Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aleksandra Vinogradov, Montana State University; Carolyn Plumb, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

engineeringprofession. A freshman course “Introduction to Mechanical Engineering” has been developedwith the objective to address such topics as the necessity of good communication skills;professional ethics; the importance of innovation, critical thinking, team work, diversity, andlife-long learning. The effectiveness of addressing these issues in a freshman course incomparison with the traditional approach to teaching an introductory mechanical engineeringcourse has been assessed through a study involving student surveys administered in control andpilot class sections at the beginning and at the end of the course. The results of the studydemonstrate that the pilot group of students exposed to novel course materials acquiredenhanced understanding of the

Conference Session

Accreditation Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Biney, Prairie View A&M University; Raghava Kommalapati, Prairie View A&M University; Michael Gyamerah, Prairie View A&M University; Annamalai Annamalai, Prairie View A&M University; Pamela Obiomon, Prairie View A&M University; Xiaobo Peng, Prairie View A&M University; Mohan Ketkar, Prairie View A&M University; Nripendra Sarker, Prairie View A&M University; Ravindra Iyengar, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

experimental result can be used to improve a process, and (iv) draw appropriate or reasonable conclusions.Performance Criteria for Outcome Group 3Outcome group 3 consists of (1) EAC Criterion 3, outcome c, “an ability to design a system,component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic,environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability”,(2) TAC Criterion 3, outcome d, “ an ability to apply creativity in the design of systems,components or processes appropriate to program educational objectives, and (3) CAC Criterion 3c, “an ability to design, implement, and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component,or program to meet desired needs. Five performance

Conference Session

Materials in Design and Manufacturing

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zhiqiang Hu, University of Missouri - Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

education for over 70 years. Its new criteria for the evaluation of engineeringprograms, Engineering Criteria 2000, require implementation of sustainability concepts inundergraduate education, as reflected in the following areas (criteria 3c and 3h) (1): ‚" “Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability;” ‚" “Broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.”Limited work has been conducted to address the need, effectiveness, and impact of incorporatingsustainable engineering

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Megan Arnold, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Aman Yadav, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Gregory Shaver, Purdue University; Eric Nauman, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Education:Designing an Adaptive System; Restructuring Engineering Education: A focus on Change;Shaping the Future; Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Math, Engineering, andTechnology; Reinventing Undergraduate Education) have called for a curriculum that is studentcentered and teaches problem solving, leadership, ethics, communication, and cooperation inteams.8 One way to incorporate learner-centered methodologies is through the use of case studiesto help students develop better conceptual understanding and critical thinking skills.Case-based instruction is an instructional technique that has been hypothesized to increasestudents’ critical thinking skills by allowing faculty to provide opportunities for students toengage in active learning

Conference Session

Accreditation Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Van Treuren, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

economics course which includes societal context, anappreciation for life-long learning and contemporary issues.4 Butner at Mercer University doesthe same in their economics course.5 Baylor University requires students to take two courses inreligion, the equivalent of two courses in a foreign language, two courses in great texts(historical development of philosophy), one course in ethics and one course in economics, inaddition to a course in British Literature or American Constitution. While these courses areexcellent in and of themselves, there is little control over the content and how they relate to the Page 13.153.3outcomes in question. Having

Conference Session

Design Project Based Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Choate, Western Kentucky University; Kevin Schmaltz, Western Kentucky University; Joel Lenoir, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

) ‚ Professional Communications Plan (conveying designs and interacting with peers) ‚ Computer Skills Plan (teaching and implementing of design tools) ‚ Engineering Ethics Plan (evaluating and practicing appropriate professional behavior)Engineering Design Plan and its associated experiences combine a structured approach to solvingproblems with an appreciation for the art of engineering. Professional Communications andComputer Skills Tools are introduced and then required throughout the four-year sequence tosupport the execution of design projects. The Engineering Ethics component provides studentswith a framework for understanding professional expectations and techniques for clarifying theambiguity that is common in ethical dilemmas.The primary

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kirstie Plantenberg, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the NCEES FE Reference Handbook[2]. This is a 258-page publicationcontaining equations and data needed during the exam. The FE exam is an 8-hour exam. It is broken up into two sessions: a 4-hour morningsession and a 4-hour afternoon session. The morning session contains 120 general engineeringquestions in the areas of: Mathematics, Engineering Probability and Statistics, Chemistry,Computers, Ethics and Business Practices, Engineering Economics, Engineering Mechanics(Statics and Dynamics), Strength of Materials, Material Properties, Fluid Mechanics, Electricityand Magnetism, and Thermodynamics. Each question is multiple choice and, on average, shouldbe solved in 2 minutes. The afternoon session contains 60 questions and the examinee

