Conference Session

Innovative and Computer-Assisted Lab Studies

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Harry Franz, University of Houston-Downtown

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Systemsand is part of the four-year Control and Instrumentation Technology program at the University ofHouston Downtown (UHD) in Houston, Texas. Continuing development of the electrical powersystems course includes the knowledge and application of LabVIEW software for various virtualexercises and projects. Included in the class are many actual electrical power control projects thatrange from the initial studies of the basics of electrical power systems and LabVIEW to the finaladvanced capstone project design.Many of the class students work in industry in various related professions. Also, the classstudents have varied technical experience level and background of academics. The proceedingtwo elements make the class both challenging and interesting to

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohan Krishnan, University of Detroit Mercy; Shuvra Das, University of Detroit Mercy; Sandra Yost, University of Detroit Mercy; Kathleen Zimmerman-Oster, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

andactuators are being developed on a continuing basis, students will be instructed on how to adaptto the use of newly developed devices. The sensors and actuators course includes significanttreatment of new technologies such as MEMS. It also features a capstone project that requiresstudents to engage in self-directed learning about a transducer not discussed in class.(d) Increasing the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering byengaging the freshmen and pre-college populations in hands-on instruction in mechatronics isfacilitated by the introduction of mechatronic-based hands-on projects at the freshman and pre-college levels. The authors have already had considerable success in developing and deliveringmechatronics

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wenshen Pong; Tim Le, San Francisco State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

/EX Structural Engineering Teaching Laboratory, Computer Applications in Engineering Education, Vol. 2, No. 2 (1994).7. Issa, R.R., Cox, R.F., and Killingsworth, C.F., Impact of Multimedia-based Instruction on Learning and Retention, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, Vol. 13, No. 4, 281-290 (Oct. 1999).8. Stahl, D.C. and DeViries, R.A., Structural Engineering Workshop; a curriculum of real and virtual experiments, 2000 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings, Session 1526 (2000).9. Stahl, D.C., Capano, C., McGeen, M., Hassler, J.M., and Groser, L., Implementation of Project Specific Web Sites in a Capstone Design Course, 1999 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings, Session 1606 (1999

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Stanfield, North Carolina A&T State University; Caroline Moineau, North Carolina A&T State University; Shona Morgan, North Carolina A&T State University; Silvanus Udoka, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

issues6. Programs that havesought to emphasize this approach have ranged from small-scale graduate programs7; todepartmental8; to large-scale multi-institutional efforts9. Successful programs supplementtraditional engineering science with practical experience in solving real problems, developing thesystems, IT and business skills.2.2 Interdisciplinary EffortsIncreasingly, such experiential learning involves working with multiple disciplines10. Manyuniversities, encouraged and supported by industry, now offer capstone senior design projectsperformed by teams composed of varying engineering disciplines. More recently, the teams forsuch projects are being expanded to include business disciplines, IT disciplines, and sciencedisciplines. Industry and

Conference Session

Unique Laboratory Experiments and Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Williams, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

, otherdepartments have had the test set up as a demonstration during another lab. The lab is a resource for other student courses, particularly senior capstone projects. Themost commonly used apparatus is the hardness tester. This efficiency has its costs. Effective utilization of time means that more tests can beconducted in a lab session. For example, there is an annual consumption of 850 metal tensilespecimens. Individual departments surrender control of equipment and facilities.Evaluation The basis for student assessment of this instructional facility is challenging. It is difficult toisolate the lab facility itself from the course and the effectiveness of TAs. The best method hasbeen to set up focus group meetings at the end of the semester

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Bowen, Rice University; Marcia O'Malley, William Marsh Rice University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

useLabVIEW as the computing platform for data acquisition. For the majority of the experiments inthe haptic paddle series, real-time computing is not required, and therefore a standard desktop PCwith a DAQ card is sufficient. Second, the PXI systems offer a versatile platform for use inother courses, in capstone projects, and in research. Therefore, it is felt that this investmentoffers additional capabilities to the department beyond education in this single course, and suchbenefits offset the cost. (a) (b)Figure 5. LabVIEW graphical programming environment for sensor calibration experiment. (a)Front panel for sensor calibration experiment (b) Wire diagram3.2. Computing softwareAn