Conference Session

Marketing Engineering as a Career Path to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Lambright, Savannah State University; Wayne Johnson, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Cameron Coates, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

recognized and celebrated. Educators only need tofollow the blueprint used when schools recognize and celebrate accomplishments in sports orother non-academic pursuits.Improving the Work Ethic of Students The development of a strong work ethic for engineering students is a necessary component forsuccess in their undergraduate education and the workforce. Students must be willing and self-motivated to learn in order to establish an appropriate foundation in mathematics and science.Unfortunately, many students are either not familiar with the concept of a strong work ethic orrecognize its integral role in facilitating their knowledge, skill growth, and ultimately, theircapacity to matriculate and obtain an undergraduate engineering degree. The

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qiang Le, Hampton University; Eric Sheppard, Hampton University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

the freshmen and pre-collegestudents at Hampton University and discusses the next steps in our plan to improve preparationand engagement in our engineering students. Our goal is to improve retention and learning. Andthis effort integrates educational research and the classroom experience.IntroductionThe nation’s current and projected need for more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math(STEM) workers, coupled with the chronically lagging participation of students from ethnicallygrowing segments of the population, argue for policies and programs that will increase thepathways into engineering. Enhancing the curriculum is recognized to be an important way toimprove overall diversity in engineering. Retooling curricula to prepare students for

Conference Session

Panel: Effecting Change in Higher Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Priscilla Nelson, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Theresa Hunt, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Cherrice Traver, Union College; Pamela Eibeck, Texas Tech; Zulma Toro-Ramos, Wichita State University; Cheryl Schrader, Boise State University; Mary Roth, Lafayette College; delcie durham, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

those choices have on careers, and how to “separateout” trends in engineering from those in the sciences were also important to attendees. Broaderquestions related to this issue area asked why the percentage of women engineers is greateramong ethnic minorities, whether part-time, tenure-track appointments are workable and wherethey may be available, and why there are so few women at the department chair levelnationwide.Key Recommended Action Items ≠ The chair is an incredibly important person for diversity success. Strong training and coaching efforts are warranted for the department chair regarding management, diversity and mentoring training – integrated into formal and informal performance and promotion review, and

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claudia E. Vergara, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University; Cindee Dresen, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Tammy Coxen, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Taryn MacFarlane, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Kysha Frazier, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Louise Paquette, Lansing Community College; Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Jeannine LaPrad, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Materials Science at Michigan State University. Dr. Briedis has been involved in several areas of education research including student retention, curriculum redesign, and the use of technology in the classroom. She is a co- PI on two NSF grants in the areas of integration of computation in engineering curricula and in developing comprehensive strategies to retain early engineering students. She is active nationally and internationally in engineering accreditation and is a Fellow of ABET.Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University Dr. Neeraj Buch is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University. He is also the Director of Cornerstone Engineering

Conference Session

Robots in Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Ahlgren, Trinity College; Igor Verner, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

take place within the teamframework and are integrated closely with the team’s robot projects. Self-efficacy is indicatedwhen individuals on the team have gained mastery of subjects of high interest to them. If theteam’s performance is good, we have also achieved team efficacy.Our study has two stages—a pilot study during the 2006-2007 academic year and a central studyduring the 2007-2008 academic year.Pilot Study, 2006-2007This section summarizes the first-year pilot study that was implemented at Trinity College in2006-2007 as an activity of the Trinity College Robot Study Team (RST)9. The RST comprises10 – 15 undergraduate engineering students each semester, drawn from all four undergraduateclasses, who design robots to compete in the

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Krishna Madhavan, Purdue University; Jacob Schroeder, Clemson University; Hanjun Xian, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

likely resources (4 terms) students from 3 to read materials classes at 2 locations (11, 20; 29, 17)Students were more likely to read course materials to prepare for an online readiness assessmentquiz40. A separate study37 showed that students were more comfortable working on technicalproblems with no clear answers. Also, students were more at ease designing and building adevice from an assortment of given parts. In all of the above studies, students gave positivecomments and ratings to their respective courses indicating that the integration

