Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Wei Cao; Peggy Vance

LEGO ROBOTS COMPETITION FOR HIGH, MIDDLE AND ELEMENTARY SHOOLS IN WV Wei Cao West Virginia University Peggy Vance WV Logan County District Education DepartmentAbstract West Virginia University has sponsored and hosted the Lego RobotsCompetition for High, Middle and Elementary Schools in WV since 2003. Thisannual event is attempting to promote students from high, middle and elementaryschools in careers in MSET (Math, Science, Engineering and Technology). Since 2003, this event has been attracting enthusiastic interests from k-12schools, government education agents, education foundations and industry. Everyyear there were

Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Keith M. Gardiner

everyday life and career choices of engineers. Key words: Engineering ethics, ethics and technology, first year students.IntroductionEthics, often viewed as a boring and fusty topic abounding with arcane phrases and eye-rollingphilosophy, has become a matter of almost daily concern and public interest. From Enron toVioxx with skewed or mis-reported data, to insulation breakdowns in defibrillators [1], NewOrleans levee failures, and with microelectronics manufacturers and plastics processesexperiencing difficult solvent choices [2][3], there are many issues for engineering decisionmakers. Ethics are also closely associated with the “rules and standards governing the conductof members of a profession.” [4]Ethics embraces more than the “Golden Rule

Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Ronald E. Barr

pursuing studies in science and engineering in the youth of our U.S. society. We must find new ways to portray engineering as an exciting and rewarding career, and certainly as an educational platform for professional careers beyond the baccalaureate. These and other important topics of current interest in engineering education are briefly presented, and some of ASEE’s responses in these venues are outlined. Keywords: Engineering Education, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)Global Engineering EducationThe engineering landscape has changed in the past decade. As Thomas Friedman [1] has soprofoundly stated in his contemporary book, the world is now flat. The implication of

Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

K. Markowitz; H. Marandi

relationships • Obligation to clients • Ecology and environmental concerns • Defense industry problems • National security concerns • Bio ethics • Promoting and enforcing ethics. Engineers, like most professionals, are interested in solving real world problems. Theory ofcourse in an important foundation, but an important way to get the attention of students is tofocus on practical cases. Case studies taught in the curriculum must include scenarios thatengineers are most likely to encounter in their own careers. As with law and medicine,engineering is a learned profession. As a profession, engineering constantly involves expertjudgment and discretion in the performance of services. Engineers are expected to use theireducation and

Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Robert Avanzato

onorganizations and society, and to expose students to educational and career opportunitiesin IT-related fields. Active and collaborative learning, teamwork, and communicationskills are expected components of the course. During the spring of 2006, a section of IST110 was delivered in a problem-based format based on podcast technology. The coursechallenge presented to the students was to explore and develop podcast content andtechnology and to deliver recommendations and podcast prototypes on the effective useof podcasting for the Penn State Abington campus in the areas of marketing, recruitment,student life, and education support. This project theme was integrated throughout theentire course and the podcast theme provided the context for the treatment of

Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Farouq Alhourani

training for their career choices inmanufacturing/robotics Class Assessments are conducted, where Exams, Quizzes, HW, ClassProject were given to students and the student learning has been improved.Informal questionnaires were distributed to find out what students think regardingthe use of MiniCIM 3.2 as a teaching tool. All students agreed that by having acomplete integrated CIM/FMS, it helps them to understand both concepts and thetechnology of CIM/FMS discussed in class.References:[1] Rehg, J. A., & Kraebber, H. W, “Computer-integrated manufacturing”.Pearson Education. 2005.[2] Groover, D. R., “Managing the behavior/systems interface: anotherperspective on the effectiveness of behaviour-based safety”. Professional Safety v.46 no. 3

Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Erdogan M. Sener

construction materials, systems and construction operations classes so that we cover composite materials, CFRP laminates, etc.• We have enough use of the software that has proved to be of essential for construction graduates to build upon further in their respective careers in the future.Is what we are doing an adequate response to the expectations? Probably not, but given theinherent resistance to change and comfort associated with the traditional, it is to be expectedthat the pace of change will be slow. To name a few items, we are still lacking adequatecoverage for:• Environmental issues and basic environmental engineering concepts.• Being able to enter the 4-D CAD area and its implementation.• Underground surveying and the

Collection

2006 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Carlos Bertha

think, and the fact that Aristotle put ethicsin the realm of practical wisdom should certainly sit well with them.There is a sense that college courses in ethics follow a similar distinction: some are “theoretical”in nature (typically taught by philosophy departments), some are courses in “applied” ethics(taught by other departments). In the former, emphasis is placed on discussing the variousethical theories (deontological, utilitarian, virtue ethics, etc.). The latter takes a field, say,medicine, and seeks to apply ethics to that field; that is to say, a course in medical ethics seeks todiscuss ethical dilemmas—in the form of “case studies”—that medical doctors encounter in thecourse of their careers and, perhaps, seeks to empower the would