Ecosystem 1.0 SW could have helped with everything in our project, as long as we would have used it consistently from Day 1. We liked the interface with SolidWorks and the Google Drive as well as the mechanism for automatic report generation.

Electric Go Kart Lifting Stand, Capstone Design ’16 Team, Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University, Portland OR

 

We found the functional decomposition useful for our project. It helped us assess our design candidates, in an objective fashion, validate our selection of the suction-tension design as well as of the mechanical approach for the kinematics and the exterior vacuum pump for the suction. If adopted earlier in the project, we think the Ecosystem 1.0 SW could have helped a lot in terms of early identification of the risk factors for our project (which in our case were identified super-late in the game).

Quail Egg Embryo Extractor, Capstone Design ’16 Team, Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University, Portland OR

 

Since Sept. ‘17, I have required my Formula and BAJA SAE teams to use the Ecosystem SW. Proper documentation of the vehicles greatly helps in terms of knowledge transfer, esp. if key personnel becomes unavailable come competition time shortly before competition. The automatic reports, with tables and images all linked in, greatly help in terms of organized presentation to the design judges. The judges are expecting to see the design decisions for each subsystem, with supporting rationale, properly documented and effectively communicated.

Brian Moravec, Professor, Formula and BAJA Faculty Adviser, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls OR

 

This software seems like something that would be very useful to all Formula SAE teams. One of the biggest challenges we face is not the engineering, but the project management of all of the different components on the car.

Alex Allmandinger, Aerodynamics Team Leader, Formula SAE, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign IL

 

I really like the interface of the Ecosystem with the e-Drawings Viewer as well as the manufacturing support (e.g. the ability to specify the tooling level).

Joel Ludwig, Chief Executive Engineer, TS Tech, Tri-Con Industries LTD., Lincoln NE

 

I have only two teams and they both have performed admirably. The Dynamometer team has managed to stay on schedule a little better but I’m not certain whether that is due to Ecosystem or some other factor.

Dr. William Dick, Faculty Adviser, BAJA SAE Dynamometer Team, Mechanical and Material Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE

 

1. The user interface was easy to understand and allowed us to insert information quickly and painlessly.
2. The detailed outline helped us understand each component for the design report.
3. The extensive user manual gave useful instruction on how each tab operates.
4. The examples provided with the Ecosystem helped us understand the information to be included in each tab.
5. We liked the ability to hover over any given section and bring up a description of the section: This allowed us to save time to understand each section.
6. The ability to insert information into the meeting minutes, information sources, and deliverables facilities, for each design phase, also helped us save time.

BAJA SAE Dynamometer Team, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE

 

I got the Ecosystem downloaded to my Mac using WineBottler. It works very well, haven’t had any problems. The previous project examples in the help section are very useful

Taylor Ackerman, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE

 

I really do see a lot of potential in the Ecosystem as a template for design teams within the college in the future.

Josiah Johnson, Biological Systems Engineering Freshman, University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE

 

The goal of having a system useful in capstone design projects, which could also become a popular product over these students’ careers, is especially promising.

Anonymous Reviewer, International Journal on Engineering Education

 

As a project management tool, the Ecosystem seems to offer clear value, not only to capstone students, but also to the student teams participating in competitions, such as SAE Aero and CANsat.

John Weyrauch, Industrial Professor of Design, Aerospace Engineering, University of Minnesota

 

In regards to potential applications for Ecosystem within M:2:I, I feel that it would be quite useful. The self-generating presentation would be great for the teams to utilize for the various project review material that they are required to submit. Additionally, the way that Ecosystem helps a project to organize itself and establish their set of goals for the semester would be very helpful.

David Schanot, Team Leader, Make-to-Innovate, Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University

 

The Ecosystem SW suits my needs well. It covers many aspects of the project and is a concise place to keep all of the details and requirements pertaining to the project. Though I have only used it on an introductory level it is a good place to keep contacts, requirements, and meeting minutes together.

Graham Warne, Chemical Engineering Junior, Ohio University, Participant in 27th Environmental Design Contest (hosted by the New Mexico State University)