Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

David J. Palazzo; Chad C. Schools

Video Analysis: The Next Physics Laboratory? David J. Palazzo, Instructor, USMA Department of Physics; Chad C. Schools, Assistant Professor, USMA Department of Physics We summarize recent explorations within the USMA Department of Physics with the use of acommercial video analysis program, LoggerPro, to enhance the traditional mechanics lab and theinteractive lecture curriculum in the calculus-based Newtonian Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetismcourses at the United States Military Academy. We put forward several significant pedagogicaladvantages for using video analysis software. We hypothesize that these advantages include greaterstudent-teacher interaction, enhanced

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Harry Knickle; Don Gray

Adding Automatic Control to the Senior Laboratory Experience Harry Knickle and Don Gray Chemical Engineering, URI ASEE 2008, West PointDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Rhode Island knickle@egr.uri.eduIntroduction and BackgroundOur program has 2 semesters of senior laboratory requiring a total of 4 credits. We alsohad a second semester junior level required data acquisitions and control laboratory for 2credits. The Department decided to drop the junior course and integrate data acquisitionand control into the senior lab courses. One objective was to reduce the credit load.Another objective was to introduce larger

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

R. Radharamanan; Ha Van Vo

CAD/CAM and Robotics Applications in Laboratory-Learning Environment R. Radharamanan and Ha Van Vo School of Engineering, Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207-0001, USAAbstractIn this paper, how the design/automation hardware and software and manufacturing laboratory facilitiesare effectively integrated to teach Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacturing(CAM), CAD/CAM integration, and robotics with appropriate hands-on experiences in the Biomedical,Mechanical, and Industrial Engineering Programs are presented and discussed. A typical CAD moduledeveloped and taught in Biomedical Engineering includes the use of patient-specific 2D

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Kanti Prasad

IMPARTING CONSUMMATE INSTRUCTIONS IN MICROELECTRONICS ENGINEERING AND VLSI TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, LOWELL Kanti Prasad Ph.D.; P.E. Professor/Founding Director Microelectronics/VLSI Technology Electrical and Computer Engineering Department University of Massachusetts Lowell Kanti_Prasad@uml.eduAbstract:For consummate VLSI program, theoretical instructions must be complemented withadequate laboratory facilities in order to validate the design from its conception to thefinished chip along with its real time testing. This comprises of

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Joseph Robert Yost; Randy D. Weinstein

Engineering (ChE), Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering (CEE), Electrical and Computer Science Engineering (ECE) and MechanicalEngineering (ME). During the semester faculty from each department deliver two 50 minutelectures and one three hour laboratory. This format is designed to provide a generalunderstanding of each engineering discipline, so that freshman can make an informed decisionwhen selecting their engineering major in the spring. Time spent with each of the fourengineering departments is then unified through an end of the-semester engineering competition.The competition is designed to foster teamwork in a multi-disciplinary open-ended problemsolving environment, where students work in groups designing an electrochemically poweredvehicle to

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Bahram Nassersharif

simulations of virtual models, environments, and processes. The centerprovides a unique laboratory/classroom environment for immersive interaction with models,environments, data, and processes in engineering and the sciences. The center merges teaching andresearch activities into a powerful discovery environment in which faculty and students share a problem-solving tool for exploration of any subject using methods that are impossible in a physical laboratory.The first course that will be implemented in the classroom is our freshman engineering problemsolving/programming course using Matlab.The different phases of design and implementation of this very sophisticated classroom as well as the firstsemester teaching and learning experiences in this new

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Richard J.H. Gash; David Fedroff

on the first day of instruction, students are encouraged to explore how the use ofsupplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can increase the amount of recycled content in theconstruction of a building. This theme continues as the students are required to develop and implement aplan to optimize the amount of granulated ground blast furnace slag, fly ash, and silica fume that can beincluded in a concrete mixture without adversely affecting characteristics such as strength, stiffness, andworkability. After gathering data through hands-on laboratory testing, the students prepare a reportrecommending an optimal SCM content. This instruction method can fit easily into the existing curriculum of most undergraduatereinforced concrete design

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

M.G. Guvench

fact the junior electronics courses (ELE342and ELE343) constituting prerequisites for this course also emphasize design but at a smaller scale andusing discrete BJT and off-the-shelf ICs rather than at the chip level using CMOS technology. Thisemphasis on “design” in our electronics sequence of courses has been implemented starting with an NSFgrant to establish and develop a “Computer-Integrated-Electronics” Laboratory (C.I.E. Lab) in the early1990’s. The concept of “Computer-Integrated-Electronics Laboratory” simply brings computers into theelectronics lab where designs implemented are tested for verification. Availability of PC-basedcomputational and graphics software along with inexpensive circuit simulation tools like “PSpice

