Conference Session

Digital Communications Systems

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sven Bilen, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Radio1. Introduction This paper discusses the implementation of a course in software-defined radio (SDR)technology and systems. The course contains significant computer and hands-on project work inorder to implement working SDR systems. Focusing on SDRs provides a method to tie togethermany of the classes in a typical electrical engineering undergraduate’s curriculum: core coursessuch as Circuits and Devices, Signals and Systems, Embedded Microcontrollers, andEngineering Electromagnetics; as well as many of the popular elective courses such asCommunications, Controls, and Signal Processing. Building a functioning SDR system requiressome understanding of all of these topic areas. SDR is an emerging technology that promises to have a

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mehmet Ozturk, North Carolina State University; Michael Escuti, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

thestudents experiment with virtual test instruments, which looked much like the equipment theyused in the hardware laboratory. A semester-long mandatory hardware project was added to thelaboratory, which also turned out to be a great success. Finally, an optional golden solder projectwas created for students interested in applying their new knowledge to a simple design project.When the dust settled after these changes, we were left with a new introductory course onsignals, circuits and systems, which is the subject of this paper. The first part of the course coversfundamental concepts such as Kirchoff’s laws, Ohm’s law, AC and DC voltage sources, linearand non-linear resistive elements, capacitors, and representation of periodic signals in both

Conference Session

Tools and Support for Software Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. Scott Hawker, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

Department at RIT. He has worked with the NASA Technical Standards Program applying semantic web, formal modeling, information retrieval, and other advanced information technology to better create, manage, find, deliver, and use standards and lessons learned for aerospace system engineering. He is now applying these technologies in development of tools for collaborative learning in software engineering courses and projects. Dr. Hawker is a member of the IEEE, IEEE Computer Society, ACM, American Society for Engineering Education, Standards Engineering Society, and the Association of Aerospace Standards Users

Conference Session

Manufacturing Education Program Innovation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Waldorf, Cal Poly State University; Sema Alptekin, Cal Poly State University; Robert Bjurman, General Motors Global Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

prototyping (i.e. Star Trek technology), new businesses/industries/jobs and other positive effects of manufacturing should be the focus. The campaign may involve traditional advertising or other outreach projects such as a kids television show (like Bob the Builder) or Lego League or robotics competitions. Several professional organizations (National Association of Manufacturers, National Council for Advanced Manufacturing, industry groups, academic groups, etc.) should work together on this. • Sponsor more conferences and meetings on manufacturing engineering education (17) It is recommended that the series of conferences focusing specifically on manufacturing engineering education be continued. It

Conference Session

Physical Models and Other Interactive Tools

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Cleary, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

. Examples of how reinforced concrete design courses have beenenhanced in other ways include design of two- and three-story frames6 and self-selected Page 11.582.2literature reviews, design, or research projects by student teams7. These additional activities areused to reinforce the technical material and increase higher-level learning. These added coursecomponents can also provide a good opportunity to offer alternate patterns of teaching andlearning.The remainder of this paper describes how the physical testing of four beams was incorporatedinto a reinforced concrete design course to demonstrate fundamental beam failure modes andductility. The

Conference Session

Promoting Scientific and Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeremy Ernst, North Carolina State University; Aaron Clark, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Page 11.1181.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Supporting Technological Literacy Through the Integration of Engineering, Mathematic, Scientific, and Technological ConceptsABSTRACTNational emphasis is placed on schools to produce technologically literate students whilepromoting and teaching pre-engineering education. A technologically literate personunderstands and effectively communicates basic technological concepts, processes, andinterrelationships with engineering, mathematics, science, and society. Federal and stateagencies have been funding projects related to these areas over the past decades and will mostlikely continue to do so.VisTE (Visualization in Technology Education) is a National Science Foundation

