Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Alan K. Karplus

that was shown to the students. Then each team selected a topic and at theend of the first meeting submitted a plan of action listing the activities each teammember would undertake. At the end of the semester each team presented its work orallyto the Junior Laboratory class and faculty. Team written reports were received andassessed by an external engineer and the best two reports were forwarded to thecompetition. This realistic experience created novel solutions and several 'touchy' issueswith respect to protection of ideas (as often the work was saved on a networked computersystem).The titles of the completed reports are:Team A - Design of a Safety Device for a Power Take Off system (PTO's) on Farm TractorsTeam B - Power Take Off Design

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Sue Godez; Scott Evans; George H. Staab; Eric Engdahl

animation award, and planning open houses for both parents and community members.FIRST provided an educational experience extending beyond that of a traditional project. Fromthe outset, it was understood that early development of a sense of team and a rapport amongpartners was essential. This was orchestrated by Mr. Scott Evans, a junior in electricalengineering. Prior to receiving instructions and parts for this year's competition, Scott organizedweekly meetings between the corporate engineers, high school, and university students. Duringthese meetings, team members were randomly divided into groups, with each given a relativelysimple problem to solve in a finite time. The solutions were shared with the entire group, anddiscussed. The groups

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Craig Hoff; Lisa Anneberg; Ece Yaprak

as ORCAD, Electronics Workbench, Altera,etc. These programs also perform some time of specialized simulation. However, ourstudents are not routinely exposed to commonly utilized general CAD programs. Thispaper presents the results of an AutoCAD Laboratory exercise completed and evaluated bya class of Advanced Digital Design students in an electrical engineering undergraduatecurriculum. In addition, a detailed list of students’ comments and future developments areincluded.Introductionthe engineering design process is a problem solving activity, and an end product is theformulation of a prototype for a finished product before its actual production. The actualdesign process has several similar definitions. ‘PDCA - plan, do, check, act’ is one

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Arnold F. Johnson

with job-related experience may already have extensive knowledge in various areas of their fields of study. This experience, in many cases, may be equivalent to what is being taught in some of the engineering courses or general education classes. Documentation of work experience through portfolio development may qualify students for an exemption from courses normally required to receive an engineering degree. At the end of the semester, the student and academic advisor will assess the contents of the portfolio and develop an individualized curriculum plan (ICP) based on the student’s demonstration of knowledge and experience in the field of engineering.Thomas Angelo5 points out that a number of

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Mohammad M. Asoodeh; Carl W. Steidley

,permitting them to cross-train in tasks performed by other members of the team. This cross-training allows team members to alternate tasks during a work shift in order to minimizeboredom and improve productivity.We are developing a laboratory that will support four courses (2 Computer Science and 2Industrial Technology) that emphasize computer hardware, computer-controlled systems, andreal-time physical systems. It is planned that industrial technology and computer science courseswill be taught collaboratively. It is our plan to involve industrial technology students (ITstudents) and computer science students (CS students) in team projects in the laboratory.Moreover, we plan that CS students will serve as the system’s programmers as well as mentor

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Charles C. Adams

developed in this paper.The most effective vehicle for overcoming the two-cultures problem in UE education and forenabling students to properly distinguish science from engineering design, is for UE professors toconvey to their students a positive attitude with regard to the H&SS and teach their particularsubjects holistically. In this paper consideration is given to how that positive attitude may beconveyed inside the classroom: the kinds of incidental or planned activities will effectuate thatconveyance.The humanities and social sciences play an important role in undergraduate engineeringeducation. That role is not limited to providing “well-roundedness” in individual engineers, butis also a fundamental part of identifying, formulating, and

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Hamid Khan

backgrounds who did not attend the program as a comparisongroup for the study. Fifty- four comparison group managers returned the same questionnaire. Allthe participants were requested at the exit to return the three-month posttest questionnaires fromtheir job site. Thirty-two participants returned such questionnaires. The sixteen member faculty were also requested to return the same questionnaire forcomparing learning styles, collective profiles, and leadership behavior profiles. Eleven facultyreturned the completed questionnaire. Originally interviews were planned with the participantsand faculty members. However, it was suggested by the program administrators that, due to thebusy schedule of participants and faculty members, actual