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Bassem Alhalabi; M.K. Hamza; Ali Abu-El Humos

Distance Education: Remote Labs Environment Bassem Alhalabi 1 M. K. Hamza 2 Ali Abu-El Humos3Abstract – Since the invention of the Internet, research for [capable] virtual lab experiments has been thetarget of higher education’s distance learning research; however, the very nature of real experimentation(real elements and real instrumentation) was not possible or missing from much of the acclaimed virtual labexperiments. Nonetheless, in the past decade or so, countless scholarly writings asserted the availability of[real] or virtual laboratories that mimic real laboratory experimentations. Within these virtual experiments’infrastructures, the elements of real experimentation- in comparison to conventional laboratories

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Ryan A. Ebel; Donald S. Abbott-McCune; David Chang

Undergraduate Mechatronics Couse Design Project MAJ Ryan A. Ebel, United States Military Academy MAJ Donald S. Abbott-McCune, United States Military Academy MAJ David Chang, United States Military AcademyAbstractThere is a real need to educate our engineering students in the application of electronics, controls,mechanics, and software; this multidisciplinary initiative has led to the creation of an undergraduateMechatronics courses at the United States Military Academy (USMA) and many other universitiesaround the world. The focus of these courses is to emphasize application and hands on laboratory work ingeneral, and design projects in particular. This paper presents an

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

) through out the course and laboratory. Before the test could be performed,students had to state the predicted maximum load the beam could hold. These values were later employedwhen evaluating the effectiveness of the beams.ResultsBefore 2007, from the students’ perspective, the main objective of the project was to design a beam thatwould be able to achieve a maximum load before it reached failure when subjected to a three-pointbending6. There were no restrictions in terms of the shape. These students were enrolled in the Strengthof Materials course; therefore, the project had a direct connection with the topics discussed in class.Table 2 and Figure 2 present the pictures and the results of the three-point bending test of the beamsconstructed in

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Richard B. Mindek

control, and remote I/O.Today, PLC’s are used in all facets of industry, provide a broad range of functions, can be programmedusing a desktop personal computer, and can be purchased for as little as several hundred dollars. Withsuch broad use in industry, wide-ranging application in engineering related fields and availability to usersat all levels, it is imperative that engineering educators provide young engineers with a fundamentalunderstanding of the operation and capabilities of PLCs. This task has recently been undertaken withinthe Mechanical Engineering Program at Western New England College, through the building of a PLCplatform and development of a PLC laboratory. This laboratory is unique in that it is designed to allowstudents to self

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

John Hartke; Robert Kewley; Greg Kilby; Greg Schwarz; Gunnar Tamm

system requiresthe integration of numerous science and engineering disciplines as well as considerations of other factorssuch as the legal implications for fielding the system. Over the last two years a multidisciplinary team ofundergraduate students and faculty from the United States Military Academy have been working withLawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office to helpdesign portions of a mobile high energy laser weapon system and to examine the feasibility of fielding asystem. The team consisted of physicists, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, systems engineers,and a law student. This paper will describe the Solid State Heat Capacity Laser developed at LawrenceLivermore used in this

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Robert M. Brooks; Soumitra Basu; Shriram Pillapakkam; Kurosh Darvish; Keerthi V. Takkalapelli

theresearch papers provided to the students.For the purpose of this study, the category of learning included innovation, creativity, hands onprojects and presentation (4,5). To create a congenial atmosphere for learning, students weregiven several challenges and choices. The challenges were: the students should work with whatthe laboratory had; the students should not use any ready-made commercial parts; their productshould not cost more than $200 (excluding their labor) and all the parts of their model must beenvironmentally safe and recyclable (4,5). The overall course grading formulas for each coursetaught in each year are shown in Table 2. 2Table 2 Grading Formulas

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Peter Thomas Tkacik

with large well lit open areas and high ceilings. Five race teams have race carson display with a sixth bay for the permanent Motorsports Instrumentation Class race car. These race carbays all radiate out from a large central machine shop/fabrication area. Besides the expected shopmanager office, there is also a reinforced engine and chassis dynamometer room(s), and a laboratory witha variety of chassis and engine test machines.There is also a computer room that doubles as a study hall and meeting room located on the large storagemezzanine over some of the race team bays.A “Motorsports Instructional and Research Laboratory Manager” was recently hired to both train studentson equipment use and supply them with fabrication skills with regularly

