The College of Engineering Design Kickoff and Showcase

Showcases

The Learning Factory will host two showcases for Spring 2023. The in-person Capstone Project Showcase will be on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 from 1:00 to 3:30 pm at the Bryce Jordan Center. The virtual Capstone Project Showcase will run from April 27 through Friday, May 5. Award winners will be posted on the virtual showcase website.

The Design Showcases are the official end of the project. Students display their projects at the in-person Showcase and are judged by a panel of industry experts, comprised of current and past sponsors as well as members of our Industry Advisory Board. Prizes are awarded for the Best Project and BP People's Choice. The virtual Showcase provides the opportunity for anyone and everyone to see the great work the students have done and gives everyone a chance to cast votes for even more prizes for winning teams.

The event is the culmination of 15 weeks of work, which starts with the Project Kick-Off Meeting the first week of the semester.

Agenda for the Day

9am-10am - Industry Advisory Board Meeting (members Only) - Founders Annex (formerly Room D)
10am - Founders Room - Sponsor Welcome
10:30 to 11:30 am - Founders Room - Sponsor Meeting hosted by Matt Parkinson, Director of the Learning Factory. Current and potential future sponsors are welcome to attend.
11:30 am to 2:00 pm - Boxed lunches available for sponsors and capstone teaching faculty. Details will be emailed regarding the location.
1:00 pm to 3:30 pm - Arena - Showcase event with students. Open to the public.

Parking at the Bryce Jordan Center (click here for map)

Parking will be provided by The Learning Factory. Visitors attending the Showcase may park in either of the lots listed below. See the attached parking map for the locations of these lots. Parking is not permitted in Orange L East. EXCEPTION: ADA spaces are available in Orange L East with a properly displayed state issued ADA Plate or Placard. This is the small lot outside of the Guest Entrance. This lot will be monitored and you will receive a ticket if you do not have the proper placard.

Orange L (South) parking lot behind the Bryce Jordan Center (Dauer Drive)
Jordan East (Lot 44)
Stadium West
Porter North commuter lots.

Entering the BJC - Anyone entering through the Guest Entrance will be subject to a bag check and metal detector. You can avoid this if you enter through the Show entrance where the students enter via the Orange L South parking lot (Dauer Drive) and can then take the stairs or elevator to the sponsor meeting and lunch.

Past Showcases

You can view the Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, and Spring 2020 Virtual Showcase here.

Kickoff and Sponsor Meeting

Capstone project sponsors....we hope to see you at the Capstone Project Kickoff and Sponsor Meeting on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at the Hetzel Union Building (HUB) on the University Park campus. The Kickoff meetings with teams will be in Room 122 Heritage Hall. The Kickoff is your first team meeting and is vital to the success of the project. Attending the Kickoff is highly encouraged and most importantly, it jumpstarts the projects giving an additional 1-2 weeks of meaningful work for project teams. In an already compressed schedule, we know this will be a great benefit to both the students and sponsors. The sponsor meeting will be held from 10am to 11am in Room 233A. Unless absolutely necessary, do not schedule a team meeting from 10am to 11am if you plan to attend the sponsor meeting. Attending via Zoom is acceptable, see below under Agenda for Zoom information.

Estimated Timeline:

Wednesday Evening, January 4: Teams will be finalized.
Thursday, January 5: Students will begin contacting their sponsors to set up a meeting time based on the availability of both the team and the sponsor. If sponsors are unable to attend the Kickoff, it is acceptable to conduct virtual meetings at a convenient day and time that works for sponsors and their team(s). Sponsors should receive an email or phone call from one of the students assigned to your project no later than Tuesday, January 10. If sponsors don’t hear from someone by 3:30 pm on January 10, please contact the Faculty Contact who will be advising the team. This person is listed with the projects (in alpha order) found here: https://www.lf.psu.edu/projects/project-selector.aspx As always, you can also contact Matt Parkinson mbp11@psu.edu or Cindy Winkelblech at ckb2@psu.edu but initially reaching out to the faculty member is best since they have direct access to the students.
Thursday, January 12 (Kickoff): The teams will have the opportunity to meet with their sponsor for the first time and begin working on the project.

Kickoff and Sponsor Meeting Agenda

Thursday, January 12

All events will be held at the Hetzel Union Building (HUB)

8:00 am to 5:00 pm - Kickoff meeting with students and sponsors – 122 Heritage Hall
10:00 to 11:00 am - Sponsor Meeting – Room 233A - Sponsors will be able to attend virtually if they cannot attend in person.

A zoom link will be emailed to sponsors and mentors.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE KICKOFF

Between 8:00 am to 5:00 pm sponsors and teams will meet at a time previously determined between the sponsors and the team. The duration of the meeting is at the discretion of the sponsor.
- It is also acceptable to conduct virtual meetings if sponsors are unable to come to the Kickoff.
Sponsors will go to 122 Heritage Hall approximately 15 minutes prior to your scheduled meeting time where there will be round tables for your meeting. Sit anywhere you like. There may be multiple meetings going on at the same time. You will be given a table tent with your sponsor company name so students can find you. Wearing company logo shirts is always helpful as is giving your team your cell phone number.
Companies who have multiple projects may use more than one table, if necessary.
If the same sponsor is meeting with multiple teams at different times, it is the responsibility of the sponsor to coordinate the schedule of meeting times with the various teams.

TRAVEL and ACCOMODATIONS

Campus Map: http://www.geog.psu.edu/print-campus-maps

Accommodations in the State College Area: http://www.statecollege.com/hotels/

PARKING: Hourly parking is available in The HUB Parking Deck which is adjacent to the HUB. Click on the URL for details and rates. Metered parking is available on E. College Avenue. There are other parking decks in State College within a 10 minute walk to the HUB (McAllister Parking Deck and Pugh Street Garage). The Eisenhower Parking Deck is another option, however, you will need to park in the garage, walk to the parking office on the 1st floor of the parking garage to buy a permit, and then return to your vehicle to display the permit.