Conference Session

Capstone Courses and Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nihad Dukhan, University of Detroit Mercy; Mark Schumack, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2011-1278: THERMAL SCIENCE CAPSTONE PROJECTS IN ME-CHANICAL ENGINEERINGNihad Dukhan, University of Detroit Mercy Nihad Dukhan is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he teaches courses in heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and energy systems. His ongoing research interests include advanced cooling technologies for high-power devices with focus on metal foam as the cooling core, service learning and other engineering education pedagogies. Dr. Dukhan earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo.Mark Schumack, University of Detroit Mercy Mark Schumack is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the

Conference Session

Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John E. Pakkala, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

dynamics simulation tool developed by students and for use by student design teams ispresented in this work. The project is the result of work done by students participating in anexchange program between international partner universities. Students in the exchange programcomplete a Senior Capstone Design project and additionally write a Diploma Thesis as part ofearning degrees from both universities. The simulation tool is meant for use in the early stages ofthe design of four-wheeled vehicle projects such as the SAE Mini-Baja challenge or the SAEFormula competition. The simulation tool uses MATLAB and Simulink and simulates a14-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) system. The model can accommodate different suspension linkagesand allows anti-roll bars in the

Conference Session

Capstone Courses and Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bobby G. Crawford, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Undergraduate Capstone Design: Inductively EnhancedAbstractThe Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy atWest Point, New York requires its graduates to complete an integrative, year-long capstonedesign during their senior year. One of the capstone projects available to the mechanicalengineering students in the department’s aerospace sub-discipline requires the design,construction, testing, and demonstration of a small, highly autonomous Uninhabited AerialVehicle (UAV) for a Department of Defense client. This particular project was added to the listof available capstone options in the fall of 2005

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed Cherif Megri, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

several years while developing andteaching the HVAC curricula in the Architectural Engineering program. We emphasize theimportance of how such disciplines as thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer andelectricity together create a successful curriculum. In addition, we describe briefly the history ofthe architectural engineering curriculum at University of Wyoming, the capstone design HVACproject, and the HVAC design process.Most importantly, project methodology will be discussed, beginning with system selection (fancoil, VAV (Variable Air Volume) terminal box, under floor air distribution system, displacementventilation and beam system), heating and cooling load estimation, systems sizing, airflowdistribution, commissioning and

Conference Session

Why Industry Says that our Engineering Students Cannot Write

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Duncan, Valparaiso University; Mark M. Budnik, Valparaiso University; Jeffrey Will, Valparaiso University; Peter E. Johnson, Valparaiso University; Shahin S. Nudehi, Valparaiso University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Mechanical Engineering

remain unobserved in a team environment. Finally,faculty must emphasize and students must realize the importance of communication to the designprocess, the success of their project, and their future success in the workplace.In this paper, we describe the strategies employed at Valparaiso University (VU) to overcomethe challenges of implementing technical communication in a Capstone Senior Design course.The paper begins with a brief summary of the Capstone Senior Design course at VU and thenidentifies each significant technical communication implementation challenge along with therelevant implementation strategy. Finally, the results of a student survey to assess theeffectiveness of the technical communication instruction in the VU Capstone

Conference Session

Capstone Courses and Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Trian M. Georgeou, Arizona State University; Scott Danielson, Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus; Chell A. Roberts, Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

environment.Capstone Course ApproachThe College of College of Technology and Innovation at Arizona State University strives to fullyembody values of engaged learning, use-inspired translational research, deep engagement withindustry, and entrepreneurship. The academic facilities were designed specifically to support thepolytechnic learning and discovery environment. The College is home to innovative engineeringeducation programs, including a multidisciplinary engineering program and various engineeringtechnology programs. Students in these programs are taught prototyping skills in advanced,state-of-the-art learning laboratories.Most capstone projects are funded by an industry partner, thus student projects have an industrialflavor and a budget to support the

Conference Session

Capstone Courses and Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott F. Kiefer, York College of Pennsylvania; Craig W. Somerton, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the capstone design course for the department. Dr. Somerton has research interests in computer design of thermal systems, appropriate technology, and application of continuous quality improvement principles to engineering education. He received his B.S. in 1976, his M.S. in 1979, and his Ph.D. in 1982, all in engineering from UCLA. Page 22.278.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Benefits of Mentoring Students in Design CompetitionsAbstract A very rewarding opportunity, that many educators overlook, is the chance to mentorstudents who are participating in

Conference Session

Active and Project-Based Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John S. Lamancusa, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Laura L. Pauley, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

course – Freshman year introduction to design and graphical communications, common to all engineering disciplines (3 credits)Capstone course – An industry project clinic taken in the senior year, course topics include: structured design process, team skills, project management, prototyping, industrial design, professional communications, ethics, and project economics (4 credits),In the time between their Freshman and Senior years, students undertake intense theoreticalstudy, where every problem is well-posed and has only one correct answer. Then in the senioryear we task them to complete an industry sponsored, open-ended problem that they could notlook up in their textbooks. We were “shocked” to find that many of them

Conference Session

Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James M. Widmann, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Lynne A. Slivovsky, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; J.Kevin Taylor, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, California Polytechnic State University Lynne A. Slivovsky, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Ph.D., Purdue Uni- versity, 2001), has led service-learning initiatives both within the College of Engineering and across the university at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In 2003 she received the Frontiers In Education New Faculty Fellow Award. Her work in service-learning led to her selection in 2007 as a California Campus Compact-Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Faculty Fellow for Service-Learning for Political Engagement. She currently oversees two multidisciplinary service-learning programs: the Access by Design project that has capstone students

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald Wroblewski, Boston University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

factors of real-life applications.This approach is vital for reinforcing basic principles (Newton’s Laws in Mechanics, First andSecond Laws in Thermodynamics, etc.). But, by itself, it ignores the interconnectivity of theseconcepts and how they are interwoven in the fabric of real engineering problems—i.e., system-level engineering. This big-picture view is often covered in capstone design courses, butcapstone design projects themselves cover a broad spectrum of applications, and don’t guaranteethat all students leave with the same exposure to system-level integration and interactions.In addition, the development of engineering science core concepts relies upon pre-requisite pathsthat allow advanced topics to be built upon more basic concepts

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas J. Vasko, Central Connecticut State University; Nidal Al-Masoud, Central Connecticut State University; Peter F. Baumann, Central Connecticut State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

of competencies in effective oral and written communication skills. Thesenior capstone project, which typically assesses teamwork, now requires students to write animpact statement that is used in the assessment of skills such as identification of need and thepositive and negative impacts on humankind, environment, and economy. Rubrics to assess andevaluate these soft-skill learning outcomes, along with findings from the current semester whereavailable are presented in the paper.IntroductionOver the years, the engineering profession and engineering education has changed and evolvedto meet technological, economical, workforce, global, and societal challenges. Several nationalorganizations such as the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)1 and

Conference Session

Why Industry Says that our Engineering Students Cannot Write

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William K. Durfee, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Benjamin Adams, University of Minnesota; Audrey J. Appelsies, University of Minnesota; Pamela Flash, University of Minnesota

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Mechanical Engineering

Spring 2010, a baselinemeasure was taken of capstone design project reports. The evaluation team consisted of onemechanical engineering faculty (a disciplinary "insider") and two experts in college-level writing(disciplinary "outsiders"). Design reports were rated on a two point scale (“sufficient” or“insufficient”) using criteria derived from the list of desired writing abilities. Included in theresults were that students were most successful in applying knowledge of physics, mathematicsand engineering to their writing (rated sufficient in more than 80% of the samples) and leastsuccessful in summarizing key points (rated sufficient in less than 40% of the samples).Every six years the mechanical engineering undergraduate program goes through

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Allan T. Kirkpatrick, Colorado State University; Scott Danielson, Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus; Robert O. Warrington, Michigan Technological University; Richard N. Smith, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Karen A. Thole, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; A. Kulacki, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; William J. Wepfer, Georgia Institute of Technology; Thomas Perry, P.E., American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

(faculty, space, andlaboratory) required with this approach. Many believe that their school’s senior capstone coursesdeliver project-based learning experiences. There was an interest in flexibility in the curriculum,so that students can take specialized courses such as entrepreneurship courses if they so desire.There was a stated need for text modules, not textbooks, to integrate innovative material into thetraditional courses. A recommendation was made to aggregate best practices from differentinstitutions to be shared among peers. Interestingly, department heads also mentioned that oneof the larger barriers to change within the curriculum and pedagogical approach is faculty.Another question was if the professional school model, similar to

