M.Eng. Projects

Past Systems Engineering M.Eng. Projects

100+ MPG Car

The Cornell 100+ MPG Team is made up of over 55 students from many different educational backgrounds, some of which include engineering, architecture, biology, and economics. These groups are currently using a systems engineering approach to design an automobile that will push the limits of efficiency, feature a distinctive and unique aesthetic, and be commercially viable in the marketplace.

Applied Materials Product Life Cycle Project

This project understand and analyze the complex relationship between Applied Materials’ Product Life Cycle (PLC) and theoretical Systems Engineering methodologies to propose enhancements to the existing PLC framework that could make product development even more efficient.

This study focused within the areas where the PLC process relied most heavily on Systems Engineering for new product development. For the scope of the project, we determined the PLC Phase that would benefit the most from optimization, which ultimately, would help Applied Materials’ PLC program deliver even more successful products. The study performed was a direct application of the curriculum of Cornell University’s Systems Engineering program to the semiconductor industry and showed significant opportunities that could potentially save the company millions of dollars.

Cornell University Sustainable Design

Cornell University Sustainable Design (CUSD), formerly Solar Decathlon, is working to develop an on-campus Sustainability Research Facility (SRF). This new student-designed and built facility will serve as a living laboratory to explore new energy technologies and sustainable building practices.

Formula SAE

Cornell FSAE is more than just a race car team. Beginning in 1986, our numerous awards, including 9 World Championships, attest to our unmatched accomplishments. Our unwavering dedication drives us to continuously push ourselves to design and build the best possible car each year. We pride ourselves on the passion of each member, because we understand that behind the greatest car is a team of the best FSAE students. As Cornell FSAE approaches its 25th anniversary, the team looks to its past achievements with confidence of our future success. Peter’s Ambulance Project.

CUSat (NANOSAT-4)

CUSat is a multi-year effort to design, build and launch an autonomous in-orbit inspection satellite system. The CUSat space vehicle consists of two functionally identical satellites that will launch together and separate in orbit. Using centimeter accuracy carrier-phase differential GPS, the two satellites will perform autonomous relative navigation. One satellite will capture imagery of the other satellite and send these images to a ground station on Earth for the reconstruction of a 3-D model of the partner satellite. The images will also act to verify the relative GPS implementation. Doing so will demonstrate how one spacecraft can diagnose the structural health and configuration of another, a capability that will help enable commercial, government and manned space missions for the coming decades. CUSat is the winner of the University Nanosat-4 Program, which aims to educate the future aerospace workforce and develop new space technologies. The CUSat team has designed and built two spacecraft that will be launched between October 2011 and January 2012.

Intel-Cornell Cup National Embedded Design Competition

Invent a new Robotics Competition to set new standards for what robotic competitions can do. Sponsored by Intel and National Instruments.

Intel is one of the world leading sponsors of robotics competitions, including the Intel Cup which attracts over 26,000 students every year. This summer Intel chose Cornell to lead the design of a brand new robotics competition with the goal of setting a new standard for robotics competitions everywhere. Born out of the unprecedented international success of past Cornell robotics competitions like the Cornell RoboCup and RoboFlag projects, we are assembling a new team of undergraduates, M.Eng., and graduate students.

Many companies are now specifically targeting students who have had experience in college robotics projects as these students have been recognized as having the skills necessary to apply their knowledge and gain new knowledge more quickly in multi-disciplinary teams. This is your opportunity to become one of the founding members of a brand new robotics effort that will earn you invaluable experience in particularly electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering, and computer science. More so, this project will also enable you to make a significant difference in engineering education systems where you can invent the activities, games, and events that will inspire future students to make a difference through engineering.

Lockheed Martin, Project Blue Horizon

Repeatedly having set the world record for the maximum altitude of an amateur high-altitude balloon, this project creates a solid system engineering design experience as they develop a new launch, ascent, descent, recovery, and mission monitoring balloon system every year. Utilizing onboard global positioning systems the project is currently aimed at performing the first Trans-Atlantic balloon flight as well.

This project also features opportunities to involve the community with local outreach activities that allow high school students to design their own part of the pay load for the balloons and opportunities for amateur (ham) radio to take part in the mission tracking efforts. Ultimately, the project provides an excellent cross disciplinary design experience that is a keystone of Lockheed Martin’s Engineering Leadership Development Program.

NSF Hazard SEES Video Game & The Next Competition

Build upon the remarkable success of the NSF Student Project that has led to the creation of five innovative video games as well as excellent careers for its student team members; sponsored by the National Science Foundation $10,000,000 Exploration in Computer Science Grant for the Creation of the Field of Computational Sustainability.

Work with advanced algorithms to aid in the creation of new NSF video games. These video games will be part of a museum exhibit to announce Cornell’s creation of the field of computational sustainability, and motivate attendees to view computer science as a powerful tool in helping to meet our society’s energy and environmental needs. In addition to exposing student team members to cutting edge algorithms in this field and potentially programming their implementation, this project also enables students to be a part of the very tangible creation of “edutainment” video games that use the computational sustainability message to excite young students about computer science as a way that they too can make a difference in the world. With an expected audience in the millions, this is a fantastic opportunity we are proud to offer our students as many prominent researchers may spend their entire careers without having the opportunity to be a part of a highly prestigious NSF Exploration Grant.