7. Projects#

The final project for CBE 30338 is in-depth exploration of a control problem of your choice. You will work in groups (at least three, no more than four, no exceptions), select a problem of interest, and develop an analysis or control design using the skills you learned in this course. The essential elements of the project are:

  • Preliminary reports consisting of a problem statement, a meeting with the instructor to review the project, and progress report.

  • A Group presentation to the class

  • A Final Report that includes at least one executable demonstration of your project. The executable element might consist of a Python/Jupyter notebook, a simulation prepared in an industry standard format, or video of experiment or hardware demonstration.

Prior to the mid-semester break, form a group (3 or 4 students, no exceptions) and meet as needed during the semester to identify a project. Projects outside of the typical scope of chemical and biomolecular engineering are welcome, but the project must feature at least one of the main themes of the course (modeling, feedback, analytics, optimization, predictive control). For confirmation or suggestions, discuss your project ideas with the instructors.

The project will be graded on the following deliverables. Consult the course schedule for dates when these items are due:

  • Problem Statement. The problem statement should be at least two pages in length, concisely written, with literature references. Describe the problem, the technology challenge, how the project incorporates themes from the course, and specific goals for your project. The goals should be stated clearly enough that you can determine whether or not you have achieved those goals by the end of the project. Be ambitious. In the spirit of Elon Musk, falling short of a goal is not failure if you learn something along the way.

  • Instructor Meeting. Schedule a 1/2 hour group meeting with the instructor to discuss project feasibility and needed resources.

  • Progress Report. The progress report consists of a 6 to 10 page report providing a concise description of the project scope, a brief review of the literature used in the project, theory, and any preliminary calculations. At this stage your group should have a clear scope and identified the intended main deliverable. The deliverable may be a simulation, a physical experiment or demonstration, or a software package. The progress report will document progress since the project proposal and show that you have a plan to complete the final stages of the project.

  • Presentation. The group presentations will be conducted in the periods listed in the course schedule. Each group will be given 5-8 minutes to describe their work. The instructor and TA’s will judge the poster sessions, and there will be ungraded recognitions based on peer feedback. PDF versions of the slides (pdf only) should be submitted prior to the scheduled presentation.

  • Final Report. Your submission should be a PDF of final version of the slides used during the presentation, copies of any software or data files presented, a working artifact, and a final report of 6-10 pages demonstrating the results of your project.