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Susan M. Bolton; Scott D. Bergen; James L. Fridley

on design imposed bythe complexity, variability and uncertainty inherent to natural systems. Students educated asecological engineers will be prepared to work on pressing environmental problems such as: 1. The design of ecological systems (ecotechnology) as an alternative to man- made/energy intensive systems to meet various human needs (for example, constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment). 2. The restoration of damaged ecosystems and the mitigation of development activities. 3. The management, utilization, and conservation of natural resources. 4. The integration of society and ecosystems in built environments (for example, in landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Richard Campbell; Irma Becerra-Fernandez; Gustavo Roig; Gordon Hopkins

through electronic mail.In order to facilitate communication, electronic mail (e-mail) addresses were provided to thementees.One of the first and most fundamental activities planned and accomplished during the year involvedeach mentor organizing a “Take your mentee to work for a day." Each mentee spent several hoursor a full day at the work place of his/her mentor. The students had an opportunity to participate inwork-related meetings and activities with their mentors. This experience had a very positive impactbecause it allowed students to experience a "sneak-preview" of an engineer at work, a situationquite different from what they see in the academic setting.PRISM’s second major activity occurred in March. The Spring Forum consisted of a panel

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

M. N. Borges; F. H. Vasconcelos; M. Lewis

thedifficulties faced by some engineering courses. An alternative course structure is presented,which allows for the new principles and concepts, and consequently might make advances inengineering education. The proposal is focused on the Systematic Planning Approach and bringsan instrument - a Knowledge Based System which embodies the new principles and concepts - topragmatically assist course designers in the development of their tasks. Some preliminary resultsfrom ongoing experiences are discussed. IntroductionAn evolutionary revolution has been taking place in the world due to the impact of technology ingeneral and information technology in particular, both of which are expanding at ever increasingrates

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Barbara Tedesco; Sanford Bordman; Iftekhar Hasan

through in-class analysis, data gathering using SECinformation available in the library, and, in some cases, through interviewingappropriate personnel. All students are required to analyze all aspects of the theorytaught in the class relative to their projects; however, detailed attention is given toone particular area of the materials covered in class (e.g. product planning orproduct marketing). Page 2.64.6 6 The students are given several basic financial valuation problems as homework assignments. A case study (similar to a Harvard Case Study approach) is included to test a

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Jens Jorgensen; Lueny Morell de Ramírez; José L. Zayas; John Lamancusa

working together to develop a new,practice-based curriculum and physical facilities for product realization andmanufacturing. The overall outcome is the development at each participating institutionof what we call The Learning Factory. In addition to describing the project's four majortasks and deliverables, we present the assessment plan, its principal elements, and thetools used for qualitative evaluation. Finally, the paper highlights some of the assessmentresults and reviews some of the elements that made this partnership a success. Theassessment strategy presented in this paper could be used as a model for similar multi-institutional, multi-task projects.BackgroundDuring the last decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has sponsored

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Jens Jorgensen; Lueny Morell de Ramírez; José L. Zayas; John Lamancusa

working together to develop a new,practice-based curriculum and physical facilities for product realization andmanufacturing. The overall outcome is the development at each participating institutionof what we call The Learning Factory. In addition to describing the project’s four majortasks and deliverables, we present the assessment plan, its principal elements, and thetools used for qualitative evaluation. Finally, the paper highlights some of the assessmentresults and reviews some of the elements that made this partnership a success. Theassessment strategy presented in this paper could be used as a model for similar multi-institutional, multi-task projects

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Nicholas Tsoulfanidis

university experience is education and nottraining. Differences between education and training presented in PRISM, theASEE monthly, in Jan. ’97, are shown in Table 1. If we believe that we, as University teachers, are in the education and not Page 2.403.1the training business, we should tailor our teaching towards the left side of thistable which means, in turn, that research should become a necessary element ofthe educational experience, not an afterthought. Table 1. Education and training Education TrainingTo think (plan, integrate, design, discover etc.; to To do

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Stephen J. Ressler; Colonel Kip P. Nygren; C. Conley

feature was particularly effective instimulating interest: “It gave me a smile on my face to see my design actually work when thetruck went over it.”Refinement of the WEST POINT BRIDGE DESIGNER continues, with the ultimate objective ofusing the software as the vehicle for a nationally administered engineering design contest forhigh school students. Current plans call for distribution of the software and administration of thecontest entirely via the Worldwide Web. Much planning and development work remains beforean event of such scope and complexity can be achieved; but the initial trials of the WEST POINTBRIDGE DESIGNER described above have convinced the authors that the concept of a CAD-basedoutreach project is indeed a viable approach for