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Abdelshakour Abuzneid; Khaled Elleithy

for the people inside the building in case of any emergency. Needless to say, the instructions could be different to people in different parts of the building according to the situation at that particular location. 6. This system could work even if there is no power due to the emergency. If the condition #1 was not there, we might be able to have a fast and easy solution since cost factor is abig limitation to any project. We started by collecting information about what we have in the building.We basically have the following: 1. Great Ethernet network infrastructure where basically every laboratory / office / class-room has many data-drops (CAT-6). We have a Gig -feed to the network-room (Tech-114), so the

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Junichi Kanai

required little encouragement to start usingthis system, many project teams quickly learned to use it productively and obtained good results. Thesystem allowed sponsor mentors to share project information with a broader audience within theirorganization. It enabled them to provide better and timelier feedback to students and faculty; therefore,the students were able to explore more realistic design solutions. The faculty advisers were also able toassess a team’s progress, problems, and individual contributions more effectively by monitoringinformation posted by the team. The system made a significant impact on the project outcome andstudents’ learning experience.IntroductionThe O. T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory (MDL) at Rensselaer

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

M. Ali Montazer

sea of everyday chores only to deepen themanager’s skepticism. To counter the trend, the University of New Haven (UNH) andthe Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) embarked on a programwhere faculty/students teams provide technical assistance on modeling and simulation toaerospace parts manufacturers in their quest to become lean.To this end, a Center for Simulation Modeling and Analysis is established at UNH withpartial funding support provided by (CCAT). The Center is fully student-centric: thestudents will be learning the concepts and techniques of modeling and simulation usingthe state-of-the-art software tool in the classroom / laboratory followed by a practicumwhere they will work on actual cases provided by area

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Ismail I. Orabi

Computer-Aided Experimentations usingLABVIEW. Professor Orabi has received a number of research awards from the State of Connecticut andUnited Technologies. He has established two Laboratories: the Materials Testing laboratory sponsored bythe National Science Foundation, and the Engineering Multimedia Laboratory funded by AT&T. He is amember of ASME and ASEE. 7

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Matt Armstrong; Richard L. Comitz; Andrew Biaglow; Russ Lachance; Joseph Sloop

wellas engineering decision making concepts. Lastly our novel approach to curriculum development allowed for an earlier incorporation of theactual data into the process via ChemCad, the Chemical Engineering software that was used by eachstudent. Typically, use of this software does not occur until later in the design sequence. Background The Friedel-Crafts reaction is used in laboratory synthesis as well as in industry in the synthesis ofethylbenzene and its derivatives as an intermediate to make styrene monomers1. Therefore, this reactionwas a good choice to integrate several different courses. Laboratory experiments conducted during the second semester of organic chemistry generallyillustrate practical

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

. Instructors wrestled with studentfrustration and the reality that good projects were tough to come by and an engineer’s“final design” could always be modified by a client.In 2000, the classroom and the capstone design components of this course began tochange. Planning and Design of Construction Projects continued to consist of two 50minute classroom sessions each week and two three hour laboratory periods per week. Toenhance student achievement of various educational outcomes and better meet the needsof the Coast Guard, the classroom portion of the course expanded its focus to coverlecture topics that can be assigned to six broad categories: 1. Planning 2. Cost Estimating 3. Scheduling 4. Engineering Economics 5. Engineering Ethics

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Elif Kongar; Tarek Sobh

research associate in the Laboratory for Responsible Manufacturing(LRM) at Northeastern University since September 1999. She has also been employed as an Assistant Professor byYildiz Technical University till February 2006. Dr. Kongar is currently an Assistant Professor at BridgeportUniversity. Her research interests include the areas of supply chain management, logistics, environmentallyconscious manufacturing, product recovery, disassembly systems, production planning and scheduling and multiplecriteria decision making.Dr. Tarek M. Sobh received the B.Sc. in Engineering degree with honors in Computer Science and AutomaticControl from the Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Egypt in 1988, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees inComputer and

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

David I. Schwartz

would be lost, a more complexmodel would offer greater insight into how a game changes state. Deciding which game components andstates should contribute (and to what degree) to a score needs further work. 8Finally, educators may wish to introduce mathematical concepts from a game design and analysisperspective. Ultimately, scoring could provide an essential link between theoretical fundamentals andsoftware implementations.7. AcknowledgementsI would like to express my gratitude to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome, New Yorkfor providing a Visiting Faculty Research Professorship for the summer of 2007 and a subsequentextension grant. Research into wargame design and development methods

