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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

John T. Tester

, struggled with the issues of realizing a design, problem solving,project management, and teaming issues. Their successes were limited, hampered not by a lack oftechnical knowledge, but because they lacked skills and experience in working with others towards acommon project resolution.The sophomore design course, EGR 286, is the course where students fully integrate their currentlevel of engineering education with a weeks-long, team-based design activity. The design teams areabout 10-12 students in size, each comprised of Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, and Environmentalstudents. EGR 286 was and is currently the cornerstone of the Engineering D4P curriculum.Legos are used in the course format for creating the robots. Legos are used for a very simple

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Brian P. Self; Lynne A. Slivovsky; Kevin Taylor; Sema Alptekin

Service Learning in Engineering at Cal Poly Brian P. Self, Lynne A. Slivovsky, Kevin Taylor, and Sema Alptekin Mechanical Engineering/Computer and Electrical Engineering/Kinesiology/ Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CAIntroductionThe benefits of service learning have been demonstrated in a number of different settings(Jacoby, 1996; Tsang, 2000). By participating in projects with a community-based focus,students gain an appreciation for the role they can play in society by reflecting on a variety ofsocioeconomic and ethical implications of their experience. Cal Poly has long had a strongdesign

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

J. C. LaCombe; E. L. Wang; M. Nicolescu; P. Rivera; B. Poe

Design Experiences with a Student Satellite Program J.C. LaCombe, E.L. Wang, M. Nicolescu, P. Rivera, and B. Poe University of Nevada, RenoAbstractThe NevadaSat program began in 2002, and is an ongoing, multi-faceted program, providingstudents with high-impact exposure to the aerospace fields. The program includes activities inscientific ballooning, rocketry, and robotics. These are conducted for their own merits, but eachprogram also moves us closer to our long-range goal of producing and operating a studentsatellite in Earth orbit, for the purpose of preparing students for the aerospace-industryworkforce.The student experience is largely based in design projects, and design

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Mohammad Amin

2007. So far, 21 students in this program successfully completed sevennotable group projects as part of their degree requirements and contributed very valuablesolutions to solve some of the wireless-related problems. All these projects were evaluated byjudging panels comprised of a number of professionals from industries and universities. Toevaluate each project, judges used seven criteria with 28 questions. This paper covers thejustification of a new program’s needs, how it was implemented at National University and therecent outcomes of the program assessed by faculty members and external judges.IntroductionThe first generation wireless devices are: garage door openers, television remote controls andcordless telephones. Now the cordless

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

M. M. Gilkeson

practice schoolsetting convinced us that, while the lecture mode was "efficient," the experiential mode was more"effective." Moreover, the two teaching-learning modes were complementary. We also found thatinterfacing experiential programs with industry could be operated without adversely affectingquality of education. And, we learned a lot about selecting viable projects and about the details ofmanaging a non-traditional design program. Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Annual Conference Copyright © 2007, American Society for Engineering EducationIn parallel with my experiences, my co-conspirator at HMC, Jack Alford, had spent a decade inindustry and a part of 1959-60 at

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Nhut Tan Ho

A Framework for Improving Learning and Retention in a Diverse Student Population Dr. Nhut Tan Ho Department of Mechanical Engineering California State University, Northridge AbstractMeeting the projected U.S. engineering workforce needs for increased representation ofunderrepresented minorities will be challenging due to the poor retention and academicperformance of too many minority engineering students. As a response, this psaper describes anapproach built upon an innovative undergraduate education initiative pioneered by MIT calledConceive-Design

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Mariappan Jawaharlal; Cesar Larriva; Jill Nemiro

critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies • Enables learner to develop and express creativity • Develops the ability to work collaboratively in teams • Helps to excel in math and science and choose a career in science and technology • Enables learner to appreciate and realize technologyA grade-appropriate robotics program for elementary for 4th and 5th grade and middle schoolstudents has been developed and the pilot program is being conducted in two elementary schools.This paper will present various aspects of this outreach program including the design,methodology, weekly projects and learning experience. Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Annual Conference

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Patricia L. Fox; D. Jan Cowan; Stephen P. Hundley

into the atmosphere, crude oil pumped from the ground, etc. This use of resources isoften referred to as the ecological footprint.2 In 1996, for example, BASF, a large chemicalcompany developed a tool they call the Eco-Efficiency Analysis.3 They use this tool whichplaces dollar values on the economics, the environment, and the social aspects of each businessopportunity or prospective project. This tool helps BASF decide whether they should take on aproject or not. The weights on all three are equal.The GO GREEN course objectives are as follows: • Acquire the base knowledge of issues in sustainability as they relate to business and industry internationally and nationally. • Examine and evaluate case studies of sustainable practices in

Collection

2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Teruni Lamberg

Designing Professional Development within the STEM Disciplines Teruni Lamberg, Ph.D. University of Nevada, RenoAbstract Teachers need content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge to teacheffectively in the STEM disciplines. Designing professional development that provides teacherswith both kinds of knowledge is a challenge. In this paper, I present a design research modelused by the Northeastern Nevada Mathematics project. The project teams jointly worked todesign and deliver the professional development. This process involved generating, testing andrevising conjectures. Furthermore, we shared our knowledge, expertise and became a