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

V.J. Deleveaux; C.O. Ruud

competencies extend beyond technical ability to include: effectivecommunication skills, planning and prioritization, time management, working in teams, andknowledge of the financial aspects of the business [Helms, 1995]. Unfortunately, thesecompetencies are among those identified as key weaknesses of the engineering graduate. Hood,Sorensen and Magleby [Hood,1993] list the weaknesses identified by industry to include: 1)weakcommunication skills, 2) poor perception of the overall project engineering process, 3) little skillor experience working in teams, 4) a narrow view of engineering and related disciplines, 5) nounderstanding of manufacturing processes, and 6) a lack of appreciation for consideringalternatives. At a recent “Voice of Industry

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

P.J. Sackett; G.P. Nelder; A. Skandalakis

Rapid Prototyping 2.1 Product Design Concurrent Engineering 3.0 Engineering Systems Automation and Robotics 3.7 Manufacturing Management Production Planning and Control 3.9 Information Technology Computer Aided Design 3.7 Table 5 : Most Important Subject from Each CategoryThe following are the ten subjects with the highest knowledge factor across all six subjectcategories.Production Planning and Control, Computer Aided Design, Automation and Robotics,Simulation, Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Manufacturing Cells, Computer IntegratedManufacturing

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

M. Giger; K. M. Siddiqui; C. Loukides; F. Coowar

, while othersdid so through acquaintances and by being allocated by the authorities. A small percentage(11%), returned to their previous employers.The employment pattern is shown in Fig. 3. By far the biggest employers of NPI graduates Page 2.164.3were the Government (Central and Local) and the parastatal organizations. The Civil 3Engineers were mainly employed by the Government and their majority was dealing withconstruction, design, and administration/planning related to buildings, roads and bridges. Forthe Electrical Engineers, the major employers were the parastatal bodies, "Electricité du Laos"being the

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Michael B. Kelley; Joseph D. Myers; John H. Grubbs

institutions ranging from communitycolleges to larger research institutions. Our ranks include: * Carroll College * Harvey Mudd College * Macalester College * Oklahoma State University * Texas Southern University * Tulane University * University of Redlands * United States Military AcademyA dual focused process is underway which focuses on the development of ILAPs and theimplementation of a dissemination plan to export Project Intermath on a national level.The Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) has joined with us toinsure that the publication of ILAPs is professional in all respects.2 We are now in

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Charles N. Eastlake; Alfred L. Stanley

. We have also done encouraging prototype experimentswith hard plastic (high density polyethylene) and aluminum. Page 2.182.34. CNC milling machine specificationsThe milling machine is a Komo VR408P 3-axis milling machine with the widely usedGeneral Electric Fanuc controller. Its cost is just under $100,000. Add-on hardware isavailable to convert it to a 4 or 5-axis machine, but we have no immediate plans to do soas we have had good results cutting compound curvatures using ball end cutters. Its workpiece size capacity is 4 by 8 feet by 6 inches thick. The 18,000 pound rigid frame gives ita tool positioning accuracy of .0005 inch. It is quite a bit

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Mark J. Sebern

from C toC++ as a primary language, this lack of object experience is expected to be less of a problem inthe future.In lecture and class exercises, the next phase of the example application is planned. The studentsstudy the relevant parts of the preliminary specification, and prepare a detailed description of therequested enhancement. The existing model is augmented to include any new objects, attributes,and behaviors.The updated analysis model is then used as a basis for detailed design. For example, objectrelationships may be implemented with existing container classes, such as those in the StandardTemplate Library (STL)9. Information on the physical model (e.g., partitioning of classspecifications and implementations into source modules) is

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Fahmida N. Chowdhury

of one senior from the EE dept. who en-rolled with special permission. With such a varied student body, the task of choosingcourse material was nontrivial, to say the least. The students had different levels ofbackgrounds in mathematics, programming, and physics. Since the goal was to ac-comodate the students from different departments, I decided to plan the course withless structure than usual courses. The following schedule was adopted: l The first 5 weeks were spent on theoretical foundations and their computer implementations: Page 2.255.1 1. A textbook was used (Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation by Simon Haykin

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Michael A. Paolino; Leonard A. Van Gulick

in the International Studies program have spent or are planning to spend asophomore semester in Brussels. Those International Studies students choosing not to participatein study abroad in Brussels have had or are planning other extended foreign study or travelexperiences.CONCLUSIONThe Lafayette College study abroad program in Brussels and the recently introduced InternationalStudies degree program serve to strongly internationalize the Lafayette engineering curriculum.Both programs give students invaluable preparation for practicing engineering in an internationalcontext. The International Studies program, in particular, gives students the near-native foreignlanguage proficiency and in-depth understanding of foreign culture and society

