Honda and The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Engineering in Columbus recently celebrated at an event to recognize the students, faculty and Honda associates involved in real-world capstone projects.

Honda and OSU have had a long-term partnership and this year, Honda is sponsoring a record number of 15 capstone projects, which according to Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Director Bob Rhoads will give 73 students the opportunity to both work with a company and receive hands-on experience.

Capstone projects provide students nearing the end of their college years the opportunity to create a project of some sort that integrates and synthesizes what they’ve learned. They can be research-oriented or design-oriented and are typically interactive, meaning the end product is something that can be implemented and used.

The projects are being completed by senior engineering students and are at various stages of development. Students are tackling a variety of challenges, from enhancing the appeal of Honda’s products through design innovations to improving their manufacturing processes in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions, ergonomics, product quality and the like.

Shubho Bhattacharya, associate chief engineer at Honda North America, Inc., has worked with Ohio State Engineering for the past 17 years. He said that strong interest from Honda’s manufacturing operations is what led to the record number of sponsored projects, and that he is “privileged to work with such a youthful, energetic and dynamic brain base.”

In order for students to get the most out of their respective capstone projects, professors paired students with Honda projects that aligned with their interests. The projects stretch across the College of Engineering, some specific to mechanical, civil, and electrical and computer engineering, with others integrating several engineering disciplines.

At last month’s event, every group was able to give a short presentation on their project, regardless of the stage of development, to the professors and Honda associates who are working with them.