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Mariappan Jawaharlal

Rose Float Design Course Mariappan “Jawa” Jawaharlal Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA 91768AbstractDesign competitions provide a rich learning experience by combining both theory and practice.More and more engineering schools are taking part in student competitions such as FormulaSAE, Mini Baja and autonomous vehicle projects as a way to provide team-based, hands-ondesign experience to their students. These design competitions offer an excellent opportunity forstudents to reflect on the world around them and develop practical solutions.Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Amir G. Rezaei; Kyu-Jung Kim; Jawaharlal Mariappan; Angela C. Shih

cooperative learning environment, the students demonstrated significantly betterperformance in learning Vector Statics as noted in their final grade of 2.88 as compared with1.33 for those who only took Vector Dynamics [4]. In the laboratory, the students learnfundamental concepts of Vector Statics through teacher demonstrations, group projects &discussion, and additional exercises. However, it is a co-requisite to the Vector Statics courseonly for ME majors, while other majors are encouraged to take it optionally. Subsequently, MEmajors tend to have lower rates of failure and repeat in the course (32% vs. 52% from the formersurvey during fall 2001 and winter 2002 quarters). This also indicates the effectiveness of thesupplemental group activities

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Jeffrey S. Burmeister; Louise Stark

the day. In the future, new blades willprovided for each session. The actual cutting of the bone was consistently reported as “the bestthing about the workshop.” When asked “how to improve this workshop,” one participantrequested real human bone!In the spirit of full disclosure, candy was often the prize for correct answers throughout the“Bioengineering Body Bingo” Workshop. This is a remarkable way of promoting participationand is highly recommended. This candy was often reported as “the best thing about the workshop”and “losing” reported as the worst part.Finally, these bioengineering workshop concepts were originated as part of a project within anupper class BENG 103: Biomaterials course. Instructor approved workshops were presented

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Wolf-Dieter Otte

approach students get aprogramming project assigned. They acquire the knowledge to do the project by self-study.During a lab class they present their project to the other students, discussing their programdesign, the difficulties they ran into and finally demonstrate the product, i.e. the compiledprogram.Assessment and retentionOn the surface, assessment doesn't seem to be all that different from a traditional class. There arebasically three parts that can be assessed: presentations, exams/quizzes and programming “Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Annual Conference Copyright © 2007, American Society for Engineering

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Ann-Marie Vollstedt; Michael Robinson; Eric Wang

valuable tool to teach STEM at the middle school level since they provide hands onexperience that is fun for most students. The specific objectives of this project were to: • Obtain funds to purchase robotics equipment • Provide teacher training • Provide a semester long class to train teachers in using robotics to teach physics • Initiate an after-school program • Have teachers implement the robotics program in their classrooms • Compare in-class to Internet-based robotics experiences • Evaluate teacher and student progressEquipmentEquipment such as Robolab software, the Robotic Command eXplorer (RCX), and Mindstormsfor Schools were used in the research. The RCX is a programmable microcomputer embedded ina LEGO brick that

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2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Abu Rashid; Joko Sutrisno; Scott Cooper; Alan Fuchs

simple, superficial learning approach through anumber of techniques. For instance, using inductive teaching methods8, where students learnthrough somewhat large problems or projects, can stimulate a class. Also active learning8, suchas where students lead discussions regarding homework solutions, can motivate a deep approachto learning. Cooperative learning8 can be useful as well, where class projects, working togetheron homework, or collective discussions of topics and underlying principles. For the polymerengineering course there are opportunities for all of these approaches. Students must frequentlydiscuss their homework solutions as well as the underlying theory and physics related to theproblem. Collaboration also often occurs through these

Collection

2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

M. R. Wilhelm; J. P. Mohsen

criteria for basic level engineering programs, one academic year of study beyond the Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Annual Conference Copyright © 2007, American Society for Engineering Educationbasic level, and an engineering project or research activity resulting in a report that demonstratesboth mastery of the subject matter and a high level of communication skills.” [1] [Bold added foremphasis]And, EAC Policy II.F.13 states that, “The functions of ABET are restricted by its ParticipatingBodies to the granting of accreditation and the publication of a list of those programs that areapproved. It has no authority to impose any restriction or standardization upon

Collection

2007 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Justin Reginato

an effortto commercialize research projects, often culminating with a business plan competition.Introducing entrepreneurship to graduate students has its benefits. First, student experience andsophistication can affect the willingness to participate in entrepreneurship courses. Secondly,graduate curriculum guidelines are less impacted by accreditation boards, specifically theAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Third, there is some generalconfusion among faculty and administrative personnel regarding the concept of entrepreneurshipand the pedagogy surrounding it. At the University of the Pacific School of Engineering andComputer Science, which does not have a graduate program, each of these problems wasencountered upon