Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yanfei Liu, Indiana University Purdue University, Fort Wayne (Eng); Jiaxin Zhao, Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

ProjectAbstractThis paper introduces a multidisciplinary capstone senior design project, which involves thedesign, build and test stages1. It is a two-semester project that was conducted by six seniorstudents in the Department of Engineering at Indiana University – Purdue University FortWayne. The objective of this project is to design and build an interactive sensor package unit thatcan engage dogs into playing. The whole system design is composed of the shell, mobilitymechanism, power source, control unit, sensor system, stimulator system and software. Thispaper also describes several different assessment approaches used throughout the project. Thefaculty members from the Department of Engineering and the local sponsors conduct theassessment. These

Conference Session

Experiential and Service Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jim Chamberlain, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2008-161: MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN OF STUDENT PROJECTS INDEVELOPING COUNTRIESJim Chamberlain, Clemson University Jim F. Chamberlain is a Ph.D. student at Clemson University in Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. He received his M.S. in Environmental Systems Engineering from Clemson in 1994 and has worked as an environmental consultant for 12 years. His research interests are in the environmental impacts of growing monocultural switchgrass as a biofuel. Jim is a registered professional engineer and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education. Page 13.913.1© American

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zachary Gutierrez, University of Wyoming; Charles Dolan, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

toevaluate the level of learning that the students display in a longitudinal study. By comparing theresults of similar courses inside and outside of specific departments, instructors have theopportunity to adjust their courses to improve the students educational experience. Tying theEngineering Science Courses together with a realistic and interesting project, such as windturbines, is intended to increase student interest and create a desire to further their education aswell as increase their learning levels. Bloom’s Taxonomy1,2,3 was selected as an assessment tool for this project. It is one ofthe most identifiable tools for examining student’s cognitive skills. In this case the cognitiveskills are the learning levels and critical thinking

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Dolan, University of Wyoming; Ovid Plumb, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Education, 2008 Interdisciplinary Capstone Design Program A Case StudyAbstractTo advance interdisciplinary engineering, an all college multi-disciplinary senior design programwas initiated. The initial project was a two year effort to design an automated transit system forthe campus. The first semester was a planning stage to establish vehicle, route and infrastructureparameters. The planning semester was followed by three semesters of sequential design.Students enter the program at various stages of development and must complete defined portionsof the overall project. The program places emphasis on documenting work, picking up workinitiated by others and communicating design objectives

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Waldron, Grand Valley State University; John Farris, Grand Valley State University; Hugh Jack, Grand Valley State University; Christopher Pung, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2008-2248: VERTICAL INTEGRATION PROJECT WITH FRESHMAN ANDJUNIOR ENGINEERING STUDENTSWilliam Waldron, Grand Valley State UniversityJohn Farris, Grand Valley State UniversityHugh Jack, Grand Valley State UniversityChristopher Pung, Grand Valley State University Page 13.1380.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Vertical integration project with freshman and junior engineering studentsFreshman and junior engineering students participated in a final design project that was verticallyintegrated project during the Fall 2007 semester. Vertically integrated projects use teams that includestudents in the same discipline but different class years, e.g., freshman and

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Walsh, California Polytechnic State University; Robert Crockett, California Polytechnic State University; Zahed Sheikholeslami, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2008-1880: PROJECT BASED LEARNING AS A CATALYST FOR ACADEMICEVOLUTION AND AS AN INCUBATOR FOR ACADEMIC INNOVATIONDaniel Walsh, California Polytechnic State University Daniel Walsh is currently Associate Dean at the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He received his B.S. (Biomedical Engineering) , M.S. (Biomedical Engineering) and Ph.D. (Materials Engineering) degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Prior to joining Cal Poly, Dr. Walsh was employed by General Dynamics Corporation, as a principal engineer and group leader in the Materials Division.Robert Crockett, California Polytechnic State University Robert

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Waldron, Grand Valley State University; Pramod Chaphalkar, Grand Valley State University; Shabbir Choudhuri, Grand Valley State University; John Farris, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2008-2172: TEACHING DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF MECHANICALSYSTEMS - PART IIWilliam Waldron, Grand Valley State UniversityPramod Chaphalkar, Grand Valley State UniversityShabbir Choudhuri, Grand Valley State UniversityJohn Farris, Grand Valley State University Page 13.1156.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Teaching design and manufacture of mechanical systems using multidisciplinary teams-Part IIIntroductionA lot of progress has been made in recent years in improving engineering education, e.g.,emphasizing communication skills, working in teams, integration of computer-aided engineering(CAE), and capstone/senior design projects

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Teams

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Denine Northrup, Western New England College; Steven Northrup, Western New England College

