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All ISyE undergraduate seniors culminate their undergraduate educational experiences with a capstone course called Senior Design. In Senior Design, you are presented with an opportunity to work with a team of undergraduate students to provide your organization with a variety of innovative and creative solutions to a problem. Student teams work on well-defined, specific design projects to generate, evaluate, and communicate solutions to their client. For more information about the Senior Design program, contact Senior Design Coordinator Dr. Dima Nazzal.
Senior Design Facts at a Glance
Projects per year
Clients per year
Students per year
Faculty per year
Sample Project Topics
- Activity valuation
- Capacity management
- Customer service enhancement
- Demand/price forecasting
- Distribution network redesign
- Energy usage reduction
- Equipment replacement planning
- Faculty layout/redesign
- Flow management
- Inventory planning
- Manufacturing line/cell design
- Materials handling
- Money/capital management
- Pricing strategy
- Preventative maintenance scheduling
- Process design/redesign
- Production scheduling
- Supply chain design
- Technology integration
- Vendor selection
- Waste reduction
- Workforce scheduling
Project Requirements
- Engineering Design
The project must involve a recommendation for change(s) to an existing system or the development of a new system and an economic analysis of the associated costs and benefits. - Magnitude
Each team member is expected to spend a minimum of 12 productive hours per week on the project for a total of 180 hours for the semester, which equates to a minimum of 1080 hours for a six-member team. The project’s scope must be consistent with this expectation. - Value
The value of the project to the client must be commensurate with the amount of time spent. - Methodology
The project must require the use of substantial industrial and systems engineering tools and methods learned in the curriculum.
Client Responsibilities
- Identify a real need the organization is facing.
- Ensure that there is significant design content in the proposed project; that is, the scope of the project must be such that a recommendation for a change to a system is made and there is demonstrated value for implementing the change, and that it has a significant impact on the organization.
- Meet with the student team on the site at the facility to explore possibilities, and determine the scope of the project.
- Assign a responsible technical or managerial person to give the team appropriate guidance, operations and economic information, and site access if needed. During the semester, this person will need to spend approximately 2-4 hours per week interacting with team members.
- Make arrangements for an appropriate level of management to receive and consider the team's formal proposal, interim report, tentative results, conclusions, and final design.
Cohorts and Timeline
We have two cohorts per academic year: Summer/Fall and Fall/Spring. Each cohort engages with the clients throughout two academic semesters. The first semester is "pre-senior design", which is the semester prior to "senior design". In pre-senior design, students form/join teams, search for a client and develop their project scope by writing a pre-proposal for faculty approval. No work on the project is expected during that first semester. Teams with pre-proposals that are well-written and meet the outlined criteria above are given the permit to register in the second semester for "senior design", which is the semester where the actual analysis and design is conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor. All work products are evaluated by a faculty examiner.
Ideal submission window for the summer/fall cohort projects is March through May.
Ideal submission window for the fall/spring cohort projects is July through September.
Summer/Fall Cohort Pre-senior Design Timeline
Summer 2024
- April 22, Students submit Team composition, many students have already formed their teams and working on finding projects/clients.
- May 29, Teams submit Client Notification memo, describing their client, the project motivation, potential opportunity, and connection to ISyE courses and methods.
- June 24, Teams submit a preliminary proposal, 7-10 page document describing the client need, the current operation, the opportunities to address the client’s need, the information and data they need to gather to further develop their opportunities, the potential deliverables, the potential value to the client, and the link between the project and the IE curriculum.
- July 23, Teams submit their revised preliminary proposals; teams rarely get a well-defined document on the first try. I usually meet with them after the first pre-proposal submission to help them develop their understanding of the current system and potential opportunities.
