Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to ME Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashland Brown, University of the Pacific; Joseph Rencis; Daniel Jensen, U.S. Air Force Academy; Chuan-Chiang Chen, Tuskegee University; Essam Ibrahim, Tuskegee University; Vladimir Labay, Gonzaga University; Paul Schimpf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

avoiding its misuse. The major goal of this work is to educate a broad spectrum ofundergraduate engineering students with a basic knowledge of FE theory, along with practicalexperience in applying commercial FE software to engineering problems. Our engineeringgraduates’ lack of experience in designing structural solutions using numerical computationalmethods has been noted in the literature26,27. This is a level of knowledge and skill that isexpected of engineering graduates by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology,Inc. (ABET, Inc.). The 2008-2009 ABET Criteria for Engineering Programs specify in Criterion3, item (k): “an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary forengineering practice”14. A