Course Reflection
The Senior Thesis project was definitely a very valuable experience as it effectively provides the opportunity for 5th year AE students to implement the knowledge and skills gained in their previous 4 years. While it insures the AE 5th year student’s proficiency in the depth and breadth areas, it also greatly improves problem solving skills and teaches how to execute a thesis project from conception to completion. It is one of the best examples of the “learning-by-doing” concept I have ever seen in the undergraduate studies level.
This is a very different course from any other course in the undergraduate level as it is definitely not a regular class where a student sits listens to a lecture. In fact, the traditional senior thesis project is a year-long thesis with much less pre-set milestones than regular classes. The student is free to set his own milestones and work by his/her own at any time, so there is very little room for procrastination here. In addition, ideas for the research to be done in the spring semester have to be very thoroughly thought of and investigated beforehand, because they will be the basis of anything that a student does in his/her spring semester. A thorough investigation and background research are highly recommended before choosing the appropriate proposal ideas. This is a project where it can be done only using the students own knowledge and judgment. Rather, it is about how much the student efficiently and effectively interact with the project team members, thesis advisor, AE faculty members, industry members, AE students from current and previous years, and anyone who would be of some help in the thesis project. Traditional AE Senior projects might seem like it is based on individual effort only at first glance, but it is exactly the opposite.
I think the AE’s Senior Thesis project is one of the most important Penn State’s AE program features that make it unique. It serves as a very smooth transition for AE students to the real world.

CPEP Reflection
The Capstone E-Portfolio tool dedicates a space in the internet for every 5th year AE student to publish their thesis work as they go. This very well encourages the students to do their best and compete with others from current or previous years. It also let them build on what students from previous years did and directs them towards continuous improvement. The collection of AE Senior Thesis project in the CPEP e-studio website serves as Penn State AE’s special showcase of how innovative and creative Penn State’s AE students are!