Conference Session

Experiential Learning Programs and the Transition to Industry

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hoda Baytiyeh, American University, Beirut; Mohamad K. Naja, The Lebanese University

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

’ demographics and information related to their process of locating a job.Participants were requested to use a 5-point Likert scale to rate five factors that may have helped Page 22.317.3them in the transition process such as an internship, final project, or career centers. Participantswere also asked to rate 10 factors on a 5-point Likert scale reflecting the challenges they mayhave faced when they started their career.Five open-ended questions were included at the end of the survey asking participants to share theparticular aspects that would have facilitated a smoother transition process. For example, theywere asked to describe if their summer school

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Gustafson, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies, New Engineering Educators, Student

Programs In a review of the development and characteristics of future faculty preparationprograms2, it is pointed out that they can provide a smooth transition between graduate schooland faculty positions. These programs evolved from TA training programs that proliferatedbetween 1960 and 1990. Establishment of the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program in 1993formed a base for a sustained national initiative to transform doctoral education. The PFFprogram has three core features3 of 1) addressing the full scope of faculty roles andresponsibilities, 2) students have multiple mentors and receive reflective feedback and 3) bothare addressed in the context of a cluster of institutions typically involving a doctoral degree-granting institution

Conference Session

Emerging Areas: Biotechnology, Microtechnology, and Energy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arthur Felse, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

thought, several aspects ofhuman body function, particularly those relating to physiology can be treated as transportphenomena problems. In fact in the last fifty years chemical engineers have contributedsignificantly to various innovations in physiology such as characterization of vascular fluidtransport, kidney dialysis machines, drug delivery vehicles, and artificial tissue constructs toname a few.Major reasons for applying transport phenomena principles to physiological systems are: (i) Tobetter understand the physiological functions of the human body, (ii) to diagnose pathologicalconditions which are typically reflected by changes in transport processes, and (iii) to developinstrumentation and intervention technologies for therapies. Due to

Conference Session

FPD VI: Presenting "All the Best" of the First-Year Programs Division

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kerry Meyers, University of Notre Dame; Benjamin Mertz, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

study. In particular, the motivational factors that have previously beenidentified were found to be quite relevant to the current study. Prior work has primarily focusedon individual student interviews at a certain time in their academic career but has never linkedmotivations to persistence directly. The current study took a differing approach to prior work byreviewing individual student reflections from students entering an engineering program in thefall of 2007, as the class prepares to graduate this year (2011) their initial motivations werelinked to their educational persistence (or non-persistence).Methods:The primary source of data in the current study was student essays written for a class assignment.These qualitative reflections were

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering: Part I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Cooley Jones, Louisiana State University; Kelly A. Rusch P.E., Louisiana State University; Del H. Dugas, ExxonMobil

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

ofmentors and protégés was added during Phase 2. The 62-item survey results showed that theprotégés rated overall mentoring experience a 4.5 on a scale of 1(low) to 5 (high), and they havereported several positive outcomes including “Better understanding of skills used by engineering,science or math professionals.” Likewise, the mentors rated the experience 3.9, and reportedseveral positive outcomes such as “Self reflection on my own career.”The partnership and program has succeeded in increasing the engineering retention and degreecompletion rate for the minority scholars. Fourteen of the Phase 1 participants graduated inengineering with an overall mean GPA of 3.005 (s.d. = 0.505), and the remaining Phase 1scholar is on track to graduate May 2011

Conference Session

Assessment and Evaluation of K-12 Engineering Programs

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacy S. Klein-Gardner, Vanderbilt University; Amber C. Spolarich, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy, K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, sketches, and an explanation of its suitability to the desert environment. We evaluated the effectiveness of the curricula developed through the RET programbased on the following research question: Does the use of this challenge-based instructionincrease the motivational impact of teaching units? We developed the hypothesis that studentswould find science and engineering more exciting, interesting, and applicable to their daily livesbecause of their teacher’s participation in the RET program. This would be reflected in higherstudent motivational levels during the instruction of the RET teacher’s research-based module ascompared to a control teacher’s instruction.Student Motivation Survey In order to gauge student motivation, an