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

. Page 13.914.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Multidisciplinary Teamwork Assessment – A Generalizable InstrumentAbstractDuring a semester long course entailing a multidisciplinary team project, students in computerengineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering were required to work togetherto design, integrate, and test their project. Over the past four years, teamwork surveys for thisproject have been implemented and analyzed. Iterations of this survey have been revised todevelop a shorter and non-project specific survey instrument that measures the effectiveness ofteamwork. The purpose of a concise global teamwork survey is to allow assessment acrossprojects in a consistent manner with established

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Willis, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; James Conrad, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Houston, Texas; at Ericsson/Sony Ericsson in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; and at BPM Technology in Greenville, South Carolina. Dr. Conrad is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He is also a member of ASEE, Eta Kappa Nu, the Project Management Institute, and the IEEE Computer Society. He is the author of numerous books, book chapters, journal articles, and conference papers in the areas of robotics, parallel processing, artificial intelligence, and engineering education. Page 13.371.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008DESIGN OF

Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Achintya Bezbaruah, North Dakota State University; Wei Lin, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

from various nonprofit andgovernmental organizations including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) are used. Various models used for environmental analysis and decision making areintroduced. The instructor’s knowledge gap is filled by inviting guest speakers to cover varioustopics. Students extensively use the Blackboard, a software system designed to facilitate themanagement of and access to educational information delivered via the Internet, for groupdiscussion and course materials transfer. A discussion forum is kept open on the courseBlackboard allowing students post course assessments anonymously as the course progresses.Student inputs are used to decide on the nature of assignments and projects. Two projects

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brent Nelson, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

domains. This trio will be referred to as ‘the facilitators’. Page 13.253.3The goal of the course was to give the students the opportunity to practice BID, so the primaryassignment for the class was a semester-long design project, constituting 65% of the students’course grade. Students were given complete freedom to choose the topic, with the onlyrequirement being that their project had to utilize principles taken from some biological source.The teams gave a proposal presentation in the middle of the semester on their project topic, andthis allowed an opportunity to give guidance and a preliminary assessment to the students. Thefinal product

Conference Session

Research in Multidisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Bachmann, James Madison University; Jeffrey Tang, James Madison University; Carl Puffenbarger, James Madison University; mike kauffman, James Madison University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

partnership with the university’s Facilities Management, developed a highly instructiveand useful Alternative Fuel Vehicle Lab. Using existing university resources and a broad base of Page 13.509.2cross-disciplinary knowledge, we have been able to provide students with diverse, hands-oneducational experience that is often inaccessible to students outside of traditional engineeringprograms. Furthermore, the resulting K-12/STEM educational outreach program demonstrateshow these student-generated projects can inform the general public and inspire K-12 students topursue careers in science and engineering.Introduction & HistoryAs educators struggle to

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Ciaraldi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; David Cyganski, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Michael Gennert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Michael Demetriou; Fred Looft; William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bradley Miller, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Eben Cobb, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Lance Schachterle, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Kenneth Stafford, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Yiming Rong, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gretar Tryggvason, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; James Van de Ven, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

high school students. Thus, robotics may well be an important component inattracting more students into engineering. Furthermore, as robotics can have a role in directlyimproving the lives of individuals (robotics will play a major role in assistive technology, forexample) it may help draw more women into engineering. As indicators of the level of interest inrobotics among high school students, we cite the following statistics: • In 2006, over 28,000 high-school students competed in FIRST Robotic Competition and another 6,000 mostly high school students competed in FIRST Vex Challenge1. • FIRST Robotic Competition reached over 30,000 high-school aged students in 20072 and FIRST Vex Challenge projects to reach over 25,000

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Teams

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samantha Jacques; Deepti Suri, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

thestudents are expected to know and accomplish at the time of graduation. Of particular interestand pertinent to the current discussion are criterions 3(d): an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams, 3(f): an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility, and 3(g): anability to communicate effectively.In most engineering programs, capstone design courses tend to be the courses where these ABETcriteria are typically addressed. Capstone courses have evolved over the years from professordefined designs to industry-sponsored projects where “real” problems are given4,5. Asconstructivist theories of learning became popular, and the academic community recognized thatthat learning is a social activity6, these capstone project-based

Conference Session

Research in Multidisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Halada, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Mary Frame, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Chad Korach, State University of New York at Stony Brook; David Ferguson, State University of New York-Stony Brook

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

-based, active learning environmentsfor improvement of student comprehension and engagement.1,2,3 Active-learning requires Page 13.414.2students to be involved in key activities of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. 4 For universitystudents, these activities are most clearly present in the context of directed and independentresearch.5 While certain active-learning activities can (and should) be built into the structure ofwhat would normally be a lecture class (such as group discussions, demonstrations, and groupdesign projects), the level of student engagement supported by a research project would be hardto duplicate in a classroom environment

