The O.T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Lab provides senior engineering students opportunities to apply their discipline-specific knowledge to address real-world challenges presented by external sponsors. Multidisciplinary project teams of six to eight students share ideas, address technical requirements and risks, conceptualize designs, build prototypes, and test their solutions for major corporations, entrepreneurs, local organizations and non-profit community agencies.
Since its inception in 2000, Design Lab faculty and staff have worked with over 5,000 senior engineering students on more than 350 sponsored projects and 150 service learning projects. The project-based learning experience provides students the opportunity to practice engineering prior to launching their professional careers. The Design Lab was made possible through the generous donations of Honorary Trustee Robert Swanson ’58 and his wife, Cynthia Shevlin, and numerous other individual and corporate supporters.
“Funds designated to The Design Lab allow Rensselaer to continue providing practical education and real-world design experiences for our students while making a positive impact in the world,” said Kathryn A. Dannemann ’80, ’82G, Director of the Design Lab at Rensselaer. “The multidisciplinary design experience fosters teamwork, communication and project management skills while catalyzing our students to ‘change the world’.”
To learn more about the O.T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory please contact Prof. Dannemann at dannek2@rpi.edu. Additional information on the Design Lab can also be found by visiting their website: https://designlab.rpi.edu.
Funds designated to The Design Lab allow Rensselaer to continue providing practical education and real-world design experiences for our students while making a positive impact in the world.”
– Kathryn A. Dannemann ’80, ’82G, Director of the Design Lab at Rensselaer