Construction Management

Wisconsin Place Residential

Chevy Chase, MD

 

  
 
 
 
 

 

 

ABET Outcome Survey

AE 481W/AE 482 Reflection

The AE 481W/AE 482 courses comprise what is commonly referred to as AE Senior Thesis.  This year long capstone project is completed in the 5th year of study of Architectural Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University.  The idea behind Senior Thesis is to obtain a sponsor from an actual construction project and perform intense analysis of the building and its systems.  At the end of the Fall semester, a proposal is submitted to the AE Department stating the goals and objectives for the design phase.  The Spring semester is spent working on building design changes, evaluating alternative systems, and compiling al of the research results into a final report.  It is important to note that AE students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in their primary area of focus, i.e. Construction Management, as well as other areas of engineering through breadth studies.  Some students are selected as finalists by the AE faculty and will present their thesis to a jury of about 50 visiting practitioners from across the country.  They represent their class in this final jury and are afforded the opportunity to win various achievement awards.

In performing my research, I found a few companies that refused to help me; I found many that were happy to share their expertise.  I am very appreciative of the time every engineer, supplier, or salesperson took to speak with me over the phone or e-mail me product information.  Their advice was an invaluable asset to my success in completing Senior Thesis.  The CPEP website was useful in conveying my ideas to anyone who was willing to read them.  My family enjoyed catching up on my thesis progress, and some AE Career Fair companies were eager to discuss my work on job interviews. 

This has been a challenging and rewarding year for me as I executed and completed my senior thesis project.  I quickly learned that my thesis topic would be changing throughout the year as I further refined my research and goals.  In fact, I completely overhauled my thesis proposal after returning from winter break.  This was a bit unsettling at first, but I credit this to my usual last-minute work tactics.  In all my years of study at Penn State I have performed best under severe pressure and believe I have produced some of my best work between the hours of 2am-5am.  In the end, my thesis came together better than I had expected.  I think it is important when selecting the research and analysis topics that everything relates back to one common theme.  This way, you are presenting one comprehensive project and everything flows and is intertwined.  It helps you because your research might help you in performing an analysis.  It also makes your goals and outcomes evident to the judges and clearly expresses your thought process to the audience.

When I think back to all of the courses I have taken over the past 5 years, I am stunned.  I used to wonder how I would ever fit all of the information into my head, and admittedly, some of it has escaped.  But the important things stick with you, believe it or not.  I think that we still have a lot to learn once we enter the industry, things that cannot be taught in a classroom.  This is why experience through internships is so important for AE’s, and I commend the Department for their hard work in organizing our annual AE Career Fair.  There is much to be learned from the Penn State AE program, and I am confident that when I graduate in a couple of weeks I will be well prepared for entering the work force.

 

 

 

     

The Capstone Project Electronic Portfolio (CPEP) is a web‐based project and information center. It contains material produced for a year‐long Senior Thesis class. Its purpose, in addition to providing central storage of individual assignments, is to foster communication and collaboration between student, faculty consultant, course instructors, and industry consultants. This website is dedicated to the research and analysis conducted via guidelines provided by the Department of Architectural Engineering. For an explanation of this capstone design course and its requirements click here.

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This Page was last updated on September 13, 2007 , By Jenna Marcolina and is hosted by the AE Department ©2007