Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andre Butler, Mercer University; William Moses, Mercer University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Method of Assessment to Examine Experimental Design in Mechanical Engineering LaboratoriesStudents in the mechanical specialization at Mercer University are currently required to take twogeneral mechanical engineering laboratory courses—one in the third year of the curriculum andthe other in the fourth year. The first of these courses begins with seven or eight single periodlaboratories in which the students are directed to complete a well-defined set of procedures andperform simple analyses. In an effort to more formally introduce experimental design into thelaboratory experience, this course ends with a three project sequence in which students areprovided with an experimental objective (e.g., determine the coefficient of

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Wagner, Clemson University; Katie Knaub, National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2009-439: TIME-KEEPING EXPERIMENTS FOR A MECHANICALENGINEERING EDUCATION LABORATORY SEQUENCEJohn Wagner, Clemson UniversityKatie Knaub, National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Page 14.1271.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Time Keeping Experiments for a Mechanical Engineering Education Laboratory SequenceAbstractThe evolution of science and technology throughout history parallels the development of timekeeping devices which assist mankind in measuring and coordinating their daily schedules. Theearliest clocks used the natural behavior of the sun, sand, and water to approximate fixed timeintervals. In the

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Forsberg, Hofstra University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

14.1306.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Use of the Knowledge and Skill Builder (KSB) Format in a Senior Mechanical Engineering LaboratoryOverviewThis paper discusses the use of the Knowledge and Skill Builder (KSB) format in HofstraUniversity's ENGG 170 laboratory course during the Spring 2008 semester.The current investigation is a fifth-year research project of the NSF-funded MSTP 1, 2Project, "Mathematics Across the Middle School MST Curriculum" . KSBs werepreviously used by the author in a sophomore level Measurements and Instrumentation 3Laboratory course (ENGG 160A) . The success of the KSBs in that

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Constantin Ciocanel, Northern Arizona University; Suzanne Pieper, Northern Arizona University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2009-2081: A THREE-WAY APPROACH TO INVESTIGATING STUDENTS’LEARNING STYLES IN AN ENGINEERING LABORATORYConstantin Ciocanel, Northern Arizona UniversitySuzanne Pieper, Northern Arizona University Page 14.133.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 A Three-Way Approach to Investigating Student Learning Styles in an Engineering LaboratoryAbstractThis paper presents the approach taken in the Experimental Methods in the Thermal SciencesLaboratory offered by the Mechanical Engineering Department from Northern ArizonaUniversity to investigate laboratory-specific student learning styles. To support this approach,the laboratory was

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Recktenwald, Portland State University; Robert Edwards, Pennsylvania State University, Erie; Douglas Howe, Portland State University; Jenna Faulkner, Portland State University; Calvin Hsieh, Portland State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Project. Page 14.1215.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 The Engineering of Everyday Things: Simple Experiments for the Thermal and Fluid SciencesAbstractA series of demonstrations and laboratory exercises have been developed to teach fundamentalconcepts in the thermal and fluid sciences of the undergraduate engineering curriculum. Thismaterial is part of an educational research project called the Engineering of Everyday Things.The title reflects the use of common technology like hair dryers, blenders, toasters and bicyclepumps, which are used to demonstrate principles of thermodynamics

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Maixner, United States Air Force Academy; James Baughn, UC Davis

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

and 2005-2006 academic years. Page 14.103.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 A Simple, Affordable Steady-State Fin Heat Transfer Mini-Lab/DemoABSTRACTThe engineering education literature is replete with recommendations on how to enhance studentunderstanding of steady-state fin heat transfer. These range from the use of numerical programs whichallow the user to change various parameters and observe the changes in other parameters or changes ingraphic output, to pure laboratory experiments. The current authors feel, however, that the way forstudents to gain meaningful insight into the problem is through a

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Miller, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

thecharacter and scope of the mechanical engineering profession. It is put forward in this paper thatstudents who understand the scope of their major are more likely to have a stronger belief in thecorrectness of their choice, thus resulting in fewer transfers out of the program. Through designof appropriate self-discovery laboratories, it is also hypothesized that freshmen students willdevelop a relational understanding between fundamental courses (i.e., physics, chemistry andmath) and future curricula. This is important as many engineering students transfer out of theprogram before reaching upper level courses.This paper will discuss the development and implementation of hands-on activities for freshmenstudents in the Mechanical Engineering (ME

