Linda C. Schmidt
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-3035, USA
E-mail: lschmidt@umd.edu

Abstract:
This paper describes a study undertaken to explore the functional roles that engineering students take on project teams as they progress through the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of Maryland. The data gathered from the study exposed the pervasiveness of functional role specialization in project teams. Specialization may be turning engineering project teams into collections of individuals learning different topics.