Conference Session

Software Engineering Teaching Methods and Practice

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yung-Hsiang Lu, Purdue University; Mark C Johnson, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

teams resort to simple strategies. Instead, the in-structor should provide a reference player that implements an advanced strategy and thenencourage students to defeat this reference player.IntroductionA typical course on software engineering discusses software process, project management,requirement and design, and maintenance.4, 14 While these topics provide a theoretical foun-dation for the students to construct large-scale software, these concepts can be better con-veyed through a semester-long team project. Students can learn how to collaborate withtheir teammates in the project. A recent study13 suggested that students would be bettermotivated through competition. In the spring semester of 2005, a senior-level course onsoftware

Conference Session

Visualization

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chunxia Pan, Iowa State University; Shana Smith, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

environment, by creatingdepth (Z-axis) cues for the space to which the object belongs. The depth information provided instereo images can help users perceive geometric and design features more clearly, morerealistically, and more accurately than traditional 2D projection views. Therefore, stereo VRdisplay systems can help users more fully understand design objects, when compared withconventional 2D display systems.Currently, there are several different methods for generating a stereo view of a 3D object. Themost popular stereo display methods include: anaglyphic, polarized, line interlaced, frameflipping, and sync doubling. Each stereo display method characteristically has its own strengthsand weaknesses.Both anaglyphic and polarized stereo systems

Conference Session

Engineering and Public Policy Pioneering Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen Tull, Lafayette College; Sharon Jones, Lafayette College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

used in the course include assigned chapters from a generic public policy text, PublicPolicy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives,1 and a reader of current events known as TakingSides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Science, Technology, and Society2. In addition,there are several additional readings which are either provided by the instructor, or students aredirected to the online copy of a journal article. The students are also required to find somereadings on their own for the assigned projects to improve their information literacy skills asthey relate to engineering public policy issues.As a sophomore-level course at a liberal arts college, the emphasis is to introduce students to thetheoretical aspects of engineering public

Conference Session

Construction ET/Technology Curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Russell Marcks, Sinclair Community College; Larraine Kapka, Sinclair Community College; Alan Watton, Sinclair Community College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

2006-1338: TEACHING IMPROVED METHODS OF TUNING AND ADJUSTINGHVAC CONTROL SYSTEMSRussell Marcks, Sinclair Community College Russell Marcks is a Professor at Sinclair Community College in Mechanical Engineering Technology. He teaches in the areas of fluids, thermal sciences and control with a specialization in HVAC systems. Professor Marcks is a lead investigator for this grant.Larraine Kapka, Sinclair Community College Larraine Kapka is an Assistant Professor at Sinclair Community College in Mechanical Engineering Technology. She teaches in the areas of fluids and thermal sciences with a specialization in HVAC systems. Professor Kapka is the project coordinator for this grant.Alan Watton

Conference Session

Interdisciplinary Education in ET

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey Evans, Purdue University; Matthew Kirleis, Purdue University; Casey Smith, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

telecommunications systems. He is a member of the ASEE, ACM, and a senior member of the IEEE. His research interests include understanding the mechanisms that create performance degradation in distributed computing systems, focusing in the areas of high performance computing and sensor networks.Matthew Kirleis, Purdue University Matt Kirleis is a senior in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. His academic interests include microcontrollers, communications and controls. He is a member of Tau Alpha Pi. In his spare time he enjoys working on various electrical projects such as building an RC Engine Dynamometer for his senior

Conference Session

Learning from Entrepreneurship Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Nelson, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

2006-76: DEVELOPING ENGINEERS WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRITGerald Nelson, Mississippi State University Gerald Nelson, an industrial engineering graduate (1974) with an MBA (1985) from Mississippi State University, began his career with a co-op experience at Rockwell International. Nelson worked five semesters with Rockwell before joining them full time after graduation as a Project Engineer and Program Manager. Nelsons career includes former positions as Plant Manager, Trinity Industries; President and Chief Operating Officer of the Wear Resistance Group of Thermadyne Industries, Inc.; Executive Vice President of Operations, Viasystems Group, Inc.; and Chief Operating Officer of