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Willis, Southern Methodist University; Paul Krueger, Southern Methodist University; Alice Kendrick, Southern Methodist University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. Page 14.1227.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 The influence of a research experiences for undergraduates program on students’ attitudes toward engineering researchAbstractThe results of the second year study of a National Science Foundation Research Experiences forUndergraduates (REU) Site are presented in this paper. The program recruited studentsnationwide to participate in hands-on experimental research in a mechanical engineeringdepartment for eight weeks in the summer of 2008. The program matched 10 students withfaculty and graduate student mentors in several mechanical engineering laboratories, includingexperimental fluid dynamics, micro-sensors, laser micromachining, and advancedmanufacturing

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Enrique Barbieri, University of Houston; Raresh Pascali, University of Houston; Miguel Ramos, University of Houston; William Fitzgibbon, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the Director of Accreditation and Assessment Services for the College of Technology at the University of Houston. His primary focus has been the practical application of assessment and evaluation strategies to enhance educational quality in the college and university. Prior to joining the University of Houston, Dr. Ramos worked as a researcher for the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, evaluating a systemic reform model designed to improve student academic performance in low-income, high-minority districts. He also worked as Evaluator for Boston Connects, a program designed to address non-academic barriers to success in urban elementary schools via a web of coordinated health and

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

B. Terry Beck, Kansas State University; Bill Whitson, Kansas State University; Greg Payne, Kansas State University; Trevor Heitman, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Nuclear Engineering Department at Kansas State University (KSU). He worked on the wing morphing test setup as part of a senior honors research project.Greg Payne, Kansas State University Greg Payne is a senior in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department at Kansas State University (KSU). In addition to his work as laboratory assistant on our MNE wind tunnel facility, where he has contributed significantly to wind tunnel lab development projects such as the current smoke rake and wing morphing project, he was also the team leader for the KSU SAE Aero Design Competition in 2008.Trevor Heitman, Kansas State University Trevor Heitman is a junior in the Mechanical and Nuclear

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Impelluso, San Diego State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

information regards text editors, compilers, and operating systems. (In the case of a spoken language, information is presented using technologies that must be mastered, such as laboratories with recorders.) ≠ “Germane cognitive load” was first described by Sweller, van Merrienboer, and Paas in 1998 [4]. It is that load devoted to the processing, construction, and automation of schemata necessary to integrate knowledge into consciousness. This includes motivations to learn and how the knowledge is conveyed in the rest of the curriculum such as reading novels, or programming mathematical algorithms. These three loads are additive in the learning process and research suggests [4] that whencourses are

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Goodarz Ahmadi, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

processes of particle transport,deposition and removal and re-entrainment were described. Computational simulationmethods as well laboratory experiments are integrated into the curriculum. In addition, acomprehensive website was developed for these courses, and the courses were taught attwo universities simultaneously on several occasions.Course Modules Four course modules are included into these combined research and curriculumdevelopment (CRCD) courses. These are: Page 14.942.2 ≠ Fundamentals of particle transport, deposition and removal. 1 ≠ Computational modeling of particle transport and

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven O'Halloran, University of Portland; Timothy Doughty, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

of theircurriculum.In recent years, many studies have been presented on the effectiveness of using computationalmethods to enhance the teaching of heat transfer 1,2,3,4. Though numerical analysis is an integralpart of engineering education, it is largely agreed that simulation can not replace hands-onlearning5. As a result, there is an effort to establish laboratory work that supplements numerical Page 14.777.2investigations in the field 6.In both the numerical analysis and the experimental testing, students work in groups of two tofour students. This was done to promote teamwork and also give the students the chance to learnfrom each other

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ping Ren, Virginia Tech; Janis Terpenny, Virginia Tech; Dennis Hong; Richard Goff, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2009-671: BRIDGING THEORY AND PRACTICE IN A SENIOR-LEVELROBOTICS COURSE FOR MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERSPing Ren, Virginia Tech Ping Ren is a PhD candidate working under the direction of Dr. Dennis Hong in RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. He is passionate about advancing research in robotics and innovations related to robotics education.Dennis Hong, Virginia Tech Dennis Hong is an Assistant Professor and the Director of RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. His research expertise lies in the area of mobile robot locomotion, humanoid robots

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Anderson, United States Air Force Academy; Matthew Snyder, United States Air Force Academy; Michael Maixner, United States Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

facultyand lab technicians. The course was scheduled, on average, for 2.5 hours per week in aclassroom embedded in the Applied Mechanics Laboratory. Such proximity enabled timelytransition between classroom and lab topics. No work outside of class, or prior preparation wasexpected of the students, so that no course credit was offered; the course is, however, arequirement for the Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Mechanics majors. Despite therestrictions on homework, students were expected to accomplish a final capstone project withinthe time available during regularly scheduled class.Most lessons were taught by subject matter experts throughout the department, and not by theparticular instructors assigned to each class. For example, the

