ME 170 

Stanford Mechanical Engineering Capstone

The 2-quarter long course sequence provides students the experience of working on teams of 3-4 students with complementary skillsets within ME, working on engineering design projects focused in themes that address the most pressing needs of human society.  Themes, such as energy, transportation, and health rotate through the course.

Student teams work with external organizations who provide the project, representing the user need.  If you would like to participate with the course, please see our "How to Participate" page!

The course utilizes an iterative approach to technical need-finding, establishing design requirements, designing, prototyping, testing, and analyzing, resulting in a functional solution that meets design requirements by the end of 2 quarters. 

Students learn skills in engineering design, teamwork, project management, engineering development process, and communication, while evaluating their projects for ethical, environmental, safety and health considerations.