The Senior Design Project Support Program is meant to offer supplemental funding in support of high-level student-led research and design projects. Projects must show clear relevance to NASAs mission and ongoing research at one or more of the NASA centers/under the umbrella of one or more of the four mission directorates. This funding source is meant to supplement the cost of materials and supplies and/or travel for competitions related to the student project. Senior Design programs are a holistic experience where the students function as real-life engineers with real-life challenges and responsibilities beyond the technical aspects of the profession. They work as teams on largely industry-inspired/sponsored projects and after two semesters they deliver an engineered system/product, which is defended in front of a panel of experienced expert professionals. They have to deal with the challenges of teamwork, project and budget management, estimation, procurement, redesigns, as well as hands-on manufacturing and communications of all forms with their clients, supervisors and the public. Industry, government, private and non-profit agencies partnered with student groups to sponsor innovative projects designed to provide solutions to current engineering challenges. This program supports the workforce development and research infrastructure goals of NASA Education. LaSPACE funds are typically used to help cover fabrication costs and travel expenses to external competitions or conferences for student participants.

Senior Design, LSU, Gonthier Regular, Proposal Abstract: The 2018 SAE Aero Design Series is an international collegiate competition that gives student teams the experience of designing, building, and flying a remote controlled aircraft. The competition expects to host seventy-five teams from around the world as they compete in three different classes of design. The proposed project will compete in the Regular Class with the objective of designing an aircraft that can carry the largest number of mock passengers and their luggage while maintaining controlled flight around a prescribed course using electric power for propulsion. The project team will use professional methods of design, analysis and reporting while creating a unique aircraft within constraints imposed by the competition. The design will be based on the application of fundamental principles of aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, and control. The team will complete this work as part of the senior capstone design sequence in the Mechanical Engineering program at LSU, with the PI serving as project adviser.