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric C. Dierks, University of Texas, Austin; Jason M. Weaver, University of Texas, Austin; Kristin L. Wood, University of Texas, Austin; Kendra Crider, U.S. Air Force Academy; Daniel D. Jensen, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, sun-tracking equipment, and adaptive protection while vibrationharvesters may be fitted with self-tuning and bandwidth widening capabilities55.3: Project-centered Learning Case for Energy Harvesting Energy harvesting was incorporated into the Capstone Design course at the United StatesAir Force Academy in the 2009-10 academic year by Dr. Dan Jensen. The project-centeredcourse focuses on identifying and developing innovative opportunities to harvest energy in orderto power structural health monitoring systems on highway bridges. Wireless sensor nodes areused to acquire and transmit strain, crack, and corrosion data to a host computer offsite. Thistype of project is of particular interest as much of the nation‟s infrastructure

Conference Session

Why Industry Says that our Engineering Students Cannot Write

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey A. Donnell, Georgia Institute of Technology; Betsy M. Aller, Western Michigan University; Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; April A. Kedrowicz, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Mechanical Engineering

AC 2011-1503: WHY INDUSTRY SAYS THAT ENGINEERING GRADU-ATES HAVE POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS: WHAT THE LITERA-TURE SAYSJeffrey A. Donnell, Georgia Institute of Technology Jeffrey Donnell coordinates the Frank K. Webb Program in Professional Communication at Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical EngineeringBetsy M. Aller, Western Michigan University Betsy M. Aller is an associate professor in industrial and manufacturing engineering at Western Michigan University, where she teaches and coordinates the capstone design project sequence. She also teaches first-year engineering, manufacturing for sustainability, and graduate-level project management courses.Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raghu Echempati, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

-ended projectsand a discussion of the five (5) principles of innovation. A math professor was also invited toteach a topic on the applications of calculus and statistics in the design and selection of rollingcontact bearings. For each mini-project and the final project, the students are asked to write abrief review of NABC analysis. (Need, Approach, Benefits and Competition). The overallappreciation for inclusion of innovation and entrepreneurship topics and the NABC analysisseem to be encouraging.IntroductionWhile many universities are considering, developing and/or implementing a separate curriculumin entrepreneurship and innovation, however, little seems to be done to realize that these topicsare highly interdisciplinary across many areas

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

N.M. A. Hossain, Eastern Washington University; Martin W. Weiser, Eastern Washington University, Engineering and Design Department; Hani S. Saad, Eastern Washington University; Jason K. Durfee, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

design, and biomechanics. Dr. Saad received his high school education in Lebanon. His BS and MS were received from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. The emphasis of his master’s dissertation was on a finite element analysis of a solder joint under thermal loading. Dr. Saad received his PhD from Washington State University in Pullman, WA. His research focused on the energy dissipation function of an abrasive water jet cutting through steel. In addition to this, Dr. Saad has taught a vast number of engineering classes at many institutions and is currently teaching, among other classes, Statics, Strength of Materials, Dynamics and Senior Capstone at Eastern Washington University. Professor Durfee received his BS

Conference Session

Why Industry Says that our Engineering Students Cannot Write

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Conrad, Portland State University; Timothy James Pfeiffer P.E., Foundation Engineering, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Mechanical Engineering

success. The major does not require any writing coursesbeyond the general university requirements. However, classes for the major include manywriting assignments: lab reports, essays about issues in the profession, various structure or sitedescriptions (e.g. visiting and describing a bridge for a bridge engineering class), design reports,proposals, tech memos, and numerous other writing tasks. In their capstone design course,students work on a design project for a real client with whom they meet. Some other coursesinvent client contexts for writing – for example, framing a homework analysis problem as aclient’s request for an investigation, with the results presented in a tech memo written to theclient.Ten engineering consulting firms in the

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Laboratories II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John M Mativo, University of Georgia; Natasha Smith, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

views ofthe rigor of the course and its impact on their learning experience. Results indicate theyperceived to have a superior grasp of concepts after designing and implementing their ownexperiments.IntroductionThe ultimate objective of any academic program is for students to gain the ability to transferclassroom learning to practice, for which they will be required to construct and apply knowledgetowards problem solving. For example, the consensus outcome for engineering graduates is theability to apply principles of engineering, science, and math to design and analyze real systemsor processes2 . Much debate however exists on the best learning practices to build these skills.Proponents of problem-based learning (or project-based learning

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michele Miller, Michigan Technological University; Anna Pereira, University of California, Berkeley; Benjamin Mitchell, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. 103. Feisel, L.D. and Rosa, A.J., (2005) The Role of the Laboratory in Undergraduate Engineering Education, J. Engineering Ed., 94(1), pp. 121-130.4. Kline, R., (1994) World War II: A Watershed in Electrical Engineering Education, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, pp. 17-23.5. Dutson, A.J., Todd, R.H., Magleby, S.P. and Sorensen, C.D., (1997) A Review of Literature on Teaching Engineering Design Through Project-Oriented Capstone Courses, Journal of Engineering Education, 86 (1), 1997, pp. 17-28.6. Sheppard, S.D., Macatangay, K., Colby, A. and Sullivan, W.M. (2008) Educating Engineers: Designing for the Future of the Field, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.7. NAE, (2004) The

