Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 2: Enhancing Learning through Hands-On Design

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Cheadle, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Christian D Torres, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Theodore Zheng Hong Lee, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Corinn Sievwright, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

, Madison B.S., Mechanical Engineering University of Wisconsin - Madison, Dec 2023Theodore Zheng Hong Lee, University of Wisconsin, Madison Theodore Zheng Hong Lee is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He is currently a Project Engineer in Alkar Rapidpak.Corinn Sievwright, University of Wisconsin, Madison ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Design and Development of a Pneumatic Breadboard and “Sandbox” for Students in Mechanical Engineering Capstone DesignIntroduction Many students entering senior design have never taken a fluid power course or workedwith pneumatic circuits in any way. Most have only taken an introductory

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 14: Advanced Pedagogical Techniques

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Israd Hakim Jaafar, Utah Valley University; Matthew J Jensen, Utah Valley University; Sean Tolman P.E., Utah Valley University; Amanda C Bordelon, Utah Valley University; Bennington J Willardson, Utah Valley University; Janis P Raje

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

, and support ofdesign competitions; provide tutoring for key 2nd year-level engineering mechanics corecourses.IV. Professional Preparation to Meet Regional Job Demand. Support robust, accreditedcurricular preparation with guest speakers and industry field trips conducted jointly with thelocal American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and American Society of MechanicalEngineers (ASME) chapters, Career and Internship Center hosted workshops, internshipcoordination and professional network connections, and conference participation andpresentation.V. High Impact Practices. Engage students in evidence-based, high-impact learning activities(both curricular and co-curricular) including capstone projects, internships, collaborativeprojects, and E

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Poster Session

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jheng-Wun Su, Slippery Rock University; Cameron Casey Constantine, Slippery Rock University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

, "Sustainability Funding in Higher Education: A Literature-Based Review," International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 441-464, 2020. [9] L. L. Peterson, J. C. Tiernan, J. A. M. Álvarez, R. E. Lopez, and K. A. Schug, "Focus on Sustainability in STEP Grant– Funded Initiatives," in Proceedings of the 2017 ASEE Annual Conference, Columbus, Ohio, 2017.[10] J. Su, Z. Nie, J. Wang, and Y. Lin, "Lessons Learned from Multidisciplinary Senior Capstone Design Projects," in Proceedings of the 2016 ASEE Annual Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016.[11] B. Meerbeek, T. van Druenen, M. Aarts, E. van Loenen, and E. Aarts, "Impact of blinds usage on energy consumption: automatic versus

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 2: Enhancing Learning through Hands-On Design

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew S Ballard, Utah Valley University; Taten McConahay, Utah Valley University; Brett Swain, Utah Valley University; Sarah Dayley, Utah Valley University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

in person, including people who hadpreviously worked on the project and people who will work on it in the future, through effectivedocumentation.”Through the project, students learned and refined a variety of skills, such as computer aideddesign, 3-D printing, silicone molding, manufacturing processes, computer programming, datacollection and analysis, attention to detail, and many others. Of special note is 3-D printing.Entering the project, very few of the students had any experience with 3-D printing. However,they left the project with significant 3-D printing expertise and many went on to use those skillsin course and Capstone projects, personal projects, entrepreneurial endeavors and in futureemployment. This is a skill that our

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 10: Special Topics and Innovative Methods in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Paul Yoder, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Ilie Talpasanu, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Radu Ceausu, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Gloria Ma, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Yusuf Eid, Wentworth Institute of Technology; HAN THANH HUA, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Nathanael Hillyer, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MAAbstract: Millions suffer each year from muscle deficiency resulting from various medicalconditions such as muscular dystrophy, nerve damage, stroke, neurapraxia, spinal cord injury andmore. The Exo-Arm capstone project seeks to demonstrate the potential of Electromyography(EMG) based orthotic devices for strength enhancement and rehabilitation. For this capstoneproject an EMG based exoskeleton arm was designed and fabricated. This device is designed tobe attached to a user's arm and respond directly to the signal from the user's muscles. Once a userflexes their biceps, the skin electrodes detect the change in voltage and the EMG signal is sent toan Arduino nano. The Arduino microcontroller takes this

