Students Projects for Engineering Experience and Design (SPEED)
The SPEED program (Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design) is one of the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering hallmark initiatives exemplifying Clarkson's boundary spanning approach to education. SPEED promotes multidisciplinary, project-based learning opportunities for more than 350 undergraduates annually. Projects involve engineering design, analysis, and fabrication. In addition, students learn real-world business skills such as budget management, effective teamwork, and communications skills. SPEED receives its primary financial support from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation with contributions from ExxonMobil and Turner Construction Company. The program was recognized with the 2001 Boeing Outstanding Educator Award and the 2002 Corporate and Foundation Alliance Award for its exceptional contributions to improving undergraduate engineering education.
The mission of Clarkson University’s Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design (SPEED) Program is to provide talented and ambitious students with opportunities to apply classroom-learned theories in engineering, management, economics and communication to real-world problems. Hands-on application of academic theory with multi-disciplinary approaches to problem solving uniquely prepares Clarkson graduates to excel and achieve positions of leadership within their chosen profession and to lead rewarding and creative lives. The SPEED program embodies the foundation of the “Vision of a Clarkson Education” that, in addition to a mastery of the core knowledge within his or her field, a Clarkson education provides each student with the opportunity to:
- Solve real-world, open-ended problems that require creativity and risk taking, including participation in state-of-the-art research under the direction of distinguished faculty;
- Develop and refine exceptional communication skills with an awareness of potential cultural differences;
- Work within and lead disciplinary and multidisciplinary teams possibly composed of members with diverse interests and backgrounds;
- Obtain outstanding capabilities in utilizing computing and other 21st century technologies;
- Learn through instruction and guidance by nationally recognized faculty whose commitment to both teaching and research has made Clarkson a nationally ranked university.
