Mechanical

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Mechanical Mechatronics Engineering Project 491
493
GUIDELINES
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What is the purpose of this presentation ?

• This presentation is prepared with a view to
  provide students some ideas regarding
  undergraduate projects. The information
  contained in this presentation is only a
  guideline, and should not be considered as a unit
  outline. A unit outline for projects is
  separately available on the webCT.

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WHAT IS A FINAL YEAR PROJECT ? The final year
project is a systematic study and execution of an
engineering problem, carried out to fulfil
certain objectives. The entire work done by you
during the one-year period is used to develop
your thesis. The thesis is also called the
project report.
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TYPES OF PROJECTS

• Projects are of different types such as, a
  feasibility study, a theoretical analysis,
  design, development and/or testing of a
  prototype, an experimental work, a computational
  work, or, a combination of some or all of the
  above.
• Projects can be carried out in the university,
  or in an industry.

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SUPERVISOR AND THE PROJECT COORDINATOR Can I do
the project without a supervisor ? No, you should
have a supervisor. Who should be my supervisor
? A supervisor should be an academic staff member
in the department at Curtin. What is the
supervisors role ? The supervisor will not do
the project work for you. The supervisor will
only guide you in the right direction. The first
point of contact for any matter related to your
project is your supervisor. It is your
responsibility to discuss every aspect of your
project with your supervisor.
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• What is the project coordinators role ?
• The project coordinator works in liaison with
  the supervisor and the department in handling the
  administrative aspects of the project. Some of
  the duties of the project coordinator include the
  following maintaining webCT units, planning and
  scheduling of assessment, interaction with
  students and supervisors, and submission of
  grades to the department

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PROJECTS IN THE UNIVERSITY Do I get money to buy
all hardware ? Yes, currently the department
provides up to 200 for purchases made towards
the execution of the project. How do I purchase
hardware ? You should discuss with your
supervisor to know how to purchase
hardware/consumables for your project. Do not buy
anything without your supervisors permission. Is
there a general procedure to conduct experiments
in the lab ? Yes, you should contact the
laboratory manager and discuss with him/her about
what you would like to do in the laboratory. You
will also have to fill-up some forms and return
to him/her for approval, before you start
experiments in the laboratory.
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PROJECTS IN INDUSTRY Intellectual Property and
Confidentiality Agreement Where do I get more
information on this ? You should visit the
following website and make sure that you
understand everything before you start your
project. If your project has the likelihood of
any commercial exploitation of your invention, it
is important that you put in all the necessary
paperwork ahead of starting your actual project
work. You should discuss these issues with your
supervisor before you actually start working on
the project. Check out the following website to
find out more about intellectual property
issues http//research.curtin.edu.au/ip/index.htm
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• Should I require a supervisor at Curtin if I
  plan to do an industry project ?
• Yes, even if you plan to do a project in the
  industry, it is mandatory that you should have a
  supervisor from the department at Curtin.

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How often should I speak to my supervisor ? You
should meet your supervisor at least once a
fortnight to discuss your progress, and obtain an
endorsement on your logbook from your supervisor.
Where do I get a copy of the logbook? You may
contact the assignments office in building
204. What should I do with this logbook? You
should record the work carried out by you for the
project. What if my logbook is lost, stolen or
damaged ? You should report this to your
supervisor, in writing. I am doing a project in
industry. Can I show the logbook to my
supervisor in industry and get his/her signature
? No, you should get an endorsement on the
logbook only from your Curtin supervisor.
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ASSESSMENT
The project units 491and 492, or 491 and 493
follow a continuous assessment procedure. This
includes maintaining logbooks, meetings with
supervisor, submission of progress report at the
end of the first semester, submission of thesis
(project report) at the end of the second
semester, and attending the presentation.
Submission of all components of the assessment is
required to obtain a grade/mark for these units.
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ASSESSMENT PATTERN Thesis (Project Report)
0.45 weighting Overall Student Competency 0.40
weighting Presentation 0.15 weighting
Total 1.0
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What happens at the end of first semester ? You
should submit the Progress Report to the
assignments office on or before the
deadline. What is this report ? This report will
contain the work done by you during the first
semester, and your work plan for the second
semester. Do I have a format for this ? Yes,
this report has a format, and is available from
the webCT component of this unit. Where do I
submit this ? You submit this report to the
assignments office. Can I submit a hand-written
report ? No, you cannot. Who will read this
report ? Your supervisor will read this
report. How am I assessed based on this report
for the first semester ? Based on the work
carried out by you, and your regular meetings
with your supervisor, your supervisor will
provide a Pass or Fail grade for you, for the
first semester of your project unit. When do I
have to submit this report ? You should check the
webCT for submission date for this report. What
will happen if I dont submit the report ? You
will get a fail grade (F) for the project unit
491.
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THESIS What is a thesis (project report) ? The
webCt unit contains a document that explains a
thesis, and the guidelines for preparation of the
thesis or the project report. Is there a deadline
for submission of the thesis ? Yes, there is a
deadline. Details will be available from the
webCT. Where do I submit my thesis ? You should
submit the thesis to the assignments office
located in building 204. How many copies of my
thesis do I have to submit ? Two identical
spiral-bound copies should be submitted. Do I
have to submit a draft copy of the thesis ? No.
There is no draft copy.
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• What happens to the thesis after I submit ?
• Your thesis will be examined by your project
  supervisor, and separately co-examined by another
  staff member in the department. Based on this,
  you will be given a mark for the thesis.
• What is meant by overall student competency ?
• The mark for overall student competency is
  provided by your supervisor. Overall student
  competency takes into account factors such as the
  students approach to the project, the students
  attitude, initiative shown, the degree of
  difficulty of the project, ability to meet
  deadlines, and maintaining regular meetings with
  the supervisor.

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PRESENTATION When is the presentation organised
? You should check the webCT for the actual
dates. It is usually held a day or two before or
after your last examination. What do I present
for the seminar ? You should provide an
engineering presentation of your project. How
long is the seminar ? You will be allowed to talk
for 10 minutes. This will be followed by 5
minutes of question time. What will happen if I
dont present my work in the seminar ? You will
get a fail grade for the project. What components
are assessed during the seminar ? Your
presentation is assessed in terms of its
introduction, engineering content, timing,
conclusion, and your response to questions. Is
there a dress code for the seminar ? Yes. You
should dress neat and tidy. You are not allowed
to wear thongs and boardshorts.
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PRIZES A few prizes available for projects are
given below. However, the list is incomplete. If
you require further information, please consult
your supervisor. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING INSTITUTE
OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Project Prize The
Most Outstanding Project in a Final Year
INSTITUTE OF MATERIALS ENGINEERING AUSTRALASIA
The Most Outstanding Project in a Final Year
Materials Science Project MAINTENANCE
ENGINEERING SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA Best Practical
Project In A Maintenance Engineering Field
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Mechanical Engineering Medal Outstanding
Graduate In Mechanical Engineering George Dent
Memorial Award Overall Performance in Industrial
Engineering and Management Subjects Jim
Blurton Experimental Mechanics Prize Best Project
In Experimental Mechanics Condition Monitoring
Prize Best Practical Project in a Condition
Monitoring Area MECHATRONIC ENGINEERING SMC
PNEUMATICS Outstanding Graduate in Mechatronic
Engineering SMC Pneumatics Best Final Year
Project
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CLOSURE Is there a webCT for this unit ? Yes.
Do I have to read e-mails regarding projects
? Yes. Can I change my project anytime during the
year ? No.