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raghu Echempati, Kettering University; Enayat Mahajerin, Saginaw Valley State University; Anca Sala, Baker College

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

and bearings, springs, and fundamentals of gear analysis, including terminology,forces, and stresses. One additional requirement for this course is working on a team-baseddesign project. For the Fall 2002 and 2003 classes, a common feature of such design project wasto present a case study on any one of the ethical issues that are available in the literature alongwith some engineering calculations to appreciate how engineering ethics play a very importantrole in the design of a system or a component5,6.Course Learning Objectives (CLO’s) 1. Develop, set-up, and solve mechanical component design problems based upon given data and requirements 2. Develop corrective action (define the cause for a problem and the design fixes) for field

Conference Session

Design Project Based Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Forsberg, Hofstra University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

to designing, constructing, and operating the ventilation system, the studentswere required to submit a professional-quality report documenting all aspects of theirwork. The students were also required to give an oral presentation to engineering facultyand students on Senior Design Presentation Day at the end of the semester.VII. Outcomes AssessmentThe two ABET outcomes relevant to this project are outcomes (c) and (g):ABET (c): An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needswithin realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical,health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.ABET (g): An ability to communicate effectively.The two student groups were evaluated by faculty

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Schmaltz, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

areas: • Engineering Design16,17,18,19 • Professional Communications • Professional Tools • Engineering Ethics20Engineering Design Plan integrates design-and-build experiences with a structuredapproach to problem solving across all four years of the curriculum, culminating in a yearlong senior project. Professional Communications and Tools are concurrently introducedin the design courses throughout the four-year sequence to support the execution ofdesign projects. The Engineering Ethics component provides students with a frameworkfor understanding and accommodating professional expectations.The interdisciplinary greenhouse heating project with the WKU Agriculture Departmentprovided an excellent vehicle for this integration and

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Mativo, The University of Georgia; Nadia Kellam, University of Georgia

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

% of the totalcurriculum). While these are called electives, they are actually very prescriptive. The electivesconsist of a history elective, a freshman elective, an ethics elective, a technical elective, liberalarts elective, fine arts elective, and three mechanical engineering electives.How responsive was the engineering curriculum and accreditation requirements to cultural andsocietal changes during this time period?In America, the industrial age continued to depart as the information age became dominant andglobalization became a way of life. Along with this change, a complete overhaul of theaccreditation requirements, resulting in ample opportunity for curricular to change as well. Theaccreditation requirements EC 2000 are much more

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids and Heat Transfer - I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Kean, California Polytechnic State University; Ronald Miller, Colorado School of Mines; Brian Self, California Polytechnic State University; Tamara Moore, University Of Minnesota; Barbara Olds, Colorado School of Mines; Eric Hamilton, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

-solving strategies from studentsin mathematics classes, but have now been expanded to other disciplines including ethics andengineering science2,3.Through a collaborative, large-scale National Science Foundation project, MEAs are now beingdeveloped to elicit student misconceptions about important but poorly understood concepts inthermal science. For example, misconceptions about the second law of thermodynamics and itseffect on energy quality are being explored in an MEA where students estimate the overallthermal efficiency of electric vs. hybrid vs. gasoline cars. Student teams must use a systemsapproach and include all relevant energy conversion steps in their problem solving process.In this paper, we will describe MEAs and how they are being

Conference Session

Approaches to Active Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Yim, University of Pennsylvania; Katherine Kuchenbecker, University of Pennsylvania; Paulo Arratia, University of Pennsylvania; Vijay Kumar, University of Pennsylvania; John Bassani, University of Pennsylvania; Jonathan Fiene, University of Pennsylvania; Jennifer Lukes, University of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

any fluids or vibration concepts. So we use that opportunity to teach otherimportant topics not taught in our core courses, such as engineering ethics, electronics, and DCmotor characterization and utilization.In the motor module, lab students are taught about motor performance and efficiency curves,then given the task of designing and constructing a high-efficiency elevator from LEGO partsand either one or two DC motors. In the past year the project was cast as a competition where thelowest energy usage device wins a prize. Students quickly discovered the values of successiveprototyping, system identification, and general mechanical engineering principles includingfriction, gearing, and motor fundamentals. Within the first week of the

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

educationalobjectives include the following: (a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering; (e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems, and; (k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.A future ABET Program Outcome that will be addressed includes: (c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainabilityThe project assessment goal is to accurately and comprehensively assess each educationalobjective. The assessment goal will be accomplished