Collection

2024 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Maila Hallare; Beth Schaubroeck; Kevin Treat

relatableto the 21st-century student (sprinting) equips our students with skills on analyzing experimental data,creating predictive models, and making informed decisions based on data and underlying theories.Introduction. In a compelling MAA address in 1997 (transcribed and available widely online), famousItalian mathematician Gian-Carlo Rota laments that “Most of the material now taught in an introductorydifferential equations course is hopelessly obsolete [1].” Some of the techniques in solving ODEs that helabelled as “disconnected tricks” and “preposterous” are exact equations, integrating factors, andsubstitution-based techniques to solve homogeneous differential equations.In recent years, fortunately, there has been an increasing emphasis on

Collection

2024 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Erin Marie Furtak; Caitlin Anderson; Shannon Boutwell; Sam Haven; Melinda Lopez; Samantha Duwe; Janet Green; Adam Kellerman; Linda Parker; Lauren Blum

school, this means building engineering into biology, chemistry, and physicsunits. This paper describes an in-progress curriculum design effort funded by the NationalScience Foundation with the goal of building an interdisciplinary, NGSS-aligned unit for highschool physics that features engineering design as one of its fundamental components. Workingaround the phenomenon of space weather affecting satellite function, our collaboration hascreated a new storyline unit that is currently being piloted in 9th grade physics courses. Wedescribe our ongoing partnership, our design commitments that are informing our work, and thedesign of the unit. We then pose questions for discussion and feedback

Collection

2024 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Grace Burleson; Janet Tsai; Daria Kotys-Schwartz

How design is defined within the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. 1. MIT “Design: In the Design research area, everything from a steam turbine to a gaming console is conceived, designed, fabricated, assembled, and delivered by an engineer who understands design, manufacturing, sustainability, and the supply chain.” 2. Stanford “Design: Some actively design and manufacture devices or products; others study the design University process including team design and team learning, a traditional strength in our design curriculum. In addition, we develop tools to facilitate the creation of engineering products at a variety of scales and complexity. We

Collection

2024 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Loraine Glidewell; Marisa Mendoza-Maurer; Joseph L. Polman; Daniel Knight; Angela Bielefeldt

. Table 1. SCENIC infrastructure for place-based engineering in rural schools Tools • Integration into science courses available at the schools o Rural schools do not need to have an engineering course • Soil and air quality monitoring equipment o “Pods” provided by the university which could be too expensive for schools • Online curriculum, support and mentorship o Remote learning using free curriculum Partnerships • Local partners (i.e., community members, businesses, ranches, etc.) • University partners (i.e., instructors, researchers, and other universities

Collection

2024 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Katherine Robert

1 The Cri�cal Role of Faculty in Neurodivergent Engineering Student Success and Mental Health: A Conceptual ApproachIntroduc�onThe purpose of this conceptual paper is to help faculty in engineering educa�on to become neuro-inclusive allies to neurodivergent engineering students who have cogni�ve differences like au�sm,ADHD, dyslexia, etc. An interdisciplinary conceptual theory synthesis (Jaakkola, 2020) is used, whichdraws on par�cipatory neurodivergent-led and voiced research literature from across higher educa�onand engineering educa�on. The goal is to untangle faculty assump�ons about

Collection

2024 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Ruhan Yang; Ellen Do

Building Locker Mini-Worlds: A CAD Course with a Semester-Long Project Abstract: Computer-aided design (CAD) education requires extensive practice for students tograsp 3D spatial thinking effectively. In this paper, we present the design and implementation ofa CAD curriculum within the Creative Technology and Design undergraduate program at theATLAS Institute, University of Colorado Boulder. The curriculum aims to cultivate students'proficiency in 3D spatial thinking through a semester-long project focused on constructingminiature worlds within lockers. Through this project-based approach, students engage inhands-on learning, applying CAD techniques while fostering collaboration and creativity. The curriculum design integrates Project

Collection

2024 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Timothy Frank; Daphne DePorres; Emily Stoneham; Joel Sloan P.E.; Vincent Bongionanni; Eric Tucker

toward the culminating semester-long project. Students completedopen-ended semester-long projects in groups of three to four, and while not completely unique,the extent of the open-endedness was high compared to other first-year engineering courses.Intro to Engineering FieldsThe course deliberately integrated skills from multiple engineering disciplines to enhance thestudents' toolbox, thereby fostering versatility and adaptability in problem-solving approaches.This interdisciplinary skill set was particularly crucial when addressing the multifacetedchallenges encountered during the semester's team project, where prototyping served as a centralcomponent of the learning experience. Moreover, the curriculum was structured to facilitate