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Spenko, Illinois Institute of Technology; Jamal S. Yagoobi, Illinois Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

must be ableto promote prototyping and creativity. This suggestion was based on such spaces beingimplemented at many of the institutions represented by the workshop participants. A dedicatedspace helps develop a Confucian model of learning where students learn by doing. Anothersuggestion was to use this learning environment to teach reverse engineering techniques forunderclassmen as a way to understand how other engineers have solved specific designchallenges. One particular example used by the University of Notre Dame included havingsophomores reverse engineer projects from the previous year’s senior-level capstone designcourse.Case studies were suggested as a method to promote intellectual curiosity and passion.Participants noted the role of

Conference Session

Engineering Mechanics Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jefferey E. Froyd, Texas A&M University; Christian J. Schwartz P.E., Texas A&M University; Kumbakonam Ramamani Rajagopal, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

biological materialsbecomes even more necessary.While the need to integrate design into the curriculum has been well recognized, efforts to injectit into the curriculum have been primarily made only at the freshman and senior levels, the latterwhere students work on capstone design projects. Sophomore and junior level courses often donot develop knowledge and abilities of students with respect to the engineering design process.However, the mechanics of materials course represents an excellent opportunity tosimultaneously develop abilities for analyzing material failure and abilities to connect failureanalysis to the engineering design process. Engineering design provides a cornerstone of theproposed approach to the redesign of the mechanics of

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Firas Akasheh, Tuskegee University; Denny C. Davis, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2011-565: UNDERGRADUATE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS THATACHIEVE DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMESFiras Akasheh, Tuskegee University Dr. Akasheh is an Assistant Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department at Tuskegee University. He joined in 2008.Denny C. Davis, Washington State University Dr. Davis is Professor of Bioengineering and Director of the Engineering Education Research Center at Washington State University. He has led numerous multidisciplinary research projects to enhance engi- neering education. He currently leads projects creating and testing assessments and curriculum materials for engineering design and professional skills, especially for use in capstone engineering design courses. He has been a Fellow

Conference Session

Why Industry Says that our Engineering Students Cannot Write

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Mobrand, University of Washington; Jennifer A Turns, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Mechanical Engineering

and, further, that communication skills are very important in theworkplace.Mastery. Participants describe the various communication activities that they have engaged in,and some describe the particular competencies that they have mastered, as illustrated in thefollowing excerpts from portfolios and survey responses.In this first example, the participant describes in her experiences communicating in differentmodes and media and the importance of that communication to her groups’ work. A game capstone project "Paint bomber" is a good example of how exchanging thoughts and ideas with others was crucial to the game design process and very beneficial. I had to explain and describe our ideas to the rest of our classmates visually

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sergio Celis, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

in engineeringcomes from the capacity to resolve complex problems; with a scientific approach, engineeringwill achieve more efficiently its purpose of serving society. However, this faith in the power ofsciences can be described as an intrinsic characteristic of who practices sciences and resolvesproblems using its theories and methods. Thomas Kuhn suggests that a “normal” science has thecapacity to establish paradigms and more rigid definition of its field and its problems, rejectingthe vision of other disciplines and problems that are “just too problematic to be worth thetime.”57 Upon these assumptions, engineers could have projected an idealistic scientificengineering that overlooks other essential parts of professional work, such as

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions: Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick W. Pace, University of Texas, Austin; Kristin L. Wood, University of Texas, Austin; John J. Wood, U.S. Air Force Academy; Daniel D. Jensen, U.S. Air Force Academy; Brian K Skibba, Air Force Research Laboratory

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

U.S. Air Force. After completing his Ph.D. in 2002, he returned to the Air Force Academy where he has been on the faculty ever since. The current focus of Dr. Wood’s research is the continued development of empirical testing methods using similitude-based approaches. This approach provides significant potential for increasing the efficiency of the design process through a reduction in required full-scale testing and an expansion of the projected performance profiles using empirically-based prediction techniques. Dr. Wood’s research also includes the development of micro air vehicle systems using innovative conceptual design techniques for current technology implementations, as well as futuristic projections