Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Vuksanovich, Youngstown State University; Darrell Wallace, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2010-2118: COLLABORATIVE LABORATORY FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARYSTUDY - CASE STUDY SPRING 2009Brian Vuksanovich, Youngstown State UniversityDarrell Wallace, Youngstown State University Page 15.285.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 COLLABORATIVE LABORATORY FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDY - CASE STUDY SPRING 2009AbstractFor the past couple of years, a disconcerting and repeated criticism by the engineering industryof recent college engineering graduates is the inability to creatively solve problems coupled withineffective communication with workers in other disciplines or trades. Additionally, a lack ofdiscipline has also been noted. Typically, these

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Maixner, United States Air Force Academy; William Parker, Air Force Research Laboratories

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2010-48: DESIGN OF A MULTI-MODE FINITE-DIFFERENCE HEATTRANSFER PROJECTMichael Maixner, United States Air Force AcademyWilliam Parker, Air Force Research Laboratories Page 15.358.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Design of a Multi-Mode Finite-Difference Heat Transfer ProjectAbstract: The development of a comprehensive inite-difference project at the end of a heattransfer curriculum is described. The problem requires evaluation of the school’s football ieldturf heating system, incorporates all of the major heat transfer modes (convection, conduction,and radiation), and requires students to investigate both steady state and transient versions ofthe problem

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Ficken, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2010-147: IMPLEMENTING THE DIGITAL SPEED CONTROLLER TUNINGOF A LABORATORY ROTARY HYDRAULIC SYSTEMJohn Ficken, Milwaukee School of Engineering Page 15.688.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010IMPLEMENTING THE DIGITAL SPEED CONTROLLER TUNING OF A LABORATORY ROTARY HYDRAULIC SYSTEM Page 15.688.2ABSTRACTThe objective is to give the students practical experience in tuning a digital speed controller for arotary hydraulic system starting with the Ziegler-Nichols method. Digital controller basics andthe tuning method are discussed. In using this method the critical tuning area of system operationmust first be

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Garrett Clayton, Villanova University; James O'Brien, Villanova University; Kenneth Kroos, Villanova University; Amy Fleischer, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education. Ken was elected Vice President of ASME Region III in 2001 and served a three year term on the Council for Member Affairs.Amy Fleischer, Villanova University Professor Amy Fleischer received her PhD from the University of Minnesota at Berkeley in 2000. She is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University where she is also Director of the NovaTherm Research Laboratory and Chair of the Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering. Her research interests include energy storage in phase change materials, development of nano-enhanced materials

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Foster, George Fox University; Chad Hammerquist, George Fox University; Robert Melendy, George Fox University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

suggestphysical applications. Some engineering programs have gone a step further and chosen to includea laboratory experience along with the lecture. 31 This approach enhances the in-class learning byproviding hands-on applications.In addition to focusing on continuous-based control systems, few engineering programs alsoinclude coverage of non-continuous (process or discrete) control that are common in industrialenvironments. Mechanical engineering graduates engage with both continuous andnon-continuous control systems; however, they play a more key role in the development ofnon-continuous systems 30 than continuous-based systems where additional education is usuallyrequired and/or their electrical engineering counterparts are better equipped. A valuable

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Praveen Malali, Old Dominion University; Pooja Bais, Old Dominion University; Robert Choate, Western Kentucky University; Sushil Chaturvedi, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

a Web- Based Virtual ExperimentAbstractKey words: Web-based, Virtual Experiment, Instrument selection, Uncertainty Analysis.A methodology has been developed and successfully implemented for transforming physicalexperiments in an undergraduate thermo-fluids laboratory at Old Dominion University (ODU), adoctoral university, into web-based virtual experiments while the Mechanical Engineering (ME)faculty at Western Kentucky University (WKU), an undergraduate university, have developedand implemented a Design of Experiments (DOE) Plan to assure that graduates of their programhave acquired the skills necessary to design and conduct experiments and analyze experimentalresults. This paper presents details about a web-based

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicholas Harlow, Western Kentucky University; Robert Choate, Western Kentucky University; H. Joel Lenoir, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, designing telecommunication, data communication and information technology equipment.H. Joel Lenoir, Western Kentucky University Joel Lenoir is the Layne Professor of Mechanical Engineering at WKU, and primarily teaches in the dynamic systems and instrumentation areas of the curriculum. His industrial experience includes positions at Michelin Research and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as extensive professional practice in regional design and manufacturing firms. Page 15.570.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Extracurricular Project Enhances Student Learning

