The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UNH requires that all graduating seniors participate in our Capstone design experience. This year-long (two-semester) class presents students with an opportunity to work as part of a team to apply engineering, communication, and management skills. At this time, we are contacting engineering companies, municipalities, and public agencies (Project Sponsors) to request proposals for engineering projects for the course. Projects that include multiple engineering disciplines (i.e., structural, geotechnical, environmental, water resources) are strongly encouraged. The project could be one that your firm or agency has completed, is under construction, or entails investigation of potential alternatives for a project being considered. Recent projects undertaken in the course include investigation of a landfill expansion, design of a sewer pump station, design of an airport runway reconstruction, forensic investigation of a bridge collapse, an alternatives investigation for a replacement bridge, evaluation of recreational trail layouts, and reconfiguration of an intersection. This program has proved to be a highly rewarding experience for both the Project Sponsor and the student teams. If you are interested in participating, complete an on-line form found here.
Capstone Program Information
This year’s Senior Class is approximately 60 students that will undertake approximately 15 unique projects in teams of 3-5 students.
We will be selecting approximately 25 projects for consideration by the students. The potential projects submitted will be reviewed and evaluated as they are submitted. Not all projects will be selected by the students and move forward.
Please submit projects no later than August 15, 2025. This will allow for the review projects and scheduling of the presentations. Only one project per company or agency will be accepted for consideration.
The commitment to the program will vary depending upon the size and complexity of the project. However, the time commitment is approximately 8 hours total per month. This includes meetings, correspondence, review of submission, etc. Most of the time spent as a Project Sponsor can be virtual (i.e. Teams, Zoom, email). However, there are a few in-person commitments which include: End of Fall Semester Project Presentation in December, and End of Spring Semester Project Presentation in May.
The student teams are expected to provide timely communication, progress reports, etc. to their Project Sponsor as would be expected for real world projects.
A Project Faculty Advisor will be assigned to each team to provide grades for the assignment and technical guidance. The Project Faculty Advisor will work with the Project Sponsor to manage the student team.
The basic schedule of the Capstone Program can be found here.
Below are links to the posters developed for each project in association with the Undergraduate Research Conference. This will provide an overview of the type of projects that have been undertake in recent years.
https://media-gallery.unh.edu/?page=1&added__year=2023&conference=2&event=4&department=39
https://media-gallery.unh.edu/?page=1&added__year=2024&conference=2&event=4&department=39
https://media-gallery.unh.edu/?page=1&added__year=2025&conference=2&event=4&department=39
Matt Low from Hoyle, Tanner & Associates will again be assisting with the overall development of the class. Please feel free to contact me or Matt (matthew.low@unh.edu) if you have any questions about the Capstone Program. Thank you in advance for your time.
Contact:
Anthony Puntin, P.E., Capstone Coordinator
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
University of New Hampshire
Anthony.Puntin@unh.edu | (603) 496-1784