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Session 3547

Curriculum Integration of Some Engineering Technology Courses With Sunrayce 95

B. S. Sridhara Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)

Abstract

The US Department of Energy (DOE) organizes a solar car race called Sunrayce, once in every two years. This race is open for all colleges and universities in the North American continent. As faculty advisor for the undergraduate team here at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), I submitted a proposal in Spring, 1994 and we were selected as one of the 65 teams to compete in Sunrayce 95. The biggest challenge of this project was that the students had to design, fabricate and test the solar car raising money and materials mainly from outside sources. We received support from MTSU and the area industry, and built the solar car, the SOLARAIDER. Curriculum integration was one of the requirements of Sunrayce 95. I identified several problems from the SOLARAIDER project with our Basic, Intermediate and Advanced CADD (Computer- Aided Design/Drafting), Senior Project and Shop Problems courses. The solar car project gave our students a unique opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical situations, gain hands-on experience, and at the same time, get credit for their work. I also worked with the Journalism Department at MTSU, and Motlow State College in Tullahoma, Tennessee, and identified some aspects of the solar car project with their curriculum. The project was a great success and we are looking forward to doing more curriculum integration for Sunrayce 97.

About MTSU

Middle Tennessee State University is located in Murfreesboro, about 30 miles to the south of Nashville. MTSU, which was founded in 1911, is the fastest growing university in the state of Tennessee. Currently, our university has an enrollment of approximately 18,000 students and 700 full-time faculty members. The university has five colleges; Basic and Applied Sciences, Business, Education, Liberal Arts and Mass Communication. Industrial Studies is one of the 10 Departments under the college of Basic and Applied Sciences. The Industrial Studies Department has Engineering Technology, Industrial Technology and pre- engineering programs. There are about 600 undergraduate students in the Department, and approximately 200 of these students major in Computer, Design, Electro-Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technology areas.

Sunrayce - The Solar Car Race

The objectives of the Sunrayce are to stimulate interest in technical education and careers among students, and promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources of energy. The race is nationally sponsored by major corporations such as GM, HUGHS, DELPHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, MRI, CHEVROLET and EDS. In January of 1995, we received a Request for Proposal (RFP)’ to compete in Sunrayce 95, which is the third in the series.

{bxd~ 1996 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings ‘..,,yyH1’..?

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Sridhara, B. S. (1996, June), Curriculum Integration Of Some Engineering Technology Courses With Sunrayce 95 Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--5958