Frequently Asked Questions

What is TIES? Teams In Engineering Service is an innovative academic program that offers partnerships between engineering students and non-profit organizations in the local community leading them to identify, address and solve engineering problems. TIES is modeled after the EPICS Program at Purdue University, a program originating in the mid-90s, which has proven to be enormously successful in its efforts to provide its engineering students with the opportunity to work in the real world. Following its phenomenal success, EPICS programs have been replicated in several universities around the country, though none so far in the western U.S.A.

Why TIES at UCSD? The goal of our program at UCSD is to broaden the students' educational experience by offering them high-quality, state-of-the-art engineering experience through a hands-on program of defining, designing, building, testing, deploying, and supporting real systems, in a multi-disciplinary team setting, that in addition serves to benefit our community.

How does the program work? See course structure.

What is a typical project? TIES projects can range from working with orthopedists and physical therapists to develop and build mechanical tools or prosthetics for the developmentally disabled, to working with agriculture to develop new irrigation solutions for local farming communities. For a list of current project see current projects.

What are the benefits for students? The benefits for our students at UCSD are numerous, and include improved communication, organizational, and leadership skills, start-to-finish design experience, multi-disciplinary teamwork, experience in project and resource management, ethics training and responsibility, as well as customer and community awareness. Finally, TIES at UCSD not only fulfills, but expands the ABET criteria by providing demonstrable and measurable outcomes of undergraduate engineering theoretical knowledge, technical skills, teamwork, communication, ethical responsibility and value for professional development.

What are the benefits for the Jacobs School? The TIES program upholds firmly the Jacobs School mission of educating tomorrow's technology leaders , and transferring discoveries to ensure societal benefit and economic prosperity. Externally, it will enhance the Jacobs School as well as UCSD's recognition in the community, and lead to new partnerships and innovations. It will help to define the Jacobs School as a national innovator in undergraduate education. This program fosters new community connections and reinforces existing ones, giving back to the community through a very distinct and valuable service, while providing the school's undergraduate students with an unprecedented engineering opportunity.

What are the benefits for community partners? The TIES program will provide the community with access to technical knowledge and resources that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. It is an opportunity for local community members to improve their existing services, and to attempt new services and innovative ideas. Finally, it enables local non-profit groups to develop relationships with faculty and to benefit from interaction with UCSD's most valuable resources, its students.

What are our campus-wide affiliations? See UCSD Affaliates.