Conference Session

Engineering Design in Pedagogy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ibrahim F. Zeid, Northeastern University; Sagar V. Kamarthi, Northeastern University; Claire Duggan, Northeastern University; Jessica Chin, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education, K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

appreciate the EDP and the thinking framework it provides, we use aninnovative approach in Day 1 of Week 1 by giving the teachers a design challenge before wediscuss the EDP with them. We asked teachers to design a 3-legged chair that is stable and safeand that can carry the maximum amount of weight. We divide the teachers into teams of 3.After they finish and test their designs, we ask them to reflect on their experience and use theirreflection to discuss the EDP and its value. Such experience and discussion help them in theirdesign activities of Day 4 and 5. Figure 1 shows some teacher activities during the designchallenge. Page 22.824.5

Conference Session

Incorporating Innovative Technologies into the Curriculum

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Chen, Iowa State University; Ye Li, Bradley University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

building customers’ needs into product designs. This paperdiscussed the implementation of QFD in an educational scenario, where the principles ofQFD are applied to systematically improve the design of Manufacturing Engineeringcurriculum in a Midwest private institution. The incorporation of QFD is aimed atintegrating the voices of various stake holders into curriculum development; the voices ofacademicians, students and companies that hire students are recognized and reflected inthe curriculum quality improvement process. Fifty companies, current students, alumni,and all departmental faculty members become customers in the construction of QFDhouse. The outcome and process roadmap of this QFD-based curriculum improvementproject may serve as an

Conference Session

Communication: From Pecha Kucha to Bullets

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn A. Neeley, University of Virginia; Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

communication." - Henry Petroski, To Engineer Is Human, 2005iIntroductionBullet lists are a common—many would say ―ubiquitous‖—feature of written and oralcommunication in business, government, academia, the military, and civil society. They areparticularly important in technical communication, as illustrated by a 2009 study that revealedthat bullets appear on more than two-thirds of the slides in engineering presentations, includingpresentations at engineering education conferences.ii Their pervasiveness suggests that theyserve important functions. The plentiful and vociferous critiques of bullet lists as commonly usedin PowerPoint presentations reflect a growing sense that bullet lists used

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William David Schlecht, Washington State University; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University; Paul B. Golter, Washington State University; Robert F. Richards, Washington State University; Jennifer C. Adam, Washington State University; Ashley Ater Kranov, Washington State University; Marc Compere, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach; Edwin Maurer P.E., Santa Clara University; Denny C. Davis, Washington State University; Olusola O. Adesope, Washington State University, Pullman; Joseph D. Law, University of Idaho, Moscow; Gary Robert Brown, AAC&U; Prashanta Dutta, Washington State University; David B. Thiessen, Washington State University; Baba Abdul, Washington State University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees

students could gain concrete experience by seeing the processin action, reflect on how this related to the problems given to them in the form of worksheets, useor derive “abstract” equations that relate process variables to the desired answer and finallyperform active experimentation to examine if changes made to the system are adequatelypredicted by the abstract models.The bulky modules used originally were phased out in favor of compact modules that couldeasily sit on a desk in a standard class room. These modules were produced internal to WSUbecause no other module of this compact size existed, and commercial laboratory modules ofreduced size (still too large for a standard classroom) cost up to $30,00014. These were the firstdesktop learning

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mrinal C. Saha, University of Oklahoma; Zahed Siddique, University of Oklahoma; Firas Akasheh, Tuskegee University; Bipul Barua, University of Oklahoma; Christof Heisser, MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Inc.; Shaiful M. Arif, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees

solve open-ended problems, and (iv) serveas a natural link to subsequent courses in the STEM disciplines. The CSI module has beendeveloped based on the theory of Experiential Learning proposed by Kolb [17]. According toKolb, learning is the process of creating knowledge and takes place in four stages in cognitivedomain (Figure 1). The learner must be willing and be actively involved in the experience(Concrete Experience); the learner must be able to reflect on the experience (ReflectiveObservation); the learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience(Abstract Conceptualization); and the learner must possess decision making and problem solvingskills in order to use the new ideas gained from the experience (Active

Conference Session

Assessing Students and Programs

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ron Scozzari, University of Wisconsin, Stout; Jennifer Astwood, University of Wisconsin, Stout

