Industry Perspectives on Mechanical Engineering Troubleshooting

Patrick Daly; Mitra Varun Anand; Curtis Abel; Ahmet Can Sabuncu

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: MECH - Technical Session 14: Advanced Pedagogical Techniques
Tagged Division: Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47617

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Mitra Anand serves as the Associate Director of Makerspace, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in addition to being an Adjunct Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Anand's research interests lie in combining hands-on Maker skills with an entrepreneurial mindset and value creation, aiming to develop practical solutions for real-world problems. He is enthusiastic about innovation in engineering education, design thinking, prototyping, program development, crafting interactive curricula, and bringing ideas to fruition.

With over 9 years of experience in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Anand possesses a solid background in Innovation and Entrepreneurship education, Additive Manufacturing, and Digital Fabrication technologies. He has taught lectures and workshops on advanced subjects to more than 1000 undergraduate engineering students and 150 graduate students, while advising on over 500 student and faculty research projects.

His academic credentials include an M.B.A in Organizing Innovation and Product Management from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, M.S. in Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering from New York University and a B.E in Mechanical Engineering from Anna University.

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Curtis Abel Worcester Polytechnic Institute orcid.org/0000-0003-4061-5467

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Curtis Abel, PhD, MBA is the Executive Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (I&E) at WPI. He is responsible for the I&E eco-system, Value Creation Initiative, Maker Space & Rapid Prototyping Lab, and Massachusetts Digital Games Institute. He joined WPI in 2015 as a Professor of Practice through the support of the Kern Family Foundation to create a vibrant entrepreneurial mindset culture on campus with both faculty & students. Prior to WPI, Curtis has 20+ years of experience in leadership positions at large corporations, including American Express, MasterCard, United Retail, and Bethlehem Steel. He’s held full “Profit and Loss” responsibility for several multi-million-dollar businesses, generating double-digit annual growth for each. He also held positions in new business development, marketing, strategic alliances, and R&D implementing new technology into manufacturing facilities. Curtis holds a Ph.D., ME and BS from Carnegie Mellon University in Materials Science & Engineering and Chemical Engineering, respectively, and an MBA from Cornell University. He also held international Postdoctoral Fellowships at Cambridge University and Technische Universität Wien.

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Ahmet Can Sabuncu Worcester Polytechnic Institute orcid.org/0000-0001-7905-421X

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Dr. Sabuncu holds a Ph. D. in Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University. Dr. Sabuncu's professional interests spans from engineering education research, history of science and engineering, thermo-fluids engineering, and microfluidic technology.

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Abstract

Troubleshooting is an integral part of iterative design processes that engineers undertake, involving continuous problem diagnosis and process optimization. Despite its significance in the world of engineering, there are few studies and curriculum dedicated to teaching this skill at the university level. This paper contributes to the need to enhance the training of troubleshooting in university-level engineering programs. The core objective of this research is to develop and disseminate an engineering curriculum implementing learning activities to teach the skill of troubleshooting. To achieve this, the study employs interviews with experienced engineers to explore their approaches to troubleshooting and problem solving in industry. The insights gained from these interviews are channeled towards the creation of a framework that incorporates a systematic approach to troubleshooting. We incorporate also widely used practices in sub-stages of troubleshooting, as informed by our pilot study. The study's findings hold implications for educators, industry professionals, and curriculum designers seeking to enhance the problem-solving skills of college students as future engineers.

Citation
Format

Daly, P., & Anand, M. V., & Abel, C., & Sabuncu, A. C. (2024, June), Industry Perspectives on Mechanical Engineering Troubleshooting Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47617