ELMC 5000: Senior Design I

Imagine you hiking in the woods in New Hampshire and you have no cell phone service. It's getting dark outside. Wouldn't it be helpful if your phone could automatically convert to satellite service so that you could call for assistance?

What terms might you string together to start your research? Here are some ideas:

• mobile phone and satellite
• satellite telephony
• frequency switching
• frequency detection

Start your search in the library catalog because it is a way of gathering key words and resources that you can use. You can search for books, articles, images, and videos all at once.

Try searching individual databases related to your discipline. Best bets include ACM Digital Library, ASME DIgital Library or IEEE Explore. 

You can use RefWorks to manage your citations, keep track of your resources, and generate bibliographies instantly. Make an appointment to get started or consult the video tutorials on the Refworks Essentials How-To Guide.

The U.S. government has hundreds of agencies conducting a lot of research that is not necessarily contained in articles and books in the Library so you want to be sure to take a look at them. Most of this government research is on the web, via the usa.gov portal.

Patents can tell you if someone holds an existing patent on an idea. It may inspire you in new ways! Take a look at the patent tab in this guide.