When you commit to an ELECOMP Capstone Design project, you take on a real engineering problem from a real sponsor. Professor Sunak has spent months recruiting these projects, and each one is a chance to launch your career. Put your heart and soul into achieving the Anticipated Best Outcome, prove what you can do, and learn everything you can from your Technical Directors. Many of them are graduates of this Program. Aspire to be one of them.
Documents to Read
Read the Fall 2026 documents carefully: the Roadmap, the Homework assignments, the WPR and MPR formats, the Logbook and Timesheet guide, and the Grading Breakdown. All of them are Google Docs linked from the For Students section and are updated in place each semester, so always open them from the website rather than from an old download.
After teams are formed, study the remaining documents, including the AI Use Policy in Appendix A of your project proposal. Identify your own passion area for your engineering career before you rank your projects.
Time Commitment
Plan to devote real time to the project. These are challenging problems from real sponsors. Your schedule already blocks about 6 hours per week of capstone time (Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon). On top of that, expect to work another 10 hours per week, individually or with your team, for a total of 10 to 15 hours per week per designer.
To reach the Anticipated Best Outcome, teams devote roughly 500 to 750 hours per semester depending on team size. Every hour is logged in your Automated Timesheet.
Friday Meetings
Friday 2 to 5 PM is allocated capstone time in your schedule. This is when teams meet their Technical Directors, either at the sponsor facility or on campus. Do not take classes on campus after 5 PM on Fridays, because you may be at the company.
Teams not traveling to the company work in the ELECOMP Capstone Lab, Room 150 in the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering (FCAE), or in another assigned room. Mike Smith is on site Friday afternoons. If Friday does not suit your Technical Director, arrange another time or a video call during the week.
Tuesday Sessions
Tuesday 5 to 8:30 PM is also allocated capstone time. All teams work in the ELECOMP Capstone Lab (FCAE 150 and the adjoining lab rooms). Mike Smith and any Consulting Technical Director assigned to your project are present. Take advantage of their expertise.
Dinner is provided on Tuesday evenings. You are also welcome to bring your own food.
Professional Conduct
- Communicate regularly with your Technical Directors. Copy Professor Sunak (harishsunak@uri.edu) on every email you send them.
- Bring a detailed agenda to every Friday meeting and every Tuesday session.
- Be on time. Do not miss meetings or deadlines.
- Treat this year as an 8-month interview. It has ended with a job offer for many designers before you.
- Work as a team. Respect every member, their ideas and their suggestions. Inspire and motivate each other.
- Act professionally and ethically at all times. You represent the University, the College and the Department whenever you interact with your sponsor.
Deliverables
Each project has deliverables specific to it, but every team produces the items below. Exact dates are on the Roadmap for each semester.
Fall Semester
- Weekly Progress Report (WPR): one per designer, uploaded to your WPR folder in Google Drive every Sunday between 8:00 and 9:00 PM, starting the week after teams form.
- Homework HW#1 through HW#13: submitted to your Homework folder.
- Major Progress Report #1 (MPR#1): individual report on your technical contributions, late October, graded by your Technical Director.
- Major Progress Report #2 (MPR#2): full team report, mid December, graded by your Technical Director.
- Digital Logbook and Automated Timesheet: updated every week in your personal Drive folder. There are no physical logbooks.
- Mid-Year Conference materials: a recorded 12 to 15 minute team video presentation, poster and prototype demo.
Spring Semester
- BESTRACK: replaces the WPR. One document per designer, uploaded twice a week (Sunday 8 to 9 PM and Tuesday 11:30 PM), combining the Anticipated Best Outcome tracker with your weekly progress.
- Homework HW#14 onward: HW#14 is BESTRACK#1.
- Major Progress Report #3 (MPR#3): team report, early March, graded by your Technical Director.
- Comprehensive Progress Report (CPR): the final report covering the full year, mid April, scored per designer.
- Digital Logbook and Automated Timesheet: continued every week.
- ELECOMP Summit materials: final recorded presentation, poster and prototype demo in early May.
Events
ELECOMP Capstone Mid-Year Conference
Thursday, December 17, 2026, from 2:00 PM. Each team submits a recorded 12 to 15 minute video presentation, which is graded for oral delivery and slides. At the Conference, teams stand at their poster and prototype demo while URI leadership, sponsors and guests walk around and talk with them. Dress code is suit and tie. Name tags are required.
ELECOMP Summit
The ELECOMP Summit in early May follows the same format as the Mid-Year Conference. Each team submits a recorded video presentation, which is graded for oral delivery and slides, and stands at its poster and prototype demo while sponsors, URI leadership and guests walk around and talk with them. Dress code is suit and tie. Name tags are required.
Evaluation Materials
- ABET Outcomes 1 to 5 and Evaluation.
- ABET Leadership and Collaboration Survey.
- Grading Breakdown for each semester, linked from the For Students section.