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

, depending on the skillset of those participating in the course. Page 22.945.7AssessmentsThere currently is one assessment which will be incorporated into the research, reflecting studentfeedback of the course, provided by the Office of International Education. The synopsis providedis from students in the second year (2010). Assessments from the first year are in the process ofbeing extracted, as the assessment software provider has changed, and system support isunavailable. Content areas are: a. Academic Quality (overall mean: 4.0 out of 5.0) 1. Relevant content 2. Engagement with host country culture and people 3. Quality of

Conference Session

Making Elementary Engineering Work: Lessons from Partnerships and Practice

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elisabeth W. McGrath, Stevens Institute of Technology; Carol Shields, Stevens Institute of Technology; Augusto Z. Macalalag Jr., Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

states thatalthough there were more than 56 million pre-K-12 students enrolled in U.S. public and privateschools in 2008, no more than 6 million students have had any kind of formal K-12 engineeringeducation since the early 1990s.2 The famous quote attributed to Albert Einstein, that thedefinition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results, appearsquite relevant to this problem. Continuing the status quo in developing America’s futuretechnical workforce will not result in the increased human resource talent pool that is needed tosustain and grow the U.S. economy and that reflects the diversity of the U.S. population.At CIESE, we have waged a multi-front campaign since 2004 to infuse engineering into

Conference Session

Technology in the ECE Classroom

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth A. Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Frederick C Berry, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Mohamed F. Chouikha, Howard University; Dianna Newman, University at Albany/SUNY; Meghan Morris Deyoe, The Evaluation Consortium; Gavin Anaya; William Brubaker, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. 61 29 50 36Develop attitudes of self-direction 57 32 49 37and self-responsibility. * Numbers represents percentages of RPI participants who responded “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” on a 6-point Likert-type scale. Analysis of cognitive data19 evidence outcomes related to use; students who received integrated IO board instruction at higher levels of practice and knowledge generation presented greater long term learning. Student scores on final exams were greater for items that reflected use of the Mobile Studio as part of instruction than were their scores on items that reflected content covered in

Conference Session

International Experience, Effective Instruction, and Student Exchange Programs

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fanyu F. Zeng, Indiana Wesleyan University

Tagged Divisions

International

. Everyonereceives the same credit for success or same penalty due to failure no matter how much their Page 22.1503.8responsibility and contributions are. The benefits of team work are to work with people withdifferent personalities and develop student’s interpersonal relationship management, a key skillto motivate people and receive support. Students learn how to create an environment and compelto them to work and think individually. Participants in a team can help leverage unique insights,foster collaboration, and build momentum for change. They may generate productivediscussions and thoughtful reflection, share guidelines for continuing the conversation

Conference Session

Lessons for New Engineering Educators

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

” or “loose it” brain. Activities designed to engage the brain canhelp grow dendrites, which is the wiring that connects brain cells. The more ways we find toprocess information the stronger learning (i.e., neural connections between brain cells) becomes.Research is proving that to enhance learning, we should be involving students in lessons by Page 22.500.2providing a non-threatening environment which allows them time to ask questions, seek solutions,reflect, share thinking about a theme or topic, and respond to other's viewpoints.In short, as teachers, we need to be able to accomplish learning by doing. Action helps to growthe brain. The

Conference Session

Best of Computers in Education Division

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carole E. Goodson, University of Houston; Susan L. Miertschin, University of Houston; Barbara L. Stewart, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

instruction has grown as a strong and viable instructionalapproach. In higher education, on-line enrollments doubled from 2002 to 20071, and the 2007-08academic year saw 1.03 million K-12 public school students engaged in some form of on-lineclass.2 The phenomenal growth focused the attention of researchers and practitioners to theproblem of understanding issues that reflect quality in on-line education. Progress in the area ismarked by the emergence of quality frameworks, best practices, and benchmarks that have beenestablished to support quality assessment and improvement efforts for on-line education.3 Theframeworks provide guidelines that an institution can use to build their own quality managementsystem.Without a reference framework, localized

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Chiou, Drexel University; Michael G. Mauk, Drexel University; Robin Kizirian, Drexel University; William Peeples, Drexel University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees

Page 22.515.2compromised output from the cell. In some cases, film uniformity flaws in the anti-reflectioncoating of the solar cell, such that the surface has a general blue reflection with light blue/purplediscontinuities is not only a cosmetic defect, but reduces solar cell performance. Other issuesinvolve electrical defects such as breaks in the contact lines which affect the current output of thesolar panel. Due to the production processes currently used, solar cells often show local defectsthat may affect their life time and efficiency. For this reason, there is a growing interest in solarcell quality control processes. Effective tools and methods are needed designed to assess andmeasure solar cells8-13, especially in line during

