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12 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 come up here and help start this engineering program. That was in 2003 when we had our first group of seniors. It had been a three-year program before that. There were four engineering faculty at that point, including myself, and then the program got accredited with about 40–50 students; now, there are over 300 students and approxi- mately 15 faculty. We began with concentra- tions in mechanical and electrical engineering, and now we also have computer, civil, and biomedical concentrations. Nolan Johnson: Can you tell us more about your engineering program? Spivey: Students are initiated into the program through our engineering principles courses. There is a two-semester sequence in the first year where students have a significant amount of hands-on education. In the fall, they are trained in machine shop equipment and solid modeling, and use these skills to design and manufacture a small air engine. In the spring, they learn basic electronics and programming, and use those skills to create and build an Arduino-controlled solution for a constrained theme (e.g., a new kitchen appliance or some- thing to improve the dorm room). The theme changes each year. Sophomore year is fairly standard and rigor- ous as students learn the fundamental skills in their concentration. In their junior year, students participate in our Servant Engineer- ing Program. The program began in 2010 and allows every junior to participate in a service learning engineering project. In their senior year, students participate in our senior design capstone experience, which is a full design experience with a professional company. There are about five people on a team, and we do it a little differently than many schools; instead of having the senior design teams supervised by a representative from the company sponsor, each team has two faculty mentors. Students work for the faculty, and the GFU holds job fairs every fall to introduce students to companies in the electronics industry.