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 6: Curriculum Development and Pedagogical Strategies

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rungun Nathan, Penn State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

textbook by Norton [14]. If one creates a freeaccount on the SKF website, one could generate a technical report of the selected bearing, andthis was also demonstrated in class. It provided additional information that was not in thetextbook and the students had the option of using it for the roller element bearing selection partof their project. A sizable number of students used the vendor website for their project andcreated and submitted the technical report from the vendor. The use of SKF tool was furtherdeveloped and used in the Spring 2019 semester. See appendix A for instructions given in classto use vendor provided bearing selection tool. Anecdotally the students in 2018 and 2019 frommachine design had better comfort in Capstone class when

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 6: Curriculum Development and Pedagogical Strategies

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cassandra Sue Ellen Jamison, Rowan University; Smitesh Bakrania, Rowan University; Mitja Trkov, Rowan University; Wei Xue, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

student-generated soft robotics modules to impact the learning andinterest in soft robotics of both the students designing the modules and the students participatingin the modules once they are developed. Our project leverages a course structure called‘engineering clinics’, which are modified versions of capstone design experiences. Within clinics,third and fourth-year students engage in team-based projects with faculty or industry mentors. Theten students in our clinic were split into three teams and tasked with 1) surveying existing softrobotics designs and applications, 2) creating a soft robot prototype, and 3) designing a learningactivity around their prototype. At the end of the semester, student module designers were askedto self-report

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 11: Integration of Problem-Solving and Design Thinking

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lawrence Funke, Ohio Northern University; Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Merrimack College

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

application. This paper explores avariety of potential metrics and how each platform performs in each metric. Illustrative examplesfrom mechanical engineering courses and capstone projects are used to provide additionalcontext. Examples include platform selection for an introduction to mechatronics course and acontroller for a safety system for the Ohio Northern University (ONU) dive team (capstoneproject).These metrics are combined into an easy-to-use and adaptable decision matrix that can beapplied in a variety of contexts. It is presented with illustrative examples, and feedback on theutility of such a method is sought. Additionally, supervising personnel will come with their ownset of knowledge, experiences, and potential biases. These can play a

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 8: Sustainability and Interdisciplinary Learning

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leah Mendelson, Harvey Mudd College; Drew Price, Harvey Mudd College

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

). A total of n = 83 institutions were initially identified. First or second yearcourses, semester- or year-long capstone project courses, online programs, and graduate coursesthat undergraduates could take were excluded from the analysis. After applying the exclusioncriteria and eliminating curricula that did not include an upper-division mechanical designcourse, the final sample was n = 74 institutions that each offered at least one required or elective(only if no requirement) upper-division mechanical design course. The most common coursetitles in the dataset were Machine Design (13 instances), Mechanical Design (12 instances),Design of Machine Elements (6 instances), and Mechanical Engineering Design (5 instances).Figure 1 shows the

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 10: Special Topics and Innovative Methods in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sean Lyle Gestson, University of Portland; Matthew Stephen Barner, University of Portland; Rhianna Fitzgerald; Jordan Farina, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

courses and other project-based learning methods aresimilar to the aims of this research; however, the intent of this research is not to recreate ormimic a capstone design experience. Instead, the intent of this research is to provide moreopportunities for students to engage with practical design problems earlier in their degree and tocreate LIs for courses that align with the needs and opinions of the three major stakeholders inthe academic process while addressing any barriers to adoption.One common barrier to adoption of new teaching strategies is that a change in teachingmethodology often requires time, effort, and resources from educators [13]. Andersen et al.(2019) developed a factory classroom environment to provide students with a unique

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 8: Sustainability and Interdisciplinary Learning

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deepika Ganesh, University of Michigan; Carissa Yim, University of Michigan

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

is traditionally a term paperwhich frames a renewable energy technology such as thermal energy storage, perovskite solar cells, orfast-charging Li-ion batteries. Students are asked to provide context on alternative solutions along with a 2technical description of the technology and future needs/opportunities. For the purpose of this study,students created their final project on the Gala platform rather than a term paper.While there is some literature that supports the introduction of concepts of sustainability in engineeringclassrooms using design thinking approaches [11], sustainability literacy tests [12], capstone projects[13,14] and