Conference Session

FPD3 -- Professional Issues for First-Year Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dwight Tolliver, University of Tennessee; Lauren Hines, University of Tennessee; J. Roger Parsons, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

year and has continued to grow and develop.One of the key components of the program is team projects. Students are placed into fourto six member teams and given various projects throughout the course of the year. Theteams are formed based on several different factors. First, personality type is considered,as identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, so that each team has members withvarious personality types. Next, ACT scores and gender are considered. Historically,higher ACT scores were grouped together and lower ACT scores were grouped together.Teams were arranged so that those teams with female members had at least two femalesin the group.The team projects correspond with the concepts and skills students are learning in theirclasses

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary and Liberal Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Fry, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

page for the d.school. “We believe having designers in the mix is key to success in multidisciplinary collaboration and critical to uncovering unexplored areas of innovation. Designers provide a methodology that all parties can embrace and a design environment conducive to innovation. In our experience, design thinking is the glue that holds these kinds of communities together and makes them successful.”8This statement describes the influence on education of the increasingly “messy”, large scaleproblems and projects that will typify projects in our modern society. It also marks theseparation of the “process” used by applied artists/designers from their traditional “results”.Rather than just being applied to the

Conference Session

Achieving the Civil Engineering Body of Knowlegde

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fred Meyer, U.S. Military Academy; Allen Estes, U.S. Military Academy; Ronald Welch, U.S. Military Academy; David Winget, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

Assessment the Easy Way: Using Embedded Indicators to Assess Program OutcomesI. IntroductionThe culminating design experience for civil engineering majors at the United States MilitaryAcademy (USMA) is CE492, Design of Structural Systems. CE492 serves as a “capstone”experience or one in which students are faced with a multi-disciplinary design projectincorporating facets from all previous civil engineering courses. Previous capstone experienceshave required students to design structures planned for construction or currently underconstruction at the Academy, thus providing an opportunity for site visitations and activeparticipation with key players in the project development process. Since CE492 provides amulti-disciplinary

Conference Session

Assessing Design Coursework

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Martha Green, Texas A&M University; Parag Ravindran, Texas A&M University; Rita Caso, Texas A&M University; Jeffrey Froyd; Xiafeng Li, Texas A&M University; L. Alan Minnick, Texas A&M University; Ram Shukla, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

NSF initiatives in the areas of engineering and science education.Jefferey Froyd, Texas A&M University Jeffrey Froyd is a Research Professor in the Center for Teaching Excellence and Director of Academic Development at Texas A&M University. He was Project Director for the Foundation Coalition, one of the NSF Engineering Education Coalitions and Project Director for "Changing Faculty through Learning Communities," a project sponsored by the NSF Research on Gender in Science and Engineering Program.Xiafeng Li, Texas A&M University Xiafeng Li is a PhD student of computer science at Texas A&M University. He got his B.S. from Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in

Conference Session

Design for Manufacture and Industry

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rudolph Eggert, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

: a) identifying part features or characteristics that affect partinsertion and fastening, b) identifying part features or characteristics that affect part handling andc) using solid modeling software to verify that mating parts will assemble. The data also suggest that industry desires more emphasis on the following “class-room”learning experiences: a) complete a design project using DFMA guidelines/checklists andb) make a part using rapid prototyping; and “non class-room” learning experiences: a) visit localindustry, b) do a summer internship in industry, c) complete a term in industry (co-op ed.). Lastly, the data show that most engineers do not learn their DFMA methods and conceptsin their undergraduate program. Rather