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Teams

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dong, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

integrating multipledisciplines into a single project – some linear, some parallel, and some truly integrated.Regardless of the model it is beneficial to have instructors who have a passion for what theyteach and who want to work together, and have a team of instructors who can bring multipleperspectives to a given topic.It is not uncommon for college level courses to be team taught, but it is not the norm. Instructorsinvolved in team teaching typically have two options available for implementing the course.• A tag team approach where one instructor may teach the first half of the class and the second instructor the later half• A collaborative model where each instructor attends each session and lectures at each session.Classes which

Conference Session

Experiential and Service Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Odon Musimbi, Colorado School of Mines; Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines; David Munoz, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

. Page 13.1072.2This four-year project began at the start of the academic year 2003-2004, during which newcourses, projects, and assessment activities were pilot tested. In the fall of 2004, baseline datawas collected concerning both student and faculty attitudes at CSM with respect to servicelearning activities using the “Community Service Attitude Scale” (CSAS). This instrument wasdeveloped and validated by Shiarella, McCarthy and Tucker8, but had not been used prior to thecurrent efforts to measure attitudes within engineering education.Based on the 2004 data, Bauer et al.6 completed and published a comparative analysis of studentand faculty attitudes with respect to community service. This analysis indicated that faculty hadmore positive

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Farison, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

presentation on that subject. 3. Each student’s own (“modest”) image processing research project. – As late in the course as the sequence involved allows, each student selects and upon approval for appropriateness conducts an actual image processing project (normally, MATLAB Image Processing Toolbox-based) to test and/or compare the image processing effectiveness of some desired imaging processing algorithm(s). Again, each project’s results are written and presented to the class.The extra requirement for graduate credit for graduate student enrollees is related to thepresentations. While the expectations for the first presentation are about the same for all enrolledstudents, the second project (research literature) has a slightly higher

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Waidley, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Jason Bittner, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

transportation system is such a complex one, the planning,design, construction and operation of such a system requires a vast number of skilledprofessionals working together towards a common goal of an efficient transportation system that Page 13.188.2moves people and goods safely and effectively.These professionals come from a number of different backgrounds. Planners determine needthrough collection of data, detailed analysis, and communication with the public and politiciansto begin the project development process. Engineers design and oversee the construction andoperation of the infrastructure. Environmentalists provide input during the NEPA process

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary and Liberal Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Heun, Calvin College; Steven VanderLeest, Calvin College

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

projected to grow by 57percent over the 2004 to 2030 period.”3 Primary energy sources are heavy pollutersCurrently, our primary energy sources are fossil fuels that produce significant pollutants. Whilewe continue to depend on these sources, we also are paying the price of environmental damageon a local and global scale. For example, global warming is widely attributed to increasedemissions of greenhouse gases associated with burning of fossil fuels. The chart in Figure 1shows the increase in worldwide carbon dioxide emissions and primary energy consumption (asa percentage of levels in 1980)4. 170% Carbon Dioxide Emissions 160% Primary Energy Consumption 150% 140% 130% 120% 110

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Skokan, Colorado School of Mines; Michael Ewing, Colorado School of Mines; Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines; Heidi Barker, Regis University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

this program. Sinceformative evaluations are designed for program improvement rather than for themeasurement of the attainment of project goals, this paper presents only the results of oursummative efforts.Four methods of summative assessment were used. First, a 27 question, multiple-choicetest was developed for each content area, i.e., mathematics or science, by the projectinvestigators in collaboration with the project evaluator. One instrument was developedfor the mathematics teachers and one for the science teachers. The appropriate contenttest was administered on the first (pre) and last (post) day of the workshop. The items thatcomprised the pre and posttest for a given content area were identical. To ensure contentand construct validity

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Kander, James Madison University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

. This report from the National Academy of Engineering, written by a group ofdistinguished educators and practicing engineers from diverse backgrounds, includes variousscenarios for the future based on current scientific and technological trends. In addition toidentifying the ideal attributes of the engineer of 2020, the report recommends ways to improvethe training of engineers to prepare them for addressing the complex technical, social, and ethicalquestions raised by emerging technologies.” (1)Another example of a more recent report is from the Millennium Project at the University ofMichigan entitled “Engineering for a Changing World”. (3) Among other conclusions, this reportrecommends the following

Conference Session

Research in Multidisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Barry, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Jacqueline Isaacs, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

of an REU Summer ProgramAbstractAn NSF-funded Center, a three-university partnership with research focused onnanomanufacturing, has held a Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)Program for undergraduate students over the past three years. Over 70 students have participatedin the program, in which each student is guided in a project to learn more about research relatedto nanomanufacturing. In our laboratories, students with diverse technical backgrounds gainskills in electron and atomic force microscopy; chemical synthesis; MEMS and NEMSfabrication; dip pen nanolithography; template-guided assembly and transfer of polymers andnanoparticles; high rate polymer processing; assessing the impact of nanoparticles on theenvironment

Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

P. Paxton Marshall, University of Virginia; Farhad Omar, University of Virginia; Alexander Hydrogen Martin, University of Virginia; James Durand, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2008-733: RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR LEARNING BARGEP. Paxton Marshall, University of VirginiaFarhad Omar, University of VirginiaAlexander Hydrogen Martin, University of VirginiaJames Durand, University of Virginia Page 13.1035.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Renewable Energy for Learning BargeTM American Society for Engineering Education 2008 Annual ConferenceIntroduction Learning BargeTM is joint project of the schools of architecture and engineering atthe University of Virginia to design and build an energy self-sufficient floating classroomthat offers an interactive, hands-on learning experience focused on ecological restoration

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Rabb; David Chang, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

projects and examples, elucidated by discipline specific instructors, to academic settings.IntroductionRecently the National Academy of Engineering developed a publication “Educating the Engineerof 2020”, which mentioned many ideas of co-teaching, just in time teaching, and multi-disciplinary teaching. Industry and various academic institutions feel that it is vital to integrateengineering because most systems existing presently are developed with integrated engineeringteams1. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA) proposed and was awarded National ScienceFoundation funds in 1987 to develop an Enhanced Experience for Engineering Education (E4)2.This program integrated students and faculty from all engineering disciplines for the first twoyears of

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Teams

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carolyn Plumb, Montana State University; Durward Sobek, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

even moredifficult to evaluate. Over the past year, we have introduced a new course at the junior-level, “Introduction to Engineering Design.” The course focuses on the skills necessaryto complete a project in a multi-disciplinary team, and it will eventually be required forall engineering students as a precursor to their department-specific capstone designcourses. In a previous paper, we described our approach of using the engineering designprocess to determine the best solution to the problem of providing students with a multi-disciplinary educational experience in engineering at Montana State University.1In order to determine if our new course improves student performance in this area, wedeveloped a rubric for evaluating an individual’s

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Thornton, Emerson Climate Technologies; Kyle Shipp, Kettering University; Tony Lin, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

can limit thecoverage of the course materials and thus clearly defined objectives are vital to ensuring thateach group gets the most out of the available time. According to Robert F. Mager, “Clearlydefined objectives can be used to provide students with the means to organize their own time andefforts toward accomplishment of those objectives3.” For this reason, it is important to set theobjectives for the team project early in the process and perform periodic checks to make sure theteam is meeting those objectives. All team members should make and agree on a plan at thebeginning of the project so everyone understands the expected outcomes for the group and whatthey will gain personally from the experience.The best way to measure adherence to

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Darryl Morrell, Arizona State University; Robert Grondin, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

, devoting several courses to several of the individual topics.2 Multi-Disciplinary ContextOur multi-disciplinary engineering program at ASU is built around core values of engaged learning,agility and a focus on the individual. The main spine of the program is eight semesters of projectwork conducted inside an engineering studio. The freshman and sophomore years of the programare multi-disciplinary, with all students sharing a common set of projects and courses. At the upperdivision, a student will individually select two focus areas: a primary engineering emphasis area Page 13.366.2and a secondary emphasis area, which may or may not be in

Conference Session

Experiential and Service Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Ejiwale, Jackson State University; Della Posey, Jackson State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

13.546.5References1. Bonnette, Roy. (2006). Out of the Classroom and into the Community: Service Learning Reinforces Classroom Instruction. The Technology Teacher, 65(5), 6-11.2. Bradford, M. (2005). Motivating Students Through Project-Based Service Learning. T H E Journal, 32(6), 29-30.3. Campus Compact (2001). Assessing service learning and civic engagement. Providence, RI: Brown University.4. Eyler, J., & Giles, D. (1999). Where’s the Learning in Service Learning? San Francisco: Jossey- Bass Publishing Company.5. Goetsch, D. L. (1992). Industrial Supervision: In the age of High Technology. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.6. Kurt, M. (2001). Technology Education

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeremy VanAntwerp, Calvin College; Richard Braatz, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

should study SPC, gives a brief tutorial onSPC, and provides some simple exercises for students that would be appropriate forlaboratory or homework use.Intr oductionProcess control is inherently multidisciplinary. It is used in a wide variety of industries,including automotive and consumer products manufacturing, aerospace, semiconductordevice manufacturing, bulk chemical manufacturing, and refining. Industrially, a processcontrol project draws on economics and software engineering in addition to the variousengineering disciplines that may be involved. Generally, industrial controls projects(large or small) require multidisciplinary teams to be successful. Control engineers comefrom a variety of fields including mechanical, aerospace, electrical