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Poster Session

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maeve Bakic, Boise State University; Samantha Schauer, Boise State University; Krishna Pakala, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

earlier, allowing students to focus on‘understanding’ the content rather than just ‘knowing’ the content [8]. The difference being thatlecture based teaching tends to focus on theory and strict processes, limiting students to findingone particular ‘right’ answer. Active learning methods, such as flipped-classrooms,think-pair-share activities, and case study reflections, push students to defy their normalcognitive boundaries of what engineering “is” [9, 10]. This education method can ease the oftenfrustrating transition that seniors experience during capstone design courses where students areexpected to translate isolated concepts learned in classrooms to suddenly very technicallycomplex projects [11]. The frustration that students experience

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 3: Advancements in Teaching Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohammad Abu Rafe Biswas, The University of Texas at Tyler; Prabha Sundaravadivel, The University of Texas at Tyler; Aaditya Khanal, The University of Texas at Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

solutions, multiplestakeholders and no conclusive formulation) or the ability to communicate in a digital environment[1, 2]. Moreover, project-based learning (PBL) has been gaining more traction in engineeringprograms to facilitate student learning experience and professional development. Although designcourses including capstone design have PBL with components of EML, entrepreneurial mindsetbased PBL is quite uncommon in many engineering courses that are not design courses [3].Traditional engineering course projects involve a relatively close-ended problem whereinstructions and information about the project specifications are provided. This can be due toengineering instructors lack of access to curriculum that focuses on problem solving with

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 2: Enhancing Learning through Hands-On Design

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott F. Kiefer, York College of Pennsylvania; Stephen Andrew Wilkerson P.E., York College of Pennsylvania; Ashley J Earle, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

effectiveness of a tourniquet and to measure pressure and count theoutput of a pellet press. They have also appeared in Capstone projects such as a prosthetic handproject, electrospinning project, and the SAE formula car. While no historic data was collectedprior to the first implementation, 11/41 students (26.8%) from the second implementation of theArduinos in Instrumentation Laboratory indicated that they have used Arduino since the coursein a context in which it was not required. In comparison, only 7/53 (13.2%) students in theirfreshmen year have ever used an Arduino at all, and none of these students would have beencomfortable using them again without help. It should be noted that Labview was used in the instrumentation class for at least eight

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 14: Advanced Pedagogical Techniques

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anahita Ayasoufi, Auburn University; Golbou Makki; Amanda Sterling, Auburn University; Kyle D Schulze, Auburn University; ASHU SHARMA, Auburn University; Jeffrey C. Suhling, Auburn University; Daniel Kevin Harris

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

rubric used for assessing student performance in laboratory projects or in capstone design [7], and usage of American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) rubric on Lifelong Learning [8] outside of a course context. These tend to be limited and qualitative, for example [9] splits the learning profile into only 2 sub-outcomes and measures student performance in each outcome in projects using rubrics with qualitative levels of Unsatisfactory, Minimal, Adequate, or Exemplary. The paper [6] offers a rubric that breaks down the learning into three sub- components of identifying the needed knowledge, developing a learning plan, and applying

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 12: Promoting Student Success and Motivation

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenni Buckley, University of Delaware; Amy Trauth, American Instiutes for Research (AIR); David L Burris, University of Delaware; Alexander John De Rosa, University of Delaware

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

instructors [30, 31], we found the key to managing the largeenrollment of a technical communications course is using of well-trained teaching assistants toprovide students with timely feedback on weekly assignments. Our strategy was to provide theteaching assistants with continuous instructional support in the form of weekly meetings with theinstructor.Technical Communications is unique in that it featured a contextualized learning experience forcourse assignments, namely, asking students to communicate as if they were product engineers atMelissa and Doug®. In reality, Melissa and Doug® is a partner of the program and periodicallysponsors introductory design and capstone projects. These connections provide a realistic contextfor students when they