Conference Session

Innovation in Teaching Engineering Economics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hartman, Lehigh University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

factor inengineering education [2].As advocates of problem-based learning, we teach Engineering Economy in a decision-makingcontext [3] such that students understand the entire process of making a capital investmentdecision from defining the problem; to generating solution alternatives; to estimating before andafter-tax cash flows; to evaluating options under certainty, risk, time, multiple alternatives,constraints, and multi-attributes; to post-implementation and project tracking. Furthermore, weutilize numerous media sources to generate realistic problems such that students appreciate itsapplication [4,5]. The goal upon completion of the course, as stated on the syllabus, is that astudent is able to make, and justify, a capital investment

Conference Session

Software and e-learning in the ME curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Van Karsen, Michigan Technological University; Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Jason Blough, Michigan Technological University; Henry Sodano, Michigan Technological University; Harold Evensen, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Page 11.722.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Implementation of Some Dynamic Systems Material into the Mechanical Engineering CurriculumIntroductionIn today’s engineering education environment it is important to provide students with educationalmaterial that will enhance or supplement their learning process. It is obvious that the multimediaand internet capabilities available today, provide a tremendous opportunity for innovativelearning pedagogy. An example of this innovation is a new multisemester interwoven dynamicsystems project that has been developed by UMass-Lowell through a grant from NSF. Theproject goal is to better integrate material from differential equations, mathematical methods

Conference Session

Teaching Strategies in Graphics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Veekit O'Charoen, Boeing Commerical Aircraft Group (Seattle); Eric Leonhardt, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

in the Engineering Technology Department at Western Washington University. Page 11.980.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Paddling for a Record – Building a Kayak to Improve CAD Surface Modeling and Composite Construction SkillsAbstractThis paper describes an advanced CAD course that used a kayak design project to engagestudents in developing their design, surface modeling, and composite construction skills.Students worked with a client, a competitive kayak racer, whose large size and personalgoal to set a twenty-four hour distance record for a kayak presented both design andconstruction

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Plett, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Rodger Ziemer, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Michael Ciletti, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; R. Dandapani, University of Colordo-Colorado Springs; T. S. Kalkur, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; Mark Wickert, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. Thesethreads will include robotics, software/wireless defined radio, and core electronics. Theoretical,hands-on and open-ended team-based project elements of each thread will appear in multiplecourses, tying the curriculum together, thereby adding coherence. From the freshman to senioryears, they will expand in both breadth and depth, culminating in an enhanced two-semester cap-stone senior design course.Rationale for a ChangeBased on our positive experiences with a new-to-us freshman-level course Introduction to Robot- Page 11.614.3ics1 we set out to perform a comprehensive curriculum review of core courses in our ECE pro-grams. We felt that the

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rocio Alba-Flores, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Fernando Rios-Gutierrez, University of Minnesota-Duluth

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

software tools.In this project, we integrated a Digital Image Processing program into a real-time control systemin order to accomplish the fast image processing required to control the navigation of the robot.The image processing program developed for this project was able of processing imagescovering a sufficient width for the 5’ by 2’ mobile robot, at a processing speed of 2-5 imageframes per second. This allowed a 4-5 mph ground velocity for the mobile robot. In order toaccomplish other of the navigation requirements, we added and implemented a field-level Page 11.934.3Geographic Positioning System (GPS), which integrated multiple reference

Conference Session

Design of Laboratory Experiments

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Tracy Van Zandt, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Nels Wirkkala, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Jeffrey Hodgkins, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

available to study the individualeffects that may contaminate the measurement system in a controlled fashion.The actual measurement system has variable mechanical parameters—it changes every time it isoperated so that no two sets of data are alike (variable input, variable mass, variable stiffness).This forces each student to process his/her own data, as it will be slightly different from data setscollected by other students. The RUBE (Response Under Basic Excitation) is described alongwith the supporting tools that assist the student in the evaluation of the acquired data.Assessments of the first three semesters of the project clearly indicate that the students enjoyedthis hands-on project and clearly felt that they understood the material in much

