Capstone Projects (ATLS 4010) is a rigorous, two-semester course sequence required for all CU Boulder engineering students who are majoring in Creative Technology & Design/CTD through the ATLAS Institute. Normally taken during the senior or final CTD year, Capstone involves the development, documentation and production of a culminating project that goes through multiple rounds of faculty review and iteration. Students develop projects of their own choosing that draw on the wide range of technical and creative skills learned throughout their time in the program. Structured as a studio course, Capstone integrates a series of critique and presentation sessions in which various aspects of individual projects are discussed with both internal and external guest critics. In addition to refining the work in progress, this structure lends to faculty mentoring, professional connections and potential internship opportunities for the students. At the end of the course, students publish a fully articulated project description and external documentation. This year 27 projects were shared virtually during a day-long Zoom session attended by guest reviewers from around the country, as well as CU Boulder faculty, peers and invited families. The small collection of project presentations below gives a sense of the kind of work students complete in the CTD program. All spring 2021 project presentations were presented via Zoom and recorded.
Explore all spring 2021 capstone projects
These projects are some of the best examples I’ve seen of well-thought-out products with the capability to go somewhere. At the end of the day, it’s a human being who makes the purchase. So the design aspect and the relatability to the person is super important.
~Karen Crofton, entrepreneur-in-residence, CU Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science