Conference Session

Computer Education Innovations

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Cochrane, University of Canterbury

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

skills of engineering students: Technology to the rescue with the Virtual-i Presenter (ViP)AbstractEngineering graduates are faced with solving increasingly interdisciplinary and complextechnical problems in a competitive world that requires clear communication and presentationskills. To this effect, oral communication skills should be considered an integral part of anengineer’s formal education. Many engineering departments, however, are currentlyexperiencing a growth in enrolments which is translating to larger classroom sizes.Unfortunately, this is impacting on the ability for students to acquire oral presentation skillsbecause in-class oral presentations can take over limited lecture or lab time which is needed forother critical

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Tront, Virginia Tech; Kimberly Filer, Virginia Tech; Glenda Scales, Virginia Tech; Jane Prey, Microsoft Research

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Page 14.695.2with support from the college administration, alumni, corporate entities, and from variousresearch agencies such as the NSF. Innovations include the incorporation of freshman hands-onmechanical dissection labs, multi-disciplinary projects, and integrated subject material courses toname a few. Most notable among the teaching/learning innovations are the College’s efforts inthe effective use of computing and communication technology in the curriculum. This effortspans the breadth of digital network communications technology from gigaPOP networkingthrough advanced wireless nets, utilizing a broad spectrum of computing devices from personaldigital assistants through multiprocessor super computers. In this paper we describe howpersonal

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Cunningham, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Shannon Sexton, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Julia Williams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

instructor] did an AMAZING job using the tablet PC. He integrated it very well into the course, and it made things run much smoother and efficiently. I have had other professor attempt to use the tablet, but he is by-far an outstanding instructor with PC integration.” “In the past I have found it to be a distraction if everyone in the class has a tablet, but just the professor having one worked well.” Page 14.1374.8Additionally, several students commented that they felt instructor use of the tablet PC was notdistracting, but, based on prior experiences, students and

Conference Session

Recruitment and Development of Minority Faculty

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ram Mohan, North Carolina A&T State University; Narayanaswamy Radhakrishnan, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

act as a catalyst to propagate theirknowledge to their students. This is potentially serving a larger minority population andproviding future work force needs of qualified minorities in these critical areas.IntroductionComputational science and engineering (CSE) and high performance computing (HPC) havenow become an integral part of several engineering and science disciplines. Still the number ofstudents from under-represented universities and minority institutions, who are involved andexposed to these fields, is very minimal. Several high performance computing training programsfunded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of the Defense, etc., hastraditionally focused on summer training in HPC for minority students from these

Conference Session

Issues of Persistence in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rose Mary Cordova-Wentling, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Cristina Camacho, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

adegree in Engineering. Focus groups were utilized because they produce qualitative data thatprovide insights into the attitudes, perceptions, and opinions of participants. The focus grouppresents a more natural environment than that of an individual interview because participants areinfluencing and influenced by others, just as they are in real life (Krueger, 1994). Focus groupsenable the researchers to increase the sample size without dramatic increases in the time requiredof the interviewer. In addition, focus group techniques are both useful and valid for assessingstudent problems within an undergraduate curriculum (Diamond & Gagnon, 1985). Quantitativedata was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data was analyzed

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators III

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Silas Bernardoni, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Mauricio Rodríguez Alcalá, Skidmore College; Maria Rodriguez Alcala, Paraguay Educa

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

thecage. The server cages were fabricated in Paraguay by an outside contractor and installed in theschools. A graphic of the server cage is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Server cage designed for Paraguay Educa by UW engineering students. This student project is a wonderful example of how college students can successfullyapply their professional skills while supporting non-profit efforts around the world. The studentsworked with a diverse team comprised of people from numerous countries and cultures whichrequired them to alter their normal practices in engineering design courses to accommodate theneeds of the group. In the long term, the UW College of Engineering curriculum has decided toincorporate these design projects as student