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Thomas F. Hess; Shulin Chen; Robert F. Rynk; Larry G. King; Ann L. Kenimer

processing waste treatment x Dairy waste management and treatment x Swine waste management and treatment Page 2.304.6 x Poultry waste management and treatment x Aquaculture waste treatment x On-site waste treatment for small communitiesCOURSE EVALUATIONEvaluation of the course is planned at several stages during its development and from a numberof sources. These sources include peer review, industry review, student review and results of aproposed workshop on the course. In March 1997 (at the time of writing this paper), a detailedoutline of the course content was sent for peer review to various

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

W. Ernst Eder

recognized that the curriculum changes introduced in the 1960's, asa result of the Grinter Report 1, were in some ways counter-productive. Quoting from Grinter(Appendix): "The Committee considers that scientifically oriented engineering curricula areessential to achieve these ends and recommends the following means of implementation." Thismajor report then recommended ten "means of implementation" (something helpful in achievinga desired end, Merriam-Webster Dictionary) of which the third is interesting in the context of thispaper, it reads: "3. An integrated study of engineering analysis, design, and engineering systems for professional background, planned and carried out to stimulate creative and imagina- tive thinking

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Kirk E. Hiles

savings plans to fund the project in future years considering inflation, compoundinterest, and the time value of money. Other topics addressed in the IED course includecreativity, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership. Finally, the course winds-up at the ninth step of the design process--Communication.Each of the sub-system groups produces a technical report documenting their design experiencewith the FIRST robot. Along with the written report, they must develop a slide-show (PowerPoint software) and make an oral presentation to their classmates and faculty to effectivelycommunicate their designs to others.Conclusion The 1997 FIRST Competition involved collecting 24 inch diameter tire inner tubes, andplacing them on a rotating

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

John A. Orr; David Cyganski; Richard Vaz

university,and a substantial evaluation plan is in place. Course materials will be disseminated via theWorld Wide Web, as well as by publication of a textbook. The course is intended for first orsecond-year students who are not majoring in electrical or computer engineering; the formalprerequisites are intentionally kept to a minimum. They are: knowledge of college algebra andexperience with any computer programming language. While formal prerequisites are few, it isdefinitely the intent that the course build on students’ previous experience, particularly including:mathematics, computer use, communications skills, and science knowledge.The course has been developed based on some rather fundamental principles and practices whichcan be referred to as

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Melissa S. Tooley

. Pairing female underclassmen with female upperclassmenis also a good way to initiate freshmen into their department's professional organizations,providing a sense of belonging.WIN PROGRAM BACKGROUNDThe WIN Program was conceived, planned and implemented by a graduate student as a way tofulfill the mentoring requirements of the William Randolph Hearst Fellowship for Women andMinorities. The expenses of the program have been fully supported by the College ofEngineering. In addition, a grant has recently been awarded to the College of Engineering fromthe Alcoa Foundation for the purpose of supporting the WIN Program.To gauge interest in the program, a survey was sent to all the female undergraduates and graduatestudents (approximately 235 students

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

Dr. Mihir K. Das

. Appreciate mission and goal setting through the strategic planning approach. D. Use simple statistical tools to evaluate and monitor progress of quality and other variables. E. Use the Variability Reduction approach to reduce or eliminate waste. F. Acquire and use skills related to TQM methodologies such as Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to carry out a situation analysis. G. Articulate and integrate the Total Quality concepts such as Continuous Improvement to improve their own life and work environment. H. Better understand and appreciate global competitiveness issues

Collection

1997 Annual Conference

Authors

David L. Walters

course provides an opportunity forstudents to gain practical experience in the design, conduct and analysis stages of open endedmeasurement problems, just prior to a major effort in their Senior Design Projects in the Spring. Themodules developed here were generated using Mathcad and were intended to augment the laboratoryportion of the class, to be used as instructional tools to model proper experimental planning and datamanipulation, and to stimulate student interest. These Mathcad routines or documents were used in twomodes: most frequently, the document was displayed “live” on a large screen monitor, in conjunctionwith National Instruments LabView Data Acquisition software and equipment to demonstrate dataacquisition and analysis, but