Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Robert Michael, Gannon University; David Gee, Gannon University

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Senior Capstone ProjectAbstract: This paper presents the results of a real-world design project involving both undergraduateengineering and business students. The project involves the design, development, andprototyping of a next generation pallet rack column guard. The guard allows for the engagementand protection of a storage rack upright (column) from an impact force by an external objectsuch as a forklift. The guard protects the storage rack by absorbing and damping the resultingimpact force. The guard is constructed from an injection-molded thermoset elastomer.Elastomers can store and release more potential energy per unit mass (or volume) than steel andplastic guards. This translates to greater energy absorption which will help preserve

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Trevor Joseph Bihl, Wright State University; Terry Lynn Oroszi, Wright State University; Subhashini Ganapathy, Wright State University; Jeffrey B. Travers, Wright State University

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Paper ID #49437Improving Statistics Education at Wright State University with Design ProjectBased Learning, Problem Solving, and Peer ReviewDr. Trevor Joseph Bihl, Wright State UniversityDr. Terry Lynn Oroszi, Wright State UniversitySubhashini Ganapathy, Wright State UniversityJeffrey B. Travers, Wright State University ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Improving Statistics Education at Wright State University with Design Project Based Learning, Problem Solving, and Peer ReviewAbstractWidespread knowledge of statistical methods is essential in engineering and medical disciplines,primarily for experiment

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Elin Jensen, Lawrence Technological University

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Diversity

Approach to Sustainable Material Selection Balancing Trade-Offs with Ashby ChartsAbstractThis paper explores the integration of Ashby charts into a Mechanics of Materials laboratorysession to enhance systems thinking and promote sustainable material selection amongundergraduate engineering students. The activity was designed around the EntrepreneurialMindset principles of Curiosity, Connection, and Creating Value while leveraging resourcesfrom the Engineering for One Planet framework. Students engaged in a two-week project toevaluate construction materials for