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer-Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Payne is a senior in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering (MNE) 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 Pitot-static probe 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 Engineering Department at Kansas State University (KSU). He worked on the Pitot-static probe project as part of his wind tunnel laboratory assistant activities, and has also contributed significantly to previous

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Natasha Smith, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2010-2146: TEACHING ENGINEERING REASONING USING A BEAMDEFLECTION LABNatasha Smith, University of Southern Indiana Page 15.1173.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Teaching Engineering Reasoning using a Beam Deflection LabAbstractWell crafted laboratories reinforce theoretical concepts presented in class, but also sharpenstudents’ technical reasoning skills and provide practice in technical communication. This paperpresents an introductory mechanics laboratory on beam deflection, suitable for freshmenengineering courses or as an opening week experiment for Strengths of Materials. The labconsists of 4 distinct experiments, each requiring students to

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Forsberg, Hofstra University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

especially worthwhile. The students find that itis usually difficult (at least in our area) to gain information from manufacturers if aspecific job and potential sale is not imminent. The interaction gives the students anopportunity to practice and improve their communication and negotiation skills.An extension of this project could be the design and construction of a lab experiment toverify the analytical solution of the governing differential equation. The experimentcould utilize existing heat exchangers in the engineering laboratories or the studentscould design and build a heat exchanger specifically for the experiment.The project has many facets to it, and the instructor has a lot of flexibility in his/herspecification of the project's

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions - Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debra Mascaro, University of Utah; Stacy Bamberg, University of Utah; Robert Roemer, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the entire curriculum that (1)reinforces student understanding and retention through reinforcement at short intervals, and (2)minimizes fading of conceptual knowledge due to extended disuse – as is often problematic inthe traditional ME curriculum.IntroductionHistorically, engineering education has followed a linear model in which engineering topics aretaught in separate, disconnected classes that “serially encapsulate” the course material in thestudents’ minds. In contrast, our newly developed first-year course sequence, funded by a CourseCurriculum and Laboratory Improvement Phase 1 Grant from the National Science Foundationtitled “Design-Based SPIRAL Learning Curriculum” (DUE-0837759), strives to integrate avariety of engineering topics in

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions - Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

graduatestudent mentors in several mechanical engineering laboratories, including experimental fluiddynamics, micro-sensors, laser micromachining, and advanced manufacturing. Participantsattended seminars on experimental uncertainty, planning experiments, and presentation ofexperimental data. Students also attended field trips to local companies where they met withpracticing mechanical engineers.The REU students participated in before-program and after-program surveys and focus groups.The pre-post surveys indicated that as a result of the program students felt they had gainedconsiderable hands-on experience, the ability to work with specialized equipment and methodsof making engineering measurements, and that they were far more knowledgeable

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

recentstudies have shown this effectiveness2,3,4,5. Even though computational methods are valuable,hands-on learning through conducting experiments is also an important teaching tool6.Therefore, there is an effort to develop laboratory work that supplements numericalinvestigations in the field 7. Page 15.23.2In both the numerical analysis and the experimental testing, students work in groups of two tofour students. This was done to promote teamwork and it has also been found that groups closeto four in size are preferential from a learning point of view8.This work is an improvement upon previous work by the authors1. Several changes were made.First, the

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joao Vinhas, Politecnico de Viseu; Joao Paiva, Politecnico de Viseu

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

problems4.3. Lab work structure One of the components that integrates the Mechanics I course that needed deep reformwas the laboratory, mainly concerning lab classes. Former written protocols were abandoned. These were produced by the instructor whogave a rigid orientation, leaving no room for students’ creativity. Quite often students did notprepare their work properly and were passively following protocols. Although being 1st yearstudents with little lab experience, the new learning-teaching paradigm clearly pointed inanother direction. A new challenge was being proposed to the students. They would have to Page 15.237.7create and implement

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

for faculty to “Provide instruction or resources for self-study in experimentaldesign, statistical data analysis … only after the teams have encountered a need to know thematerial.” 4Many universities have integrated project management into their curricula to varying degrees,from individual PM courses 5, 6 and coursework 7 to its inclusion within senior capstone designprojects.1, 8, 9 Design of Experiments is often found to be included within laboratory-based andexperimentation courses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and only some had DOE involved with the capstone designcourse.15, 16 Some of these efforts, however, did not institute formal training of traditional DOEmethodologies and designs.In its newly developed mechanical engineering program, CCSU has

