Jayn Nichols
Lead Academic Counselor (undergraduates)
Department of Bioengineering
University of Washington
Box 355061
Foege Building , N107-J
1705 NE Pacific Street
Seattle, WA  98195-5061
(206) 685-2022
knichols@u.washington.edu