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Subrata Bhattacharjee, San Diego State University; Christopher Paolini, San Diego State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2009-2477: THE CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMIC MODULE OF THEEXPERT SYSTEM FOR THERMODYNAMICS (“TEST”) WEB APPLICATIONSubrata Bhattacharjee, San Diego State University Dr. Bhattacharjee is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University. His research areas include combustion, radiation heat transfer, and web-based numerical methods for computational thermodynamics.Christopher Paolini, San Diego State University Dr. Paolini is the Unix System Administrator in the College of Engineering and is the Director of the Computational Thermodynamics Laboratory at Mechanical Engineering Department. His research areas include chemical equilibrium analysis, adaptive algorithm, and AJAX based

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Plumley, United States Coast Guard Academy; Andrew Foley, United States Coast Guard Academy; Earnest Greene, US Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

forThermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Courses”, Proceedings of the 2008 American Society forEngineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, PA, June 2008[2] Edwards, R. “A Simple Hairdryer Experiment to Demonstrate the First Law ofThermodynamics” Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education AnnualConference & Exposition, Portland, OR, June 2005[3] Volino, R & Smith, A. “A Laboratory Providing Hands-On Experience With a Spark IgnitionEngine in a Required Thermodynamics Course”, Proceedings of the 2006 American Society forEngineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, IL, June 2006 Page

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthias Lang, University of Texas, Austin; Dinesh Rabindran, University of Texas, Austin; Tricia Berry, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

its environment. estimated torque, the blue line shows theSometimes manufacturers allow joint torque control experimental torque data, and green dashedvia joint current control. However the mapping line shows a least square fit for this data.between joint current and joint torque is not trivial and needs to be experimentally determined. Inour project we determined this mapping for a commercially available modular robot actuator: thePR-110 powercube module from Amtec GmbH, Germany.A laboratory experiment similar to the one reported in this work was previously conducted byRabindran et al4. During their preliminary experimental study on a PR-110 joint module, theyfound that there is a linear relationship

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tim Brower, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

used withstudents as young as 5 years old to emphasize the kind of interactive and interdependentgroup learning that fosters growth in social skills, giving children the opportunity to thinkand act critically in society.Although aspects of systems engineering are utilized in various stages throughout K-20academia, the suggestions and results reported herein are novel in that they may be easilyapplied in any given classroom/laboratory setting and are tied to an innovative learningstrategy called Activities, Project, and Problem-Based Learning (APP-B Learning).An Industry PerspectiveCommenting on the relationship systems engineering has in industry, Albert A. Winn, theVice President of Government and Apache Rotorcraft Programs and former

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics: What's New

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Walchko, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

set-up.3. Study Results This “no numbers” methodology was implemented in an undergraduate dynamics coursewithout any laboratories, only lecture style classes. At first, only a partial “no numbers” conceptteaching method was use. That is, only the examinations were created and administered in the“no numbers” format. The homework problems and in class examples still had numbers andforced the students to utilize some type of solving routine to determine a final numerical answerto a given dynamics problem. As time and computer access were not an issue on homeworkproblems, it was determined that a “complete” analysis of a particular dynamics problem wasbeneficial to the students learning and understanding. The “no numbers” exams were

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anne-Marie Lerner, University of Wisconsin, Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

expected that each individual instructor may attribute the same hypotheticalerror to different root error classes, there will at least be a consistent frame of reference for anindividual instructor.While error assessment was implemented successfully in a lecture-based thermodynamics,particularly in analyzing homework and exams, and with limited success for a lab-basedengineering materials course, it is anticipated that this methodology could be expanded toencompass assessment for laboratory reports, presentations, and group work. In the next section,future implementation plans are detailed along with anticipated challenges.Error Assessment in the Future: Proposed ImplementationError assessment was implemented successfully in a sophomore-level

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bijan Sepahpour, The College of New Jersey

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Devices, Irwin, Chicago, 1997.8. T.-R. Hsu, MEMS and Microsystem: Design and Manufacture, McGraw-Hill, 2002.9. B. A. Boley, and J. H. Weiner, Theory of Thermal Stresses, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1960.Bijan SepahpourBijan Sepahpour is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and is currently the chairman of theMechanical Engineering Department at The College of New Jersey. He is actively involved in thegeneration of design-oriented exercises and development of laboratory apparatus and experiments in theareas of mechanics of materials and dynamics of machinery for undergraduate engineering programs.He is serving as the primary advisor for this project

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics: What's New

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward Anderson, Texas Tech; Roman Taraban, Texas Tech; Diana Hudson, Texas Tech