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College; Vincent DiStasi, Grove City College; Gary Welton, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

coursemanagement systems (CMS). Since Tablet PCs are integrated into the college curriculum as well Page 14.841.3as students’ lives (i.e., they are comfortable with the affordances offered by the Tablet PC) andthe use of CMS is spread thorough the college, GCC is an excellent laboratory to assess thistechnology.All the classrooms are equipped with network ports, wireless networking, and electrical outlets ateach seat. The backbone is all fiber connected running at gigabit speeds with multiple trunks toeach of the academic buildings. The campus network has ample bandwidth with capacity to growin the future. In addition, all students and faculty have

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering: Part I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Arumala, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

and constructionproject. Service learning has been widely adopted within higher education nationally in manydisciplines and offers an enabling environment to integrate desirable experiential skills thatstudents will need when they enter the work place (American Society of Civil Engineers, 1994,Dahir, 1993, Martin and Haque, 2001) into traditional engineering and construction programs Page 14.1242.2and courses. Service learning has been shown to be an effective means of addressing the needs ofengineering and construction curricula (Duffy et al, 2001). The Princess Anne Athletic Centerwas a partnership between the University of Maryland Eastern

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ed Crowley, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2009-2275: RUNNING LINUX IN A WINDOWS COMPUTER LABEd Crowley, University of Houston Page 14.1039.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Running Linux in a Windows Computer LabAbstractIn many courses, the effective use of Linux, or other open source software, can expandand enhance active learning opportunities for students. Since many institutions havestandardized on Windows Computer Laboratories, implementing Linux based learningexperiences may initially seem problematic. However, with a Live Linux CD, you canquickly and easily run Linux, and related open source tools, in an existing WindowsComputer Lab.In this paper, we will explain how Linux Live CDs

Conference Session

IT-based Instructional Technologies

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Miertschin, University of Houston; Cheryl Willis, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Information Systems

distributed cognitive tasks involved in negotiating the course contentonline.Value of Digital Concept Maps to e-LearningToday, e-Learning opportunities often offer students very complex learning environmentsdelivered via a learning management system such as the open source Moodle,Desire2Learn, or Blackboard/WebCT. Furthermore, information and communicationstechnologies have advanced together enabling true resource-based learning. A resource-based learning environment (RBLE) is described as “an integrated set of strategies topromote student-centered learning in a mass education context, through a combination ofspecially designed learning resources and interactive media and technologies” 14. In acomplex RBLE, a student is offered interaction with books

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Cady, National Academy of Engineering; Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering; Catherine Didion, National Academy of Engineering; Karen Peterman, Goodman Research Group, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

field. Female studentsespecially are turned away by images of engineers as males who work alone in a laboratory [3].Thus, it is important to disseminate accurate pictures of engineering to students of all ages.Programs designed to expose girls to exciting work in engineering fields have had some successin increasing their awareness and accurate mental images of engineering [4]. Ryerson Universitysaw an increase in female enrollment over the years they offered a summer camp that includedactive laboratory projects [4]. An extension of that project included short workshops during theschool year, and although boys and girls had similar knowledge about engineering prior to theworkshop, boys were far more likely than girls to indicate interest in

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cindy Foor, University of Oklahoma; randa shehab, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

: cynthia.e.foor-1@ou.edu.randa shehab, University of Oklahoma Randa Shehab is an associate faculty member and Director of the School of Industrial Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Before joining OU in 1997, she worked as an Ergonomics Consultant to the Manufacturing Ergonomics Laboratory at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The focus of her research is in the area of human factors and ergonomics, with emphasis on human performance of special populations, technology and learning, and engineering education. Her most current research is focused on identifying factors related to success of underrepresented minority engineering students. Address: School of

Conference Session

New Research and Trends Related to Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Monroe, North Carolina A&T State University; Narayanaswamy Radhakrishnan, North Carolina A&T State University; Bala Ram, North Carolina A&T State University; Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University; Christopher Doss, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

