Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glen Dudevoir, United States Air Force Academy; Andrew Laffely, United States Air Force Academy; Alan J. Mundy, United States Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

design and presentation of a critical design review (CDR) to facultymentors near the end of the semester. In the spring semester, students accomplished peerevaluations at project status reviews (PSRs) after four and eight weeks, and at the end of thesemester with coincident with the system verification review (SVR). Figure 1 shows the averageof team standard deviations for each review for the ‟08, ‟09 and ‟10 capstone classes. The resultsof the first evaluations (SRR) were typical. Students were still learning each other‟s first namesand we reluctant to insult anyone. Most of the ratings reflected little, if any, variance in studentcontributions. The second round of ratings did not produce substantial changes. Consistent withpast results, we

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mahmoud Quweider, University of Texas, Brownsville; Juan Iglesias, U of Texas at Brownsville; Katherine De La Vega, University of Texas at Brownsville

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

computational,mathematical, and scientific requirements of the course. The Senior Project is a capstone projectwhere students integrate their scientific as well as their software design and implementationknowledge to a real-world problem. As our institution is a minority serving one, we have strivedto attract female students to the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fieldsthrough different means including active recruitment, mentorship programs, scholarships, andinternships, just to name few. Our latest effort, reported in this paper, is to allow female studentsto select an area of great impact on their health and/or social well-being, and to investigate it indepth through their senior projects. The approach is called Collaborative

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Rabb, United States Military Academy; Joseph Hitt, USMA; Robert Floersheim, US Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2010-476: IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMPLEX MULTIDISCIPLINARYCAPSTONE PROJECT FOR STIMULATING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTDEVELOPMENTRobert Rabb, United States Military AcademyJoseph Hitt, USMARobert Floersheim, US Military Academy Page 15.673.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Implementation of a Complex Multidisciplinary Capstone Project for Stimulating Undergraduate Student DevelopmentAbstractComplex, multidisciplinary capstone projects require multi-faceted teams of faculty and students,representing two or more technical areas of expertise. Engineering education has emphasizedmore multidisciplinary work as graduates are expected to perform on

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kumar Yelamarthi, Central Michigan University; P. Ruby Mawasha, Wright State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

program”1.3. RFID Based Assistive Devices in Senior Design Sternberg in their work has stated that the pedagogical purpose of capstone design is to allowthe student an opportunity to experience how the content in the undergraduate curriculum fitstogether to provide a coherent vision of the knowledge necessary to complete a significantengineering project10. The capstone design project provides an opportunity for the student toimplement their skills combining what they have learned from a spectrum of their core classes. Students upon completion of the capstone design project and graduation enter theprofessional workforce where they work in multidisciplinary teams. This requires a goodunderstanding of other disciplines so as to communicate the

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Palmer, Louisiana Tech University; Hisham Hegab, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

in the capstone experience. However, there is little transition between the highlydefined problems provided in lecture and laboratory courses versus the open-ended projectstudents are asked to solve in their capstone design course. The capstone design projects for theNanosystems Engineering program is provided by faculty across a variety of disciplines.Therefore, it became evident that rather than expecting each faculty mentor to provide certainbasic skills, a more effective approach would be to have all Nanosystems Engineering students towork on a smaller open-ended project in the last quarter of the Junior year to teach all theelements that they would need to apply more deeply in their capstone project the following year.The educational

Conference Session

Robotics Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Fred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

laboratory facilities development for the program. Dr. Looft’s research interests have evolved from the analysis and modeling of tactile neural responses to now being focused on student capstone projects, systems engineering programs, and global education. Outside of the academic world, Dr. Looft is an avid sailplane enthusiast, pilot and flight instructor, and is a lifelong fitness enthusiast. Page 15.370.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Designing Robotic Systems: Preparation for an Interdisciplinary Capstone ExperienceAbstractThe Robotics Engineering (RBE

Conference Session

Project-based Learning and Other Pedagogical Innovations

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Huanmei Wu, IUPUI

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

to design an effective interdisciplinary course or project. Thecollaborative experience model for construction undergraduates has been initiated to promotecollaboration between architecture and construction management students2. The cooperativemodel is important to promote interaction between design and building education, and to developother multidisciplinary approaches for integrating pedagogical models in many discipline-specific topics.Many efforts have been made on design engineering capstone courses3-5. For example, Page 15.997.2integrating senior capstone courses using different pedagogical strategies have been designed

Conference Session

Project-based Learning and Other Pedagogical Innovations

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Cressler, Georgia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

feel strongly about, regardless of their team’s official position.Each team receives a team grade, based upon a combination of: a) the written position statement,b) the instructor’s judgment of the team’s approach to their presentation and the strength of their Page 15.62.6arguments, and c) the audience’s opinion of each team’s effort (a debate evaluation is filled outby the class to provide critical feedback to each team). Team Widget Deconstruction ProjectStudents also engage in a collaborative capstone research experience in which 5-person teams dotheir own widget deconstructions and present those findings to

Conference Session

Project-based Learning and Other Pedagogical Innovations

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Fleishman, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2010-31: WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY'S HYBRID BUS - AMULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO PROJECT BASED EDUCATIONSteven Fleishman, Western Washington University STEVEN FLEISHMAN is currently an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Technology Department at Western Washington University. He joined the Vehicle Research Institute at WWU in 2006 after spending twenty years in automotive drivetrain R&D. Steven.fleishman@wwu.edu Page 15.1362.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010Western Washington University’s Hybrid Bus – A Multidisciplinary Approach to Project-BasedEducationAbstract Western

Conference Session

Sustainability, Service Learning, and Entreprenuership

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anouk Desjardins, École Polytechnique de Montréal; Louise Millette, École Polytechnique de Montréal; Erik Bélanger, École Polytechnique de Montréal