Conference Session

Engineering Education Research in K-12

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen A. High, Oklahoma State University; Melanie C. Page, Oklahoma State University; Julie Thomas, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods, K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

implement reflects themany ways engineer take designs from ideas to reality. Many engineers do build designs using abroad array of techniques. Perhaps one of the biggest differences between engineeringdisciplines is the specialized methods and technologies they use to implement designs. Howeversome engineers implement ideas through manipulation of information, such as designingcomputer software or producing plans. Here the real value is the information in the blueprint orcode, not the medium (paper or magnetic disk) that contains the information. Another option forimplementing a design is to contract another company to build it. In this case the engineer workswith the company to ensure the work is done properly.The fourth step of the engineering

Conference Session

Faculty Tools

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua A. Enszer, University of Notre Dame; Jessica A Kuczenski, Century College; Kerry Meyers, University of Notre Dame; Jay B. Brockman, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, and to use this consideration to make moreinformed and reasoned decisions about their academic and professional future. Further, insteadof being a single assignment with an optional resubmit, the project was now broken into fivephases: 1. Creation of a homepage and a brief biography 2. Creation of the six pages for the Six Tools, with reflection on each tool’s meaning, personal goals, and self-assessment 3. Addition of electronic artifacts to each of the six pages and updated self-assessment 4. Creation of page specifically written for one’s academic advisor 5. Refinement of entire portfolio, discussion of progress toward goals, and further personalizationThe project statement for each of the five phases is given as

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Technical Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Malinda S. Zarske, University of Colorado, Boulder; Lauren A. Rockenbaugh, University of Colorado, Boulder; Daria A. Kotys-Schwartz, University of Colorado, Boulder; Derek T. Reamon, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

(cost less than one day‟s pay at minimum wage to create or maintain), and the purpose of theinnovative products is to improve customers‟ quality of life or enable a higher standard of livingfor targeted local communities. Teams develop an initial design for review and critique by therest of the organization as well as the client, and work with the client to see the product throughto completion and installation. Some of the professional skills EFAC members practice include:the ability to identify the needs of a community client, the ability to present ideas to a non-technical audience, and the ability to work with people who are not engineers.EFAC‟s core team reflects its multidisciplinary objective and currently consists of twelveundergraduate

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University; Christine Kelly, Oregon State University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees

learning materials and teaching strategies based on virtual laboratories: A. Enhance the Virtual CVD laboratory by including interactive reflection tools (e.g., interactive lab notebook, a virtual supervisor), improved treatment of variability and cost, non-radial symmetry, and a new module on statistical process control. B. Using an analogous instructional design, develop a virtual laboratory of a bioreactor, the Virtual Bioreactor laboratory, a process in a different industry. C. Develop level appropriate assignments to use at the high school and community college levels. 2. Develop faculty expertise and implement the virtual laboratories at the BS and graduate

Conference Session

To Boldly Go... Engineering Librarians Explore New Connections with Users

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Mark Chrimes, Institution of Civil Engineers

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

. Page 22.326.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Civil engineering in a time of change: the response of the Institution of Civil Engineers LibraryAbstractRapid changes over the past decade in the UK public and academic library landscapes havebeen reflected in changes in special and learned society libraries. While the former sectorsbeen widely researched and reported on in the UK, the same is not true of the specialengineering sector. In a period characterised by the disappearance of traditional libraries andtheir partial replacement by knowledge management systems and a naïve belief in the powerof Google, engineering societies have considered alternative responses

Conference Session

Myths About Gender and Race

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna M Riley, Smith College; Alice L. Pawley, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Minorities in Engineering, Women in Engineering

underrepresented1,2 reveal howcentral difference is to our explanations. For example, women’s lack of self-confidence or self-efficacy (or math anxiety) is understood relative to men.3-5 Women are seen to lack female rolemodels and peers relative to their male counterparts.6,7 A “chilly climate” that is hostile orcompetitive toward women drives women out,8-15 while men are more likely to stay. Stereotype Page 22.356.2threat, a reflection of perceived difference in ability, is seen to affect women and minoritystudents.16-17 Calls to alter curriculum and pedagogy focus on attracting women and minoritieswho are viewed to be more motivated by altruistic and