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2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Flexible Pavements, Transportation Research Record No. 1307, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1991.(5) Robert Brooks (a/k/a: James Matthews) and Carl Monismith, Direct Tension and Simple Stiffness Tests---Tools for the Fatigue Design of Asphalt Concrete Layers, Transportation Research Record No. 1388, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1993.(6) Robert Brooks (a/k/a: James Matthews), Investigation of Laboratory Fatigue testing Procedures for Asphalt Aggregate Mixtures, Journal of Transportation Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 119, No.4, 1993.(7) Robert Brooks (a/k/a: James Matthews), The Effect of Aggregate Gradation on the

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

David A Gray

and teach them the concepts, emphasizing the language. 3. Ask all faculty and advisors to use the language and concepts when dealing with students, for example, in advising sessions. (In a business that expects to improve, personnel would be told to do so.)It is not complicated. Perhaps in a few years an entire upper-class student body of a college will act asmentors when they shoot back, “Change your process.”David A. Gray, following retirement from AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories, has been an assistantprofessor of engineering at Messiah College since 2000. 51 Craig Gygi, Neil DeCarlo, and Bruce Williams, Six Sigma for Dummies, Wiley Publishing, Inc

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

XAn ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern Xengineering tools necessary for engineering practice.The knowledge, skills, abilities, and characteristics that will X Xpermit students to develop as successful leaders in the CoastGuard.An ability to perform basic laboratory procedures in civil Xengineering (environmental area).A broad base of knowledge in civil engineering X X(environmental).In choosing and developing future service-learning projects, the impact on outcome achievementand the overall needs of the curriculum as identified through assessment will be considered.Additional efforts will be made to

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Eileen M. Kowalski; Joe D. Manous

investigation of cognitive learning within the engineering profession is rather new, it hasbeen accepted by other fields of education with the most notable being the study of medicine. Untilrecently, the four-year medical school experience centered around lecture and laboratory work, somewhatsimilar to engineering education, with clinical work occurring primarily during the fourth year. Todaymany medical schools include clinical experience early in the medical school experience because studentshave demonstrated a better grasp of material when they are concurrently studying in “traditional” coursesand experience greater cognitive learning through the combination of clinical (problem-based learning)and lecture activities.1 A similar inclusion of

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Ha Van Vo; Stephanie Rossman; Zsaquez Flucker; R. Radharamanan

ankle motions are similar to the natural motions of thehuman ankle. In the lab, students will analyze the stresses in the inner sockets of rigid and mobile ankles(applying compressive and flexural loading) using the material testing system (MTS) available in theMechanics of Materials Laboratory at Mercer University. 8References[1] Scott M., Ankle Anatomy, Family Practice Notebook.com, 2008[2] Muilenburg, A.L., and Wilson, Jr., A. B., A Manual for Below-Knee (Trans-Tibial) Amputees, 1996 Retrieved July 14, 2007 from http://www.oandp.com/resources/patientinfo/manuals/7.htm.[3] Yachigusa R., Wandering Around Martial Arts, Samurai, A

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Mir M. Atiqullah

laboratory for fabrication of the panels. Bibliography 1. Callister Jr., William D., “Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction,” 7th edition, John Wiley and Sons, 2007. 2. Schwartz, M.M., “Composite Materials handbook,” McGraw-Hill Inc. New York, 1984. 3. Reihart, T.J. et al., editors, “Engineered Materials Handbook Volume I Composites,” ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 1987. 4. Gdoutos, E.E., Pilakoutas, K. and Rodopoulos, C.A., Editors, “Failure Analysis of Industrial Composite Materials,” McGraw-Hill, 2000. 5. Mallick, P.K., “Fiber-Reinforced Composites: materials, manufacturing, and design,” CRC Press

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

John Adams; Charles Kochakian

presentations. All three were involved inevaluating the presentations, and every project was awarded either an “A-” or an “A” based onquality of presentation and technical depth. The evaluators all felt that in general the studentswere very enthusiastic, had put in a high degree of effort, and had digested a significant amountof information.A laboratory segment was included to provide the student a greater insight and understanding ofthe electrical engineering principles and concepts that are at the foundation of RFID technology.Due to a limited inventory of hardware and software in spring 2007 the lab experiments consistedof a set of demonstrations rather than a hands-on exercise. Since then a sufficient inventory oftags and readers have been obtained