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2010-228: THE CHALLENGE OF TEACHING SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT USING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROJECT WITHINTEGRATED PROCESS DESIGNAnouk Desjardins, École Polytechnique de Montréal Anouk Desjardins has worked on the evolution and the teaching of the course Sustainable Development Capstone Project. After graduating in civil engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal she obtained a Master’s of Applied Science in 1999. Then she worked in industry as a process engineer. Since 2008 she joined Ecole Polytechnique as a research assistant for sustainable development projects and as a lecturer.Louise Millette, École Polytechnique de Montréal Louise Millette is, since 2002, the first (and only) woman to

Conference Session

Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lily Laiho, California Polytechnic State University; Richard Savage, California Polytechnic State University; James Widmann, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

sponsored by industry, and two projects were service-learning projectswith external customers. Each industry project sponsor provided a donation to the college andalso provided funding for all of the necessary materials for the project. The donations were usedto help fund the course, which included student travel to the sponsor site and funding for theservice-based projects.Students were provided a dedicated laboratory space in which they could work on and store theirprojects. Figure 1 shows students working on two of the projects, the robotic mower and thespin bike power meter. All sponsors of the projects were very satisfied with the final products.Two of the projects are being continued on as projects for capstone design courses, and two

Conference Session

Robotics Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Peterson, United States Air Force Academy; Patrick Sweeney, United States Air Force Academy; Delbert Christman, United States Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2010-583: R2D2 AS A MOTIVATOR IN ENGINEERING EDUCATIONBrian Peterson, United States Air Force AcademyPatrick Sweeney, United States Air Force AcademyDelbert Christman, United States Air Force Academy Page 15.1010.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 R2D2 as a Motivator in Engineering EducationThe use of robotic system applications continues to grow as a learning tool in electrical andcomputer engineering, but basic designs and projects have been well investigated and advancesin the field are becoming increasingly complex. Many new and interesting systems are beyondthe scope of what undergraduates can tackle as a capstone project. As a result

Conference Session

Robotics Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Gennert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Michael Demetriou, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

needed to realize the goal. Working in amulti-disciplinary domain such as robotics requires some background in computing, electricaland mechanical systems, and relevant mathematics. Students do not need proficiency in each,but should understand the core concepts of each domain.In preparation for technical and managerial leadership roles, objectives include management andsystems engineering to provide context to the engineering process. These are “Plus Courses” inthe terminology of Professional Science Master’s programs5.Finally, consistent with our philosophy of project-based education, we expect students to havepractical experience. A summative capstone can assure that students solve a real engineeringproblem, while providing a challenging

Conference Session

Sustainability, Service Learning, and Entreprenuership

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randall Brouwer, Calvin College; Steven VanderLeest, Calvin College; Paulo Ribeiro, Calvin College; Robert Medema, Calvin College

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

weaved the topics of thecourse into the development of the business plan. Since most of the students concurrently aretaking their capstone design course, the business plans are required to tie into their senior designprojects. Such a linking of the business and senior design courses drives home the importance ofthe business side of engineering. Students are required to view their design projects from anenterprise perspective. The necessity of producing, pricing and marketing products and serviceswith a profit objective for sustainability is emphasized. Students are also instructed in the basicsof organization financing, capital budgeting and interpretation of financial statements.Management principles are taught from the perspective of servant

Conference Session

Sustainability, Service Learning, and Entreprenuership

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shekar Viswanathan, National University, San Diego; Howard Evans, National University, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

of this course, the students define the problem/hypothesis, and gather data from literature searches and/or client organization, if applicableSEM 610 B Capstone This continuation course may focus on methodology, dataCourse analysis, results, modeling/simulation, conclusions and recommendations related to the project selected. Students are required to present their research in both written and oral form to students and faculty and if applicable to client organization. Table 1: Description of Courses in the ProgramProgram Assessment:The assessment of this program at the course and program levels is established at

Conference Session

Understanding and Measuring the Impact of Multidisciplinarity

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexandra Coso, University of Virginia; Reid Bailey, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Participant InformationThe Leaders in Engineering Program (LEP) at Southeastern University is an interdisciplinaryundergraduate engineering program, which combines concepts and methodologies from SystemsEngineering (SE) as well as Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). One of the mainobjectives of this program is to enable students to work on interdisciplinary engineering projectsrequiring an understanding of electrical and computer design as well as systems analysis. Overthe course of three years in the program, students will be required to complete coursework inboth the SE and ECE departments, including two joint laboratory courses in the third year and ateam-based, interdisciplinary capstone project in the fourth year.In fall of 2009, 15

Conference Session

Robotics Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Gennert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Fred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gretar Tryggvason, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Lance Schacterle, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

(ACC) has primary responsibility for reporting to theRBE Faculty. Senior Capstone projects (MQPs) are reviewed by every program every two yearsand those results are likewise reported. Page 15.1046.5 RBEFigure 3. Continuous improvement process flow.All assessment is performed relative to overall program objectives and specific educationaloutcomes.3.2. ObjectivesThe objectives of the Robotics Engineering Program are to educate men and women to • Have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

Conference Session

Business Meeting

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Farison, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

7:00 – 8:15 am Multidisciplinary Design Constituents 2271 8:30 – 10:15 am Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects (co- sponsor: Design in Engineering Education Div.) 2471 12:30 – 2:00 pm Experiential and Service Learning 2561 2:15 – 4:00 pm Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non- Engineers (co-sponsor: Liberal Education Div.) 2571 2:15 – 4:00 pm Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation 2671 4:30 – 6:00 pm Multidisciplinary Engineering Division Meeting Wednesday, June 25 3171 7:00 – 8:15 am