Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David McDonald, Lake Superior State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

Engineering and Mechanical Engineering havedesignated options (concentrations) in which students take a prescribed cluster of courses. Theirfinal diploma then designates both the engineering major and the option specialty. ElectricalEngineering students can select from a prescribed set of courses that comprise a Digital,Robotics, Mechanical, Vehicle Systems or General Option. All five options require 11 credits.The Vehicle Systems Option is outlined below in Figure 1: Electrical Engineering VehicleSystems Option. Electrical Engineering majors are not required to take dynamics as part of theircore graduation requirements, but it is required for the Vehicle Systems Option

Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Seema Khan, Sonoma State University; Farid Farahmand, Sonoma State University; Saeid Moslehpour, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

limited IT support, and networking and programming knowledge, can easily setupthe IVLP and create LabVIEW-based laboratory modules as needed. Although, in order to runIVLP the user must have LabVIEW software, the remote student only requires the LabVIEWRun-Time Plug-in. This program is provided free of charge by National Instrument and it isautomatically downloaded when the remote client logs into the system.A key feature of IVLP is its modular architecture. Thus, as shown in Figure 1, individualcontents can be designed independently and located in different sites. The modular architectureof IVLP enables collaboration of multiple institutions with different resources in order to createthe suitable learning environment for targeted remote students

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement Innovation

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale Litwhiler, Pennsylvania State University, Berks

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

to determine its position andmotion.1 This information is used by the game to create very realistic user interactions with thegame. The Apple iPhone® and iTouch® devices also use accelerometers to determine theorientation of the device for use by applications such as games or just to rotate the display.2Some accelerometer applications are transparent to the user such as those used to detect freefallin devices containing spinning hard disk drive storage. When freefall is sensed, the hard disk Page 15.867.2drive read/write head is positioned to protect the storage device from the impact may beeminent.3Because of the prevalence of accelerometers

Conference Session

New Instrumentation Ideas

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Hergert, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

the last ten to fifteen years. Feisel 1 notesthat distance education has dramatically affected laboratory instruction, allowing for remote dataaccess and instruction. Experiments can now be conducted at a distance of hundreds of milesfrom the equipment. These labs help guide future engineers as they learn how to collectexperimental data that guides in the design of products.Etkina notes, that the engineering lab is also “…an experiment that typically involves solving apractical problem or determining an unknown quantity by performing experiments. Studentsneed to solve these experimental problems using at least two different methods and then comparethe results. Often they need to perform additional experiments or make informed estimates

Conference Session

Programs Using New Instrumentation Concepts

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Layton, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Thomas Adams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

individual strengths of these references to synthesize a complete, coherent, andbalanced approach to teach the operating principles of piezoresistive sensors. We use a “system-level” perspective and attempt to develop each topic to roughly the same depth of detail usingmathematics, physical principles, and engineering analyses suitable for our sophomore-levelengineering audience.Basic principles of operationWe treat our sensor as an input-output system, illustrated in Figure 1. A mechanical input(pressure, force, or acceleration for example) is applied to a mechanical structure of some kind (abeam, a plate, or a diaphragm) causing the structure to experience mechanical strain. Smallpiezoresistors secured to the structure undergo the same mechanical

Conference Session

New Instrumentation Ideas

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Madhumi Mitra, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Xavier Henry, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Dayvon Green, Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

engineeringmajors respectively,. This paper highlights the summer efforts and the subsequent studentlearning experiences during the fall semester involving this experimental platform. Futureeducational and research efforts to develop and use an autonomous water quality data collectionsystem for lakes, rivers, and bays are underway.1.0 IntroductionThe problem of water eutrophication has become very severe worldwide. The nutritive organicwastes resulting from land runoff, river inflow, or sewage discharged into the coastal areas withlow rates of water exchange often could lead to proliferation of the growth of excessive amountsof both micro and macroalgae.1 The water body impacted is termed “eutrophic” (nutrient

Conference Session

New Instrumentation Ideas

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randy Buchanan, University of Southern Mississippi; Steven Bunkley, University of Southern Mississippi

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

support.By this time, the interested faculty and student had already identified the needed apparatus andmethodologies. Existing instrumentation was identified to perform the task, as well as a minimalamount of budget reserves to purchase ancillary items. The test apparatus design was modified tofit the existing instrumentation and available resources.Test ApparatusThe apparatus used was designed to utilize gravitational acceleration for consistent andrepeatable results. Several differing configurations were considered throughout the design andeven construction process. The final arrangement made use of two angle bars as guides for asolid rectangular mass, as shown in Figure 1. The mass can be freely lifted vertically along theguide rails to max

Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Mohamad Mustafa, Savannah State University; Alberto De La Cruz, Savannah State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

Page 15.996.2subject matter and foster deeper learning.Project based learning consists of five criterions:(1) PBL projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum. This criterion has two corollaries. First, according to this defined feature, projects are the curriculum. In PBL, the project is the central teaching strategy; students encounter and learn the central concepts of the discipline via the project. There are instances where project work follows traditional instruction in such a way that the project serves to provide illustrations, examples, additional practice, or practical applications for material taught initially by other means. However, these "application" projects are not considered to be instances of PBL

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement Innovation

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Mullett, Springfield Technical Community College

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

and the deployment of geographically widespreadsensor networks. Recently, with a new administration in place, initiatives in clean and renewableenergy and efforts to improve the efficiency of our aging infrastructure have rapidly gainedtraction on both a federal and state level. Under the 2009 American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct (ARRA), funding through the Department of Energy (DOE) for $36.7 billion dollars hasbeen allocated to various energy related initiatives1. Figure 1, shown here, gives a furtherbreakdown of the general areas to be funded. Figure 1 – Breakdown of DOE funding from the ARRA Act (Source DOE)Through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) there is funding for$16.8 billion dollars for various

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement Innovation

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Loker, Pennsylvania State University, Erie

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

. Grading for the project consists of 60% based on meeting all of Page 15.450.2the engineering requirements (no partial credit is given), 30% based on the content of the report, and10% based on spelling, grammar, and writing style. There is a 10% reduction for late submittals. Alisting of the projects for the course is shown below. • Lab 1: Software-defined Calculator Project (2 weeks) • Lab 2: Thermocouple Project (2 weeks) • Lab 3: Waveform Generator Project (2 weeks) • Lab 4: Digital Multimeter Project (3 weeks) • Lab 5: Elevator Control

Conference Session

Programs Using New Instrumentation Concepts

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jerry Keska, University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

laboratories, an extensive processthat adapted it to the needs of mechanical engineering was implemented. This included thedevelopment of completely new experiments that involved newly-designed hardware andinstructions that were all developed and built in-house with student participation. Educational LaboratoryThere are three basic types of engineering laboratories where physical experiments areconducted—educational, developmental, and research-focused.1 This paper deals with aneducational laboratory in Instrumentation and Measurements for mechanical engineering students.In this particular class, the students received their first serious exposure to the physicalexperiments, experimentation, and lab tools that are used