Conference Session

Design Across Disciplines

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Titus, Purdue University ; Carla B. Zoltowski, Purdue University, West Lafayette; William C. Oakes, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

in service in the community and reflect ontheir involvement in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content and of thediscipline and its relationship to social needs and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility8. Thepedagogy of service-learning is has four key characteristics: service to underserved communities;academic content; reciprocal partnerships with the community, university and students; andreflection or metacognitive activities that enhance student learning of course content, thecommunity and themselves9.When design is taught through service-learning, it moves to a human-centered approach.Students must understand the users, stakeholders and the issues impacting the need and potentialsolutions to develop an

Conference Session

WIED Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mara R. London, Gonzaga University; Jillian Rae Cadwell, Gonzaga University; Alexander Maxwell, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

context of the stirring and mixing of reactive species. One of my primary concerns is with the effect of turbulent mixing on ecosystem health. My interest in understanding in- teractions between biological systems and the physical environment emerges from an interdisciplinary background in engineering, hydrology, and environmental science. I am also interested in pedagogy, specifically student learning styles. My goal is to engage all students in my classes by presenting mate- rial in such a way as to stimulate students with different learning styles (e.g. active learners, reflective observers, outcome-focused learners).J. Alexander Maxwell, Clarkson University J. Alex Maxwell is a graduate student at Clarkson

Conference Session

Developments in BME Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alyssa Catherine Taylor, University of Washington; Kelli Jayn Nichols, University of Washington, Seattle, Department of Bioengineering; Laura Wright, University of Washington; Christopher Neils, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

methodsdescribed in this paper identified recurring issues not readily addressed by course-level changes.Hence, consideration of the results from these approaches led to an entire revision of theundergraduate BIOEN curriculum by UW faculty and staff. Subsequent feedback from industry,non-UW academic colleagues, student alumni, and current students serves as a method to assessthe levels of satisfaction regarding our new curriculum plan from the perspectives of ourconstituents, as well as to identify any potential refinements needed.Student AlumniWe considered obtaining feedback from student alumni to be extremely important in the effort tomake informed decisions about changes needed in the undergraduate curriculum. Alumni havehad a chance to reflect upon

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hui-Hui Wang, University of Minnesota; Tamara J Moore, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Gillian Roehrig, University of Minnesota; Mi Sun Park, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

were conducted in between eachtraining day. The PLC activities were highly structured and closely tied to the training days. ThePLC session provided an environment to meet together and reflect on what they learned duringthe training sessions, and to share/learn to implement ideas from the training into theirclassrooms. Each PLC session required that teachers handed in some documents to theresearch/teaching team, such as lesson plans and samples of students’ artifacts and homework toshare their ideas and reflections about STEM integration with other teachers. The second PLCdocuments particularly focused on integrating engineering into science or mathematics teaching.Therefore, we provide some examples of teachers’ lesson plans and reflections

Conference Session

Automation Subjects in Manufacturing Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sheng-Jen Hsieh, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

projects and how they relate tothe course syllabusRelated ResearchThis section briefly reviews related work on learning styles, industrial automation and theeconomy, education on automation and control, and project-based learning.Learning Styles. As described in Felder and Silverman1, there are different student learningstyles including (1) active/reflective, (2) sequential/global, (3) sensing/intuitive, and (4)visual/verbal. It has been suggested that different teaching styles can be adapted accordingly.Litzinger et al.2 extend the application of learning styles not only to engineering but also toliberal arts and education. Their analysis revealed that the engineering students are significantlymore sequential and more sensing than the liberal

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

conversion and cryogenics, to name but a few - relyheavily on thermal design. Actually one of the biggest current challenges is energy- itssources and conservation, which feeds into any kind of sustainable design. Lack of thermalprojects in capstone courses also may prevent interested students from making thermalsciences their focal area and future career. The relatively low number of thermal scienceprojects in capstone courses may be due to the fact that the instructors assigned to teachthese courses are specialists in other areas of mechanical engineering.This paper explores these issues through surveying capstone projects in a number ofuniversities. It probes capstone-teaching faculty and reflects on their attitudes towardthermal-science projects