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brent Nelson, Northern Arizona University; Constantin Ciocanel, Northern Arizona University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

classrooms and textbooks. As such, they also rarely have theopportunity to learn how experimental design and theoretical modeling work together tounderstand practical systems. To address these shortcomings, a low-cost solar water heaterdesign project was developed and integrated concurrently between a mechanical engineeringheat transfer course and a thermal systems laboratory course. The low-cost constraint reinforcedphysical understanding of heat transfer concepts and ensured messy, non-ideal designs to whichtheoretical modeling could not be neatly applied. A heat transfer concept inventory to assessstudent learning showed minimal gains in student understanding while a self-report attitudesurvey administered to the students demonstrated that they

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arun Chintalapati, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Hong Sheng, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Richard Hall, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Robert Landers, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

information: actively (engagement in discussion or physical activity) or reflectively (introspection) 4. Their progress towards understanding: sequential (step by step incrementally) or globally (large jumps)Learning outcomesLearning outcome refers to the perceived knowledge gained by the students through the use ofdifferent methods of teaching or studying. Methods of teaching or studying typically includereading of textbooks, performing experiments in laboratory setting, and using informationtechnologies. Assessment of learning outcomes often include quantitative measures for notionssuch as motivation to learn, real world applicability, and knowledge or learning awareness 13.IV. Research TechniquesEye tracking and its role in usability

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brandon Field, University of Southern Indiana; David Ellert, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

almostinsignificant, was that the amount of knowledge gained in a PBL class. So, giving the worstinterpretation of these study results, PBL students learn more skills, slightly less knowledge, andretain more of the knowledge two years later when compared to non-PBL students.Using a PBL approach has the advantage over the more traditional case study because while theuse of case studies adds realism and improves student engagement, there has not been shown anysignificant difference in the conceptual understanding of the students by the use of case studies2.Several instances of thermal sciences classes implementing a PBL approach can be found in theliterature as well. PBL techniques have been incorporated into a thermal science laboratory classby using inquiry

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashok Kumar Manoharan, Auburn University; P.K. Raju, Auburn University; Chetan Sankar, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. He received his Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and has worked at Temple University and AT&T Bell Laboratories. His research interests focus on researching innovative practices to integrate teaching, research, and outreach both locally and globally (www.litee.org). He has published more than 150 papers in journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. He has won awards for research and teaching from the Society for Information Management, iNEER, Decision Sciences Institute, American Society for Engineering Education, Frontiers in Education, and the Project Management Institute. He is the editor of the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions - Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Goodarz Ahmadi, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

year graduate students inengineering through developing and offering of sequence of specialized courses. Anotherobjective was to integrate the simulation and experimentation into these courses, as wellattract industrial interactions. In these courses, the 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.Parallel to substantial scientific and technical advancements and massive public andprivate investments in the development of nanotechnology, the workforce

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bethany Fralick, Purdue University; Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the same open-ended experimental designproblem as part of required laboratory courses. The objective of the assignment was to design,construct, and conduct an experiment to determine the relationships between factors that affectthe forces on a wooden beam that supports the weight of a person. Pre- and post-surveys wereadministered regarding student attitudes towards the problem. The surveys were statisticallyanalyzed to identify similarities and differences within and between the student groups. Focusgroups were also conducted to supplement the survey data.Before designing the experiment, the freshmen and juniors differed in their attitudes towards theexperimental design but felt the same afterwards. The freshmen were more frustrated and

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hakan Gurocak, Washington State University, Vancouver

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2010-986: HYBRID COURSE FORMAT FOR PROJECTS IN ROBOTICSHakan 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. Page 15.659.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 HYBRID COURSE FORMAT

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

is taught for approximately 10.5 weeks with one 4-hour meeting per week at Baker,while it is two 2-hour blocks per week at KU. The students at Baker attend evening classesstarting at 6 pm since they work during day time. Many of these students are married andcommute long distances (15 to 50 miles) to take classes at Baker. At both these colleges theassessment tools include homework, class work, math and CAE laboratories, examinations and afinal project. A minimum grade of 70% is required to pass this class.Observation from course assessment:Course DeliveryAs mentioned before, the FEA course at Kettering University is a senior level electiveundergraduate/graduate (mezzanine level) course offered to full time on-campus students and topart time

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vincent Sabatini, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Ryle Maxson, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Darris White, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Jack McKisson, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; William Haupfear, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering Education, 2010 The HyREV Propulsion System: a B20 Power-Split Extended Range Electric Vehicle for the EcoCAR ChallengeAbstractEcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge is a three-year collegiate advanced vehicle technologycompetition (AVTC) established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and GeneralMotors (GM). Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has managed the AVTC series for 20 years.The competition challenges 17 North American universities to reduce the environmental impactof a captured GM fleet vehicle by minimizing its fuel consumption and reducing emissions whileretaining the vehicle’s performance, safety and consumer appeal. The competition requires teamsto use GM’s Global Development Process (GDP) to the

