KSC Senior Design Projects

2024-25 SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

First Step proposal due by September 6, 2024

US Citizens only

Description/Instructions

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) intends to solicit University Senior Design teams (US citizens only) to study and provide solutions to NASA aerospace problems and projects.

There are many accredited colleges of engineering in Florida and all are required to teach a Senior Design capstone course each year.  Professors teaching/administering these courses can find suitable topics/projects which lend themselves to completion in either one semester (15 weeks) or two (30 weeks).

Because the U.S. Space Program is challenging and inspiring to college students, NASA projects, such as those listed, could be appealing to professors operating Senior Design classes.

KSC researchers are eager to have teams of advanced students (seniors and US citizens) apply their skills/knowledge to develop solutions to NASA’s aerospace problems.  Using NASA projects as the subject of Senior Design studies has been piloted at Kennedy, with excellent results.

The KSC mentors have agreed to meet initially 1 hour per week to get the Faculty/Students going with more information on the background, need, references, etc. related to the topic.  Its been our experience that the meetings levels off to 1 hour every other week (or longer) as Faculty/Student teams get more focused on what they want to accomplish.

The application is a 2-step process

1. First Step

Submission of the proposal using a template provided below.

The projects listed below have been proposed by KSC engineers and scientists and are available to Florida colleges and universities. However, only US citizens are eligible to participate in the senior design project. To choose one of the listed projects and to qualify for NASA funding, your team and faculty advisor must first complete a one/two-page proposal using the template (see below)  and send it to: Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee, Director of the Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) at jaydeep.mukherjee@ucf.edu by September 6, 2024.       

2024-25_KSC_Senior_Design_Projects_proposal_template

KSC Senior Design University Project-Topics-Fall-2024-Spring-2025

First Step proposal due by September 6, 2024

NASA KSC intends to review proposals as they are received.

Awards and regrets will be announced by September 13, 2024.

2. Second Step

After evaluation, those proposals chosen for funding will be notified.  FSGC will contribute up to $750 to a chosen Senior Design team (one semester project) and up to $1250 to a team chosen for the two semester option.  Teams are expected to make one or two trips to KSC (Minimum of one trip is required). The funds should be used for the travel of the teams to KSC and/or to build a prototype. The final deliverable would be a written project report for a one semester effort, and a final report plus a prototype/model for a two semester course.  Several Senior Design teams will be selected each year, depending on funding/budget approval.

The KSC mentors have agreed to meet initially 1 hour per week to get the Faculty/Students going with more information on the background, need, references, etc. related to the topic.  Its been our experience that the meetings levels off to 1 hour every other week (or longer) as Faculty/Student teams get more focused on what they want to accomplish.

Development of NASA’s future workforce is our motive for engaging young professionals (college students) in aerospace projects.

Selected teams will  have to submit a proposal by October 4, 2024 to Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee, Director of the Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) at jaydeep.mukherjee@ucf.edu .

The proposal package for the 2nd step should include

1. student-project-proposal-cover-page sheet
2. Proposal – Include the proposal that was submitted in the first step.
3. How the award funds will be spent (Not to exceed $750 for 1 semester project and not to exceed $1250 for 2 semester project). Please include a budget and budget descripton.
4. A spreadsheet showing the following details of each student participating in the project.

• Name of Student,
• Email address,
• Citizenship (US or non-US),
• Status (senior, junior etc),
• Major ( physics, electric engineering, etc),
• Gender (Male or female)
• Race (American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White)
• Ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino,   Not Hispanic of Latino)
• Disability (yes or no)

 

Gender

# of males

# of females

Ethnicity

# Hispanic 

# non-Hispanic

 

Race

# White

# African American

# Asian

# Pacific Islander

# American Indian or Alaska Native

 

# of students with disabilities.

# of students who are veterans

Here is some information about race and ethnicity categories

Race Categories

American Indian or Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Black or African American: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as “Haitian” or “Negro” can be used in addition to “Black or African American”.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

Ethnicity Categories

Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, “Spanish origin”, can be used in addition to “Hispanic or Latino”.

Not Hispanic or Latino

Since FSGC is a Co-operative Education Grant from NASA, this demographic and other information is required for onward submission to NASA HQ as part of our annual report.  We do not send individual information. All the information is aggregated and then compiled into our annual report to NASA. NASA in turn uses this information to present Space Grant program highlights to Congressional delegates in order to secure future years funding for the National Space Grant program through the NASA Education Office. 

Indirect cost will be determined as per Clause 3.4 of the signed Master Agreements between UCF, acting on behalf of FSGC and the awardee institution. Support for these projects are solely from the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium. The indirect cost rate for FSGC programs is 10%, except for fellowships, scholarships, and internships.

Please email or mail your signed proposal to (prefer email):

Jaydeep Mukherjee

NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium

Partnership 1 Building

12354 Research Parkway, Room 218

Orlando, FL, 32826 -0650

Email: jaydeep.mukherjee@ucf.edu

For technical information, please contact Dr. Jaydeep Mukherjee at jaydeep.mukherjee@ucf.edu