EPICS @ UNM
For Students: this opportunity is available to Juniors and Seniors of ANY MAJOR (already admitted into your major), including BME Graduate Students.
For Community Partners: projects with a focus in ANY Engineering and Computing fields are encouraged.
Aim
The University of New Mexico’s School of Engineering to launch an EPICs program at UNM in the Fall 2020 semester. Other/all interested Engineering Departments are welcome to join.
What is an EPICS program?
Engineering Projects In Community Service (EPICS) is a nationally award-winning program founded at Purdue University in 1995. EPICS is an academic program where teams of students partner with community organizations to solve real world problems; to implement service-learning design projects to help address human, community, and environmental needs.
UNM’s program mirrors that of the EPICS program at Purdue University, while adjusting for local culture, student population, and regional needs. The program will utilize both the community partners, as well as the WHY lab. Additionally, the EPICS program will tie closely to Peace Engineering, either in concept and aim, or in connection with a Minor study (not yet formally offered at UNM).
Additionally, UNM is working closed with Purdue to join their program consortium.
All engagement options are geared towards students already admitted into their major program or who are eligible for upper division courses. For Engineering and Computing students who are earlier in the academic careers, we encourage you to join our Student Research Experience Program.
- Give back to the community and earn credit at the same time!
- Develop technical and professional skills
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Project management
- Interpersonal communication
- Develop customer-awareness
- Gain understanding of ethical, economic, & legal issues
- Experiences the entire design/life-cycle
- Move beyond theory and the classroom
- Be part of a multidisciplinary team
- Engage in design in a real-world context
- Have a positive impact on your community
- Build your resume/Have something to talk about in interviews
- Increase awareness of what engineering is
- Strengthen your community relations
- Contribute to student growth and development
- Receive project support
- Fall 2020 – The first cohort starts
- Continuous – seek community partners and funding sources
- ECE 419 (ECE Senior Design for graduation). This option is for ECE students with Senior standing (within 3 semesters of graduating) interested in the 2 semester approach. (Duration of two semesters; Standard Grade option only) – Fall: Planning and design; Spring: Execution. As completed as a formal Senior Design course which requires a more formalized approach to the course aspect, as there are invited speakers and additional course content beyond the scope of the EPIC project.
- Supporting Example Senior Design Documents:
- ECE 491.012 (Dr. Jordan; 2 semester Topics Course). This option is for non-ECE or CS non-pre-major Juniors & Seniors interested in the 2 semester approach. (Duration of two semester - Fall: Planning and design; Spring: Execution; both Standard Grade and Credit/No Credit options available).
- ECE 491.033 (Dr. Devetsikiotis; 1 semester Topics Course). This option is for all non-CS non-pre-major Junior & Senior students interested in the 1 semester approach. (Duration of one semester; both Standard Grade and Credit/No Credit options available).
- CS 499 (Dr. Darko Stefanovic). This option is for all non-pre-major CS students interested in joining the EPICS program. (Duration of one [Fall or Spring start] or two semesters [Fall start only]; both Standard Grade and Credit/No Credit options available).
- BME 551 Problems (Dr. Canavan; 1 semester Topics Course). This option is for BME Graduate Students for the Spring 2021 semester.
- Email: epics@unm.edu
- Phone: Yadéeh Sawyer, Program Coordinator. (505) 277-9151
- Website: http://goto.unm.edu/epics or https://ess.unm.edu/programs/current-students/epics-unm/index.html
- Additional information for Potential Community Partners HERE
- Please complete THIS interest form.
- If you select to include the Senior Design option, you must also complete THIS project description form by the 2nd week of the semester. AND, Senior Design Projects MUST accommodate teams of 2 - 4 students. If both of these requirements are not met, the projects will be offered via the Topics Course (either 1 or 2 semester approach).
- Contact Yadéeh Sawyer, Program Coordinator at epics@unm.edu or (505) 277-9151 with any questions.
- ECE Seniors (in good standing within 3 semesters of graduating) are encouraged to take the Senior Design (ECE 419) approach
- All CS students who would like their EPICS involvement to contribute to their degree should reach out to the department chair (currently Dr. Darko Stefanovic @darko@cs.unm.edu) for course enrollment information and permissions for CS499 (Independent Study; can be applied as one of the three technical elective courses required in the CS BS degree program). In addition, you will need to identify a professor in Computer Science who would be interested in supervising your individual study, which means, typically, meeting with you weekly or biweekly, advising you, helping you develop a project report, and assigning a final grade - as would be done for any other individual study.
- All other students should take either ECE 491.012 (2 Semester) or ECE 491.033 (1 Semester)
- ME students who take a 300+ ECE course may use it as a Tech elective.
- BME Graduate students should consult with the academic advisor prior to enrolling in BME 551.
- Regardless of your major, we highly encourage you to consult with your major advisor prior to enrollment in any of the three course options.
Financial Support/Donations help operation and development of existing EPCICS at UNM programs through:
- Team expenses: Gift funds may be used to acquire the hardware, software, or other materials that must be purchased for the construction and deployment of the team's prototypes.
- Student travel: These funds may be used to cover the cost of student travel between EPICS sites or to cover the student travel expenses associated with long distance meetings for a particular project. The programmatic support will provide the necessary funds to ensure that students can travel to areas related to their projects as the need arises.
- Student Presentation Opportunities: Students are often the best spokespersons for both the EPICS program and the projects they are working on. However, there are often costs associated in preparing the professional level presentations expected for these events such as display boards and posters and general handout materials. Additionally, students can be given more chances to advance their professional presentation skills and network with members of strategic audiences.
- Laboratory Supplies and Materials: Depending on the project, EPICS at UNM may be responsible for providing laboratory space and the basic infrastructure required for students to design, develop, and test their prototypes. Gift funds can assist in supplying the materials students need to perform their essential team functions.
The contributions of all EPICS at UNM sponsors will be cited on the EPICS at UNM Web site, and your company/foundation's name will be listed as the sponsor on all materials associated with the sponsored projects. For more information about financially supporting the EPICS at UNM Program please contact Yadéeh Sawyer, Program Coordinator at epics@unm.edu or (505) 277-9151 to express an interest and she will guide you from there.