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dahm, Rowan University; Roberta Harvey, Rowan University; Brian Lefebvre, Rowan University; Heidi Newell, Rowan University; James Newell, Rowan University

awareness of teaming. Theseassignments included developing and ratifying a team charter and submitting biweekly reports onbarriers to success and team dynamics. Category III teams received both the LCI training andparticipated in the structured writing assignments, while Category IV teams served as a controland participated in none of the activities.At the beginning of the semester, each person was surveyed to determine their perception of theirteaming skills, their opinion of teams, and their level of interest in learning about teaming. Theparticipants were surveyed again at the end of the semester and were also asked to evaluate theusefulness of the strategies. In addition, final project reports were collected and evaluated usinga system of

Conference Session

Engineering in High School

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tammy VanDeGrift, University of Portland; Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington; Richard Ladner, University of Washington; Annemarie Poginy, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

) and Accessible Technology Services at the University of Washington. DO-IT promotes the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary programs and careers, employing technology as an empowering too.Richard Ladner, University of Washington Richard E. Ladner, Boeing Professor in Computer Science and Engineering, graduated from St. Mary's College of California with a B.S. in 1965 and received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1971, at which time he joined the faculty of the University of Washington. Since 1994, as part of the DO-IT Project, he has held a one week summer workshop for disabled high school students encouraging them to pursue college

Conference Session

International Engineering Education II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Mowry, University of St. Thomas-St. Paul

Tagged Divisions

International

faculty at the TUMwas facilitated by a colleague familiar with the faculty at the TUM and fluent in Romanian.Based on several preliminary discussions combined with a preparatory week-long exploratoryvisit to the TUM several possible undergraduate research projects were identified. The topicswere broadly organized into three categories: wind data organization and analysis, small electricmachine research for alternative energy applications (e.g. wind turbine and low-head hydrogenerators), and energy strategies and related economics in Moldova. The TUM faculty that arepredominantly interested in alternative energy research are in the Electrical and MechanicalEngineering Colleges. In addition, several of these faulty members also work through

Conference Session

Curricula of the Past, Present, and Future

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wendy Harrison, Colorado School of Mines; Ruth Streveler, Colorado School of Mines; Ronald Miller, Colorado School of Mines; Arthur Sacks, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Cutting Edge” series of faculty teaching enhancement programs.Ruth Streveler, Colorado School of Mines RUTH A. STREVELER is the Director of the Center for Engineering Education at the Colorado School of Mines and Research Associate Professor in Academic Affairs. Dr. Streveler holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Master of Science in Zoology from the Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Indiana University at Bloomington. She is co-principle investigator of three NSF-sponsored projects: Developing an Outcomes Assessment Instrument for Identifying Engineering Student Misconceptions in Thermal and Transport Sciences (DUE

Conference Session

Retention Issues

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phyllis Tedford, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; John Fernandez, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

coming years.1, 2, 3, 4 As can be seen in figure 1, all thirteen of the 2004 2014 Projected 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 Network systems and data

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melissa Sumpter, Purdue University; Deborah Follman, Purdue University; Mica Hutchison, Purdue University

issues; computer skills relevant to the material; the availability of helpand ability to access it; issues surrounding the attempt and completion of assignments;prior experience; student problem-solving abilities; enjoyment, interest, and satisfactionassociated with the course and its material; grades related to aspects of the course;comparison among classmates; course exams; and class projects (Fig 1). Page 11.1441.5 70

Conference Session

New Trends in Engineering Graduate Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Wells, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

best focused in the coursework. The researchshould be guided with a looser rein.Intellectual Character of Graduate Study: Increasingly, engineering work in both industryand in academic preparation is undertaken in project form, most often through multi-disciplinaryteams. In the graduate education context, engineering students are traditionally expected toundertake, complete and document an independent project of significant scope. The ‘significantscope’ dimension often clashes with ‘independence’, as many of the relevant problems incurrent-day engineering are multi-disciplinary, or at least multi-dimensional, and are bestaddressed by teams.The graduate disquisition is intended to be a substantive intellectual product. The project nature,as