/MSI institutions such as NCA&T. Participants indicated that the panel discussions, breakout sessions, and presentations were informative and rewarding. The success of the conference can be attributed to the early planning efforts by the conference team and the faculty/staff who were involved in organizing the event. NCA&T is fortunate to have an administrative unit within the Division of Academic Affairs which specializes in facilitating and coordinating conferences. This unit played a Page 14.290.9 large part in creating the on-line registration, leading transportation, hotel, and facilities

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rachelle Reisberg, Northeastern University; Amanda Funai, University of Michigan; Bala Maheswaran, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

throughout the course of engineeringprograms. In an in-depth study of students who switched out of science, math, and engineeringmajors, 77.9% of women cited discouragement and loss of self-esteem as a factor in switching.4Research has shown that women tend to drop out of engineering earlier and with higher GPA’s Page 14.1098.2than men, suggesting a lack of support and confidence. The crucial year appears to be thefreshman year when the largest drop in engineering students is seen5. Focusing on improving thefirst year engineering students’ experience has become a goal for many universities and colleges.Freshmen curriculum include required courses such

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Controls Laboratories

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kayode P. Ayodele, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Olawale Akinwale, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Lawrence Kehinde, Texas Southern University; Oladipo O. Osasona, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; E.O.B. ajayi, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; O.O. Akinwunmi, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

the iLab batched architecture. The client through which theremote student interacts with the ADLab is implemented with Java, which allows for areasonable amount of platform independence.This paper discusses the software and hardware aspects of the ADLab architecture and givessome insight into some design decisions. The paper also reports that the system is beingtested at Obafemi Awolowo University and that student feedback so far indicates high studentsatisfaction with the remote laboratory.Keywords: iLab, ADLab, FPGA, remote laboratoryI. Experimentation and Remote LaboratoriesWhen applied within an engineering curriculum, experimentation is supposed to achievespecific goals. It allows students to develop skills in any combination of up

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anant Kukreti, University of Cincinnati; Kenneth Simonson, University of Cincinnati; Kathleen Johnson, University of Cincinnati; Latiera Evans, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

there will always be positions for them. Thus, engineering education will also bechanging, with more emphasis on graduate education, as outlined in a recently released series ofreports by the National Academy of Engineering [30]. Educators recognize that undergraduateresearch motivates students to apply for graduate school, and underrepresented groups mustbecome an integral part of such a technical workforce. However, underrepresented collegestudents do not reflect their numbers in the U.S. population (51% women, 12.1% AfricanAmericans, and 12.5% Hispanics [27, 28, 31]). A recent National Academies report [32]recommends: “Increasing participation of underrepresented minorities is critical to ensuring ahigh quality supply of scientists and

Conference Session

LABVIEW-Based Experiments and Robotics Laboratory

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Yao, East Carolina University; Edwin Bartlett, East Orthopedics

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

client’s needs into attackable engineering problems, designed instrument circuits,developed data acquisition software with LabVIEW, and tested the integrated prototype system.Although the students experienced frustrations, they were excited about the opportunity to be able to workon this real-world project partnered with their client, Dr. Bartlett (an experienced orthopedist in town),and the Office of Technology Transfer at East Carolina University. The overall outcome of the project Page 14.413.2was good.This paper first describes the technical aspects of the project (problem statement, material and methods,experiment results), presents

Conference Session

Computational Tools and Simulation II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brianno Coller, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

well-equipped to address. It is one of the fundamentalprinciples that guided both the computational methods and DS&C versions of EduTorcs. Ratherthan overtly provide information to students through textbook and lecture, we aspired to create amediated environment in which students could experiment and make discoveries.Nonetheless, Gee acknowledges that one must strike proper balance between overt informationand immersion in actual contexts of practice. One cannot, he explains, give novices a set oframps and balls, and then expect them to arrive at Galileo’s principles of motion on their own.This experience of integrating a video game into a DS&C class has illuminated some of thedifficulty in getting the balance right. In particular, an

