Getting Started
To register for ENT4950 (and start pursuing capstone through OSHE) you will need to fill out this google form. After submitting, it will automatically be sent to your academic advisor. Your academic advisor will then email the enterprise program, stating whether or not you are capstone ready.
The next step is to start a Enterprise Project Summary which can be found under Project Template at this link (Note that there are two different versions, one for Mechanical Engineers and another for all other majors). This document is usually due the first week of the semester. Since the approval of the project summary is tied to registering in ENT4950, the more you wait, the harder it will be to register in the class. The important information you will need to determine to get started are:
- Project Sponsor
- Project Background/Overview
- Problem Opportunity Statement
Before choosing a project sponsor and project, make sure to loop the MTU enterprise program into your correspondence. They are a huge help with making a project proposal and can help guide you through the logistics of getting your project sponsored. And since they are the one to approve your project, the earlier you loop the enterprise program in the easier the approval and sponsorship process will be. Speaking from experience, this is something I was not aware of and made things complicated due to false promises that I made.
- Contact Enterprise Program by emailing: enterprise@mtu.edu
Determining your sponsor can come from many different avenues. When I was at my internship with Plexus, I asked different full-time employees in my department regarding technical mentorship. Chris (an Analog engineer) was interested in providing technical mentorship for our open-source project. With his help, I was able to put together a project proposal using the Enterprise Project Summary template and present it to the Plexus Michigan Tech campus outreach group. From there Chris helped push the project internally to management and helped get our project sponsored. Concurrently, I made sure to loop Shane in and get his approval for the project. The other avenue I know to get your project sponsored is to ask Shane for help. This could be a project that is originated from a MTU department like the Bird Attractant and Deterrent project.
One last thing, sponsoring a project is not cheap. When I was pitching my project I did not know that there was a set monetary rate for sponsoring a Enterprise Capstone project. So don’t make the mistake of advertising your low-cost, open-source solution by low balling your sponsorship fee. CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE PROGRAM!