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michele Miller, Michigan Technological University; Anna Pereira, Michigan Technological University; Margot Hutchins, Michigan Technological Universtiy; William Helton, Michigan Technological University; Leonard Bohmann, Michigan Technological University; Chris VanArsdale, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

mechanically inclined tend to score betteron the MAT.The dataset also gave us the opportunity to identify prior experiences that might lead to morepositive attitudes about engineering. The list of activities with statistically significant correlationwas dominated by hands-on and design activities. This type of information may be relevant forattracting more young people to the engineering field.AcknowledgmentsThis work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC-0835987.References1. ABET, “Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs: Effective for Evaluations During the 2006-2007 Accreditation Cycle,” ABET, Engineering Accreditation Commission, 2006.2. Feisel, L. D. and A. J. Rosa, “The Role of the Laboratory in

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Josh Coffman, University of Arkansas; Joseph Rencis, University of Arkansas; Daniel Jensen, United States Air Force Academy; Christina White, Columbia University; Ashland Brown, University of the Pacific; Jiancheng Liu, University of the Pacific; Kristen Kaufman, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Guide to Criterion-referenced Test Development, Page 15.1110.16 Validation, and Test Score Usage, Laboratory of Psychometric and Evaluative Research Report No. 70, School of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1978, pp. 61-66.13. Osterlind, S.J., Constructing Test Items: Multiple Choice, Constructed Response, Performance, and Other Formats, Second Edition, Kluwer Academic, Norwell, MA, 1998, pp. 59-66, 83-88, 107-159, 163-202.14. McDonald, M.E., Systematic Assessment of Learning Outcomes: Developing Multiple-Choice Exams, Jones and Bartlett, Sudbury, MA, 2002, pp. 83-116, 119.15. Miller, P.W

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Benson, Kettering University; Ada Cheng, Kettering University; Odesma Dalrymple, ASU Polytechnic

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Failure AnalysisThe research being conducted under the NSF’s Course, Curriculum and Laboratory ImprovementProgram (CCLI) consists of pre-instruction and post-instruction assessment of student capabilitywith support topics and skills (integration, differentiation, dot product, equilibrium conditions,etc.) across the curriculum. Student responses to these assessment questions are analyzed todetermine the approach which each student took in addressing the problem and to identifyaspects of their thinking process: this is especially important in those problems where thestudents answered the assessment questions incorrectly. The different methods by whichstudents approach these problems are then be categorized and a catalog of the most common“modes of

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angkee Sripakagorn, Chulalongkorn University; Kuntinee Maneeratana, Chulalongkorn University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the pressure from the framework andpeers. This trend is good for students in the view of their career placement or graduate schoolapplications.After the initial period, features of best projects start to emerge and can be divided into threeareas. The first is the industry related projects, especially with co-funding or sponsorship. With awell-defined and well-scheduled proposal from industry as well as strong financial and othersupports, this kind of project usually excels. Similarly, the research-oriented projects initiatedfrom an established research laboratories also usually succeed. Lastly, many projects areinvolved in major, and in many cases, international competitions. Faced with major challenges,many of these projects are successful

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Shepard, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Camille George, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

couldhave been accounted for in a more thorough Bill of Materials.ConclusionAn open ended desalination design project was created for use in an introductorythermodynamics laboratory on psychrometrics. The project was built from an innovativeconcept that lent itself to thermodynamic analysis and exposed students to the connectionbetween classroom material and real-world applications. Results from the project showthat the process of producing freshwater by evaporating saltwater and condensing thevapor requires greater care than one might initially expect as only 85% of the salt wasremoved. A student survey and subject specific questions on the final showed the projectto be successful in many of its aims with the group aspect and design freedom having

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Soutas-Little, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, Advanced Dynamics, Advanced Elasticity, Tissue Biomechanics and Biodynamics. He has won teaching excellence awards and the Distinguished Faculty Award. During his tenure at Michigan State University, he chaired the Department of Mechanical Engineering for 5 years and the Department of Biomechanics for 13 years. He directed the Biomechanics Evaluation Laboratory from 1990 until he retired in 2002. He served as Major Professor for 22 PhD students and over 100 MS students. He has received numerous research grants and consulted with engineering companies. He now is Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University