Conference Session

New Research and Trends Related to Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maria M. Larrondo Petrie, Florida Atlantic University; Ivan Esparragoza, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

interest are in modeling complex systems, security, software engineering and pedagogy. Her email is petrie@fau.eduIvan Esparragoza, Pennsylvania State University Ivan E. Esparragoza is an Associate Professor of Engineering at Penn State. His interests are in engineering design education, innovative design, global design, and global engineering education. He has introduced multinational design projects in a freshman introductory engineering design course in collaboration with institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of his effort to contribute to the formation of world class engineers for the Americas. He is actively involved in the International Division of the American Society

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania; Wayne Blanding, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

over 100 projects worldwide, more than 25,000 MWHVDC is under construction in 10 projects, and an additional 125,000 MW HVDC transmissioncapacity has been planned in 50 projects5. To account for the rapid growth of DC transmissionand its technology it is necessary to include the HVDC transmission into the undergraduatepower systems curriculum. Most undergraduate curricula have only one course on powersystems which is typically devoted to AC transmission systems. The Electrical and ComputerEngineering program at York College of Pennsylvania has four concentration areas: powersystems/energy conversion, embedded systems, signal processing/communication, and controlsystems. Every student is required to complete two of these four concentration

Conference Session

Early Engineering Design Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelly Crittenden, Louisiana Tech University; David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Mark Barker, Louisiana Tech University; Patricia Brackin, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

approaches. Several papers have attempted to describe and categorizefreshmen engineering design experiences in the United States.2, 9 It is not the intention of thispaper to describe the multitudes of programs and their various merits and difficulties. This paperaims to describe an approach to an open-ended product design at the freshman level.At Louisiana Tech University, we began our own engineering curriculum reform in 1995. Wecreated an Integrated Engineering Curriculum (IEC) in an attempt to provide a hands-on, active-learning environment for our freshmen and sophomore engineering students and with support Page 14.633.2from NSF fully implemented

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design in the Classroom

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

AC 2009-1176: A PORTABLE WORKCELL DESIGN FOR THE ROBOTICSINDUSTRYTaskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Dr. Taskin Padir is a visiting assistant professor in the robotics engineering program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Prior to WPI, he was an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Lake Superior State University where he taught undergraduate courses in robotics, machine vision and systems integration, circuit analysis, electronics, and introduction to engineering and advised capstone design projects within the robotics and automation option. He received his PhD and M.S. degrees from Purdue University, both in electrical engineering. He received his

Conference Session

Assessing Design Course Work

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rhonda Young, University of Wyoming; April Heaney, University of Wyoming; James Kladianos, Wyoming Department of Transportation

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Page 14.252.2develop their writing skills, but the challenge becomes effectively integrating writing objectivesinto a course that is already full of other learning objectives.One of the advantages to incorporating writing into a comprehensive design course is that thiswriting situation is as close as anything found in most engineering curriculum to the professionalwriting experience that students encounter after graduation. A major concern is that a writingemphasis could distract from the important learning objectives of integrating technicalknowledge, applying design concepts, and working effectively in collaborative situations. Thestruggle is finding an appropriate balance between the technical objectives and the writingobjectives. In

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Education Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine B. Masters, Pennsylvania State University; Samuel T Hunter, Pennsylvania State University; Gul Kremer, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

(ideation). Designprocess knowledge, in general, is taught in first year design courses, and then practiced duringcapstone design. During second and third year courses, the engineering curriculum focuses onanalytical concepts and techniques ultimately intended to support design analysis ability.However, students frequently have difficulty in integrating their design process knowledge andanalysis abilities during capstone design projects.Most four year engineering programs include a first year course focused on the engineeringdesign process where students are exposed to the wide range of issues that must be consideredwith regard to the ‘real life’ activity of designing a product or a process. These courses typicallyculminate in a team report