Graduate Projects I and II is a two-semester course sequence designed to expose MS and PhD students to Project Management and Systems Engineering disciplines while working a complex aerospace engineering project as part of a project team.   The project team of from 8 to 15 students may perform some or all of the following project activities during the two-semester course sequence:   requirements definition, design and design review, build, test, and verification.   A lecture common to all lab sections will introduce students to project management, systems engineering and entrepreneurship as well as technology transfer and intellectual property issues.

 

Graduate Projects is a suitable option for degree AES MS students who choose to complete two semesters of work on an aerospace engineering project rather than write a thesis or conduct Independent Study to satisfy graduation requirements, and for PhD students who value this type of project experience to meet their coursework requirements.  The course is also open to students in other engineering departments with the approval of the project professor. 

 

Students completing this course series will be better prepared for the type of project management processes and team dynamics they will encounter in government and industry. The knowledge and skills gained by the students as a result of taking this course will make them more competitive and effective in today's job market.

 

Here is a brief description of the projects currently being worked or available in the near future.  For more detail contact Joe Tanner at joe.tanner@colorado.edu or the professor for the project in which you are interested.

 

 

• The GOJETT miniature jet engine team is designing and building a 40 pound thrust engine for installation in an unmanned aerial vehicle.  The following flyer provides more detail. Course Flyer. Project professor – Dr. Ryan Starkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The human spacecraft design team develops and implements analytical tools to design human rated spacecraft.  They have completed considerable work on a Lunar ascent module to include building a low-fidelity, full size mock-up to better appreciate the impact of design decisions that effect human performance and comfort.The team is currently designing crew related sub-system elements for a potential flight vehicle known as the Dreamchaser.  The work will include building volumetric equivalents of equipment selected through the design process and installing them in an existing full size vehicle mock-up. Project professor – Dr. David Klaus and Jim Voss

 

 

 

• The CubeSat team is designing a building a 10x10 cm satellite for eventual launch into low-Earth orbit.  The satellite will measure the energy of very small particles travelling in the magnetic fields near the Earth’s poles.  Course Flyer.  Project professor – Dr. Xinlin Li
• The SmartSondes team is designing and building a system of cooperative unmanned aerial vehicles the safely scientifically investigate areas of interest near the Earth’s surface.  The system is made up of larger deploying mother vehicle and multiple autonomous daughter vehicles to collect data. Course Flyer. Project professors – Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Frew

 

 

The following projects will be available starting the spring semester 2010.

• The Micro Aerial Vehicle project will design and build a system of autonomous vehicles that will launch from and underwater vehicle that surfaces for launch operations.  Course Flyer.  Project professor – Dr. Kamran Mohseni