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Services(ETS) as described by Ekstrom, French, and Harman6. Subjects were offered extra course creditif they completed all four tests. The subjects took a pre-SCI test during the first ten days of thecourse and a post-SCI test during the last week of this course. The same test was used for thepre- and post- examinations. The PFT and CRT tests were administered at the same time as thepost-SCI test. Seventy-six students completed both the pre- and post-SCI tests. Several othersubjects completed either the pre- or post-tests, but not both. These students either dropped thecourse during the semester or did not participate in both tests. These data were excluded for thepurposes of this study. The tests were administered in a computer laboratory. The

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics: What's New

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sangram Redkar, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. Page 14.164.7Student Course Evaluation and Teaching Effectiveness:At the end of the course, course evaluations were conducted. At ASU-Poly, a course isevaluated on the basis of 17 criterions. The students evaluate course (exclusive ofinstructor based on following 7 questions).EVALUATION OF THE COURSE (exclusive of the instructor) 1. Textbook/supplementary material in support of the course 2. Value of assigned homework in support of the course topics. 3. Value of laboratory assignments/projects in support of the course topics. 4. Reasonableness of exams and quizzes in covering course material. 5. Weight given to labs or projects, relative to exams and quizzes. 6. Weight given to homework assignments, relative to exams and quizzes. 7

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wael Mokhtar, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, a research two-semester course is introduced in the freshman year. Thecourse is a small-scale model of the senior capstone project. The main objective of the course isto improve student retention and to recruit more students to one of the engineering clubs. Thefocus of the course is to introduce students to the project management skills. The majordifference between this course and the senior capstone project course is the technical level of thestudents. To overcome that, the theoretical part of the project was assigned to a sophomore levelcourse where these students have the needed technical skills for the project. The course wasoffered as a one-hour lecture for the first semester and three-hour laboratory during the secondsemester. The

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emilia Bratschitsch, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences; Adrian Millward-Sadler, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

responses given during students’presentations, we have gained and will continue to gain more information about theorientation, emphasis, quality and sustainability of our diploma degree program. In particular,the management of the contradiction between compact tertiary education and very highrequirements of knowledge sustainability is one of the greatest challenges for us. We havebeen persuaded of the necessity of continuous, well structured, constitutive project basedlearning during engineering education and close collaboration with the relevant industries.The harmonious paradigm of lectures, seminars, laboratories, and project work is a guaranteeof an optimal degree program in engineering education.Naturally, we are constantly reflecting on the

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hakan Gurocak, Washington State University, Vancouver; Linda Chen, Washington State University Vancouver; Dave Kim, Washington State University, Vancouver; Amir Jokar, Washington State University, Vancouver

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2009-197: ASSESSMENT OF PROGRAM OUTCOMES FOR ABETACCREDITATIONHakan Gurocak, Washington State University, Vancouver Hakan Gurocak is Director of School of Engineering and Computer Science and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University Vancouver. His research interests are robotics, automation, fuzzy logic, technology assisted distance delivery of laboratory courses and haptic interfaces for virtual reality. Dr. Gurocak is an ABET Program Evaluator for mechanical engineering.Linda Chen, Washington State University Vancouver Dr. Xiaolin Chen is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University Vancouver. She

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sivakumar Krishnan, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; M. Razi Nalim, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

instructionmethodology applied to an introductory thermodynamics course in an undergraduate program inmechanical engineering at an urban research university.CurriculumStudents admitted into the freshman engineering program are required to take an introductoryengineering course that includes reverse engineering activities. This course is fairly hands-onand was designed to motivate the freshman engineering students and improve the retention ofinterested students. Those admitted into the undergraduate mechanical engineering program arerequired to take two courses involving design projects in team environments in their senior year.However, in their sophomore and junior years the classes are generally traditional i.e., lecture-based with separate laboratory

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sophoria Westmoreland, University of Maryland; Ashley Grenier, University of Maryland; Linda Schmidt, University of Maryland

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

developing formal methods for design. Her educational interests include the development of student project team training materials to build more effective engineering student project teams. Dr. Schmidt is the founder and director of the Designer Assistance Tool Laboratory (DATLab). She is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the America Society of Engineering Education. Page 14.1063.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Sketching During Mechanical Design: Studying Sketching at the University of MarylandAbstractThe

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nidal Al-Masoud, Central Connecticut State University; Peter Baumann, Central Connecticut State University; Alfred Gates, Central Connecticut State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

engineering courses students will acquire in-depth principles of thermo-fluid sciences, mechanical systems and control, materials, mechanical design, finite element analysis and manufacturing. a. Through the aerospace specialization, students will both broaden and deepen their knowledge in aerospace materials, structures, propulsion, flight dynamics and control. b. Through the manufacturing specialization, students will broaden and deepen their knowledge manufacturing automation, systems design, strategy and simulation. 2. Graduates will acquire industry relevant experience within the academic environment through course projects, laboratory experimentation, classroom