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 10: Special Topics and Innovative Methods in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zahra Pournorouz, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

properties of synthetic oils. This was the first demonstration of the work ever done in this field and resulted in broad environmental and cost benefits, especially in energy storage and heat transfer applications. She has more than three years of experience teaching thermofluidic, mechanical design, and solid and structure courses and supervising senior capstone projects collaborating with industries such as Saint-Gobain, Klein Tools, and Parker. She also has served in leadership roles at the Society of Women Engineers and STEM advisory task force to represent diversity and inclusion and improve student success and retention for underrepresented students.” ©American Society for Engineering

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 1: Foundations of Engineering Education

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenni Buckley, University of Delaware; Amy Trauth, American Institutes for Research; Alexander John De Rosa, University of Delaware

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

] also implemented scaffolds in project-based learningin freshman engineering design. Their results indicated that gradually tapering or “fading”adaptive, pedagogical scaffolds by the instructor advanced greater student mastery of designskills needed to complete project activities. Similarly, Cheville and Welch [19] found thatintegrating scaffolded project management activities in a pre-capstone electrical engineeringdesign course produced positive changes in student mastery of course learning outcomes andincreased successful completion of design projects by student teams. Overall, prior literaturesuggests that providing the right amount of material and pedagogical scaffolding, and fading thisdistributed scaffolding over time, provides learners

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 12: Promoting Student Success and Motivation

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elisabeth Smela, University of Maryland, College Park; Vincent Nguyen, University of Maryland, College Park; Natasha Andrade, University of Maryland, College Park; Andrew Elby, University of Maryland, College Park

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

to integrate and track conscientious engineering aspects throughout the undergraduate educational experience across the college. His efforts include formally integrating sustainability design requirements into the mechanical engineering capstone projects, introducing non-profit partnerships related to designs for persons with disabilities, and founding the Social/Environmental Design Impact Award. He manages several outreach and diversity efforts including the large-scale Get Out And Learn (GOAL) engineering kit program that reaches thousands of local K-12 students.Dr. Natasha Andrade, University of Maryland, College Park Dr. Natasha Andrade is a Senior Lecturer and the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Poster Session

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandra Anstaett Metzler P.E., The Ohio State University; Annie Abell, The Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

State University. She teaches capstone design courses for mechanical engineering students, and a variety of product design elective courses for engineering students as well as for students of all majors at OSU. Annie’s current scholarship interests are focused on investigating the ways in which students approach open-ended, ill-structured, or ambiguous problems. Previously, Annie taught in Ohio State’s Department of Design and Ohio State’s First-Year Engineering Program, and has past experience working in prototyping labs. She currently serves as the Central-District representative on the IDSA Women in Design Committee, and is a general member of the American Society for Engineering Education

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 11: Integration of Problem-Solving and Design Thinking

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick M Comiskey, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Prabhakar Venkateswaran, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Michael Christopher Sevier, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

project where student groups present their analysis process. Students areallowed to choose the topic for their final project with guidance from the instructor. Often theseprojects pertain to their capstone design courses or student clubs such as SAE formula hybrid. MATLAB Grader was first introduced in Fall 2020 to the “Introduction to Finite ElementMethods” course primarily for the purpose of simplifying the linear algebra computationspreviously performed on hand-written assignments so that students could more easily focus onthe conceptual process therein [13] [14]. While this could have been done simply within thedesktop version of MATLAB or another coding language, there is a danger that errors would betoo difficult to diagnose by the

Conference Session

MECH - Technical Session 4: Innovation in Engineering Education Methods

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rachel Vitali, The University of Iowa

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

experience is limitedto a single capstone project undertaken in their final year [13-15]. Despite the fact that engineering and scientific knowledge has grown at an astonishing rate overthe past century, engineering still only nominally requires 4 years of training (i.e., a bachelor’s degree) tobe able to enter and operate in the engineering workforce. For comparison, the number of years oftraining needed to practice law has increased from 4 to 7 and to practice medicine has increased from 3 to10 over the same time period. Given the breadth and depth of the technical knowledge students need tomaster, there are very few opportunities to incorporate additional non-technical material into mosttechnical courses, especially the engineering