In this ‘Capstone’ course students design, engineer and build a prototype for a product. The major emphases are on the design and problem solving process; the writing process; engineering skills; time management skills; patent and speech presentations from established guidelines. The culmination of the final project in the course is threefold: 1) the creation of a product that solves a specific problem; 2) a written product report that outlines the work done on the pathway to developing the product; and 3) a portfolio that includes the engineering journal, product report, drawings, data, meeting notes, etc. This is an engineering research course in which students work in teams to research, design and construct a solution to an open-ended engineering problem. Students apply principles developed in the four preceding courses and are guided by a community mentor. They must present progress reports, submit a final written report and defend their solutions to a panel of outside reviewers at the end of the school year.