Summer/Fall Cohort Senior Design Timeline
Fall 2024
- Aug 19, Semester starts
- Aug 26 - 30, Proposal presentations to faculty
- Sept 3 - 6, Proposal presentations to client
- Oct 7 - 11, Interim progress presentations to faculty
- Oct 16 - 18, Interim progress presentations to clients
- Nov 19 - 22, Final presentations to faculty
- Dec 2 - Dec 10, Final presentations and written report to clients
- Dec 2, GT Capstone Expo
- Dec 10, ISyE Best of Senior Design Finalists Lunch and Presentations
- Dec 13, Semester ends - Deadline for submitting all deliverables and code to client
Fall/Spring Cohort Pre-Senior Design Timeline
Fall 2024
- Sept 16, Students submit Team composition, many students have already formed their teams and working on finding projects/clients.
- Sept 30, Teams submit Client Notification memo, describing their client, the project motivation, potential opportunity, and connection to ISyE courses and methods.
- Oct 21, Teams submit a preliminary proposal, 7-10 page document describing the client need, the current operation, the opportunities to address the client’s need, the information and data they need to gather to further develop their opportunities, the potential deliverables, the potential value to the client, and the link between the project and the IE curriculum.
- Nov 4, Teams submit their revised preliminary proposals; teams rarely get a well-defined document on the first try. We usually meet with them after the first pre-proposal submission to help them develop their understanding of the current system and potential opportunities.
Fall/Spring Cohort Senior Design Timeline
Spring 2025
- Jan 6, Semester starts
- Jan 13 - 17, Proposal presentations to faculty
- Jan 21 - 24, Proposal presentations to client
- Mar 2 - 6, Interim progress presentations to faculty
- Mar 9 - 13, Interim progress presentations to clients
- Apr 14 - 18, Final presentations to faculty
- Apr 21 - 30, Final presentations and written report to clients
- Apr 22, GT Capstone Expo
- Apr 29, ISyE Best of Senior Design Finalists Lunch and Presentations
- May 2, Semester ends - Deadline for submitting all deliverables and code to client
Steps For Project Submission
Projects can be submitted online.
New clients are encouraged to meet with Program Coordinator, Dr. Dima Nazzal, prior to project submission. Necessary fields include: Organization, organization type, profile, and web address; first and last name of submitter, contact information of submitter; and how you learned about senior design projects. Examples can also be found on the website.
Project submissions are reviewed by the Program Coordinator prior to being published for student team selection.
Following project publication, companies should expect to be contacted by student teams with their resumes.
Each team picks its project from the submitted projects that comply with the course objectives; if multiple teams pick your project, you can choose among them.
Senior Design Project Listing
| Project Details | Client | Semester | Assigned |
|---|---|---|---|
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WINTON MACHINE COMPANY | Fall 2025 | No |
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Fox Factory | Spring 2025 | No |
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Shepherd Center | Spring 2025 | No |
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Georgia Department of Public Health | Spring 2025 | No |
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Arauco North America | Spring 2025 | No |
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American Airlines | Spring 2025 | No |
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Hex, Inc | Spring 2025 | No |
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Piedmont Atlanta Hospital | Spring 2025 | No |
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Sugar Bowl Bakery | Spring 2025 | No |
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Sugar Bowl Bakery | Spring 2025 | No |
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Emory Healthcare | Spring 2025 | No |
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LZRD Tech, Inc. | Spring 2025 | No |
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Pool Protection Technologies | Spring 2025 | No |
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MICHELIN Connected Fleet | Spring 2025 | Yes |
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American Airlines Cargo | Spring 2025 | No |
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Georgia Department of Human Services | Spring 2025 | No |
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DHL eCommerce | Spring 2025 | No |
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Emory Healthcare | Spring 2025 | No |
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Dunwoody Senior Baseball | Spring 2025 | No |
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Fox Factory | Spring 2025 | No |
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Focus Brands, LLC | Spring 2025 | No |
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FNST | Fall 2024 | No |
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Atlanta Mission | Fall 2024 | No |
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Emory Healthcare | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Georgia Power Company | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Genuine Parts Company - NAPA Auto Parts | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Emory Healthcare | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Emory Healthcare | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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DHL Ecommerce | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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HD Supply | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Student Government Association | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Genuine Parts Company | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Neighborhood Meals on Wheels | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries | Fall 2024 | No |
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Arauco North America | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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SCP Health | Fall 2024 | Yes |
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Georgia Institute of Technology | Fall 2024 | No |
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Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) | Fall 2024 | No |
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Science for Georgia | Fall 2024 | No |
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AMNS Calvert | Fall 2024 | No |
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HD Supply | Fall 2024 | No |
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CRH Americas (NYSE:CRH) | Fall 2024 | No |
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Down to Earth Energy | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Georgia Power | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Fox Factory | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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The Home Depot | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Honeywell International | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Roadway Management Technologies, LLC | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Emory Healthcare Inc. | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Kahua | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Emory Healthcare | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Delta Air Lines | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Grady Health System | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Georgia Tech | Spring 2024 | No |
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Convoy | Spring 2024 | No |
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Safe-Way Garage Door | Spring 2024 | Yes |
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Power Utility Products Company (PUPCO) | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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IRONSCALES | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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Peak Technologies | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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Eggs Up Grill | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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American Airlines | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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NAPA | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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Nolan Transportation Group | Fall 2023 | No |
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Steelcase Inc. | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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Delta Air Lines - Cargo | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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Shepherd Center | Fall 2023 | No |
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Department of Human Services | Fall 2023 | No |
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Piedmont Atlanta Hospital | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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UPS Healthcare | Fall 2023 | Yes |
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Floor and Decor | Fall 2023 | No |
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Floor and Decor | Spring 2023 | Yes |
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EATON | Spring 2023 | Yes |
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Steelcase Inc | Spring 2023 | Yes |
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Nolan Transporation Group | Spring 2023 | Yes |
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Department of Human Services | Spring 2023 | Yes |
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HD Supply | Spring 2023 | Yes |
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RAFB 402 CMXG | Spring 2023 | Yes |
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Steelcase Inc. | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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American Airlines | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Scientific Games | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Galerie Living | Fall 2022 | No |
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Saia LTL Freight | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Convoy | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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UPS/Coyote Logistics | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Cox Communications Inc. | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Batchelor & Kimball, Inc. | Fall 2022 | No |
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Atlanta Humane Society | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Focus Brands | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Georgia tech Counseling Center | Fall 2022 | Yes |
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Floor & Decor | Spring 2022 | Yes |
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Stitch Fix | Spring 2022 | Yes |
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Georgia Tech Office of Graduate Studies | Spring 2022 | Yes |
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Papa John's International | Spring 2022 | Yes |
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EnerVision, Inc. | Fall 2021 | Yes |
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The Home Depot | Fall 2021 | Yes |
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The Home Depot | Fall 2021 | Yes |
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The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation | Fall 2021 | Yes |
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Georgia Tech Administrative Excellence (AdminX) | Fall 2021 | No |
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Georgia Tech Administrative Excellence (AdminX) | Fall 2021 | No |
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United Digestive | Fall 2021 | Yes |
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Comcast | Fall 2021 | Yes |
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Kahua | Fall 2021 | Yes |
Fall 2024 Winning Team
Client: Georgia Power
Project: Wired for Efficiency
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Xin Chen
Student Team: Alexander Alderman | Wilson Enzor | Samuel Hagley | Zhixian Liding | Omar Nabulsi | Noel Sablon | Zaid Takroury | Giuliano Tissot
Client Sponsor: Bill Harrop
Finalist Presentations
Sponsors & Partners
Giving Opportunities
For Permanent Endowment
- Named Senior Design Program from $250,000 *
- General Program Support from $25,000
For Current Operations
- Senior Design Team Corporate Sponsorship from $5,000
* Naming rights are limited to non-organizational entities and must be approved by the Georgia Tech Name Committee.
Sponsor Benefits
- Student recruiting and mentoring opportunities
- Potential solution to your challenge - designed, built, and tested
- Company logo displayed at McCamish Pavilion for Expo
- Company logo displayed on Georgia Tech Capstone Design website
