The mission of the O. T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory is to educate engineering students by providing a clinical real world experience for students.  This builds confidence and allows students to integrate discipline-specific knowledge with practice on challenging multidisciplinary design projects. The Design Lab experience also fosters other essential skills for professional engineering practice: teamwork, project management, and technical communication (oral and written).

As company mentors work closely with Rensselaer seniors on their project, they get the focused attention of some of the country's brightest and most enthusiastic engineering students. In the process, students gain exposure to the realities of the business world and sponsors gain the opportunity to turn fresh ideas into practical realities.