Interdisciplinary Capstone Design 30th Anniversary >> Note from the Director
As we celebrate 30 years since the founding of Lehigh's Integrated Product Development (IPD) program, we honor a legacy that continues to shape how students learn, collaborate, and innovate. IPD was a bold step toward interdisciplinary, real-world education—uniting engineering, business, and design in pursuit of practical impact. Today, its spirit lives on in our Interdisciplinary Capstone Design program, where students tackle complex challenges alongside industry partners. This milestone is not just a look back—it's a launchpad for what's ahead. I invite you to explore the stories, people, and progress that have defined—and will continue to define—our shared journey.
Interdisciplinary Capstone Design program brings together students mainly from Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, Bioengineering, and Material Science & Engineering programs to work in interdisciplinary teams to address a real-world problem given by a sponsor. The program is also open to any student on campus. Capstone Design is not only a course but a year-long journey mirroring a professional workplace experience in advance preparing our students for industry and academic jobs early on. During this journey students learn how to lead and be a productive member in diverse teams and develop creative solutions to open-ended real-world challenges collectively. Our program provides a unique opportunity for professional development by further improving critical skills including technical communication, project management, analytical thinking and problem-solving. Interdisciplinary Capstone Design serves as a stepping-stone for our students to showcase their skillsets on a tangible engineering project and leverage their experience to find internships and employment opportunities.
The program creates invaluable opportunities for our industry partners to recruit unique talents ideal for their workplace. Further, several novel engineering solutions developed by our students have been used by our industry partners to improve their products and workflows, creating significant returns on investment. Through this program, Lehigh also gives back to neighboring communities by working with government, non-profit and educational organizations.
Leveraging the 30 years of experience, I am proud of the current self-sustaining state of the Interdisciplinary Capstone Program as a pioneering model of interdisciplinary, experiential learning. Following our commitment to continuous improvement, we plan to continue creating value across the board and bring the national recognition this program deserves.
A. Emrah Bayrak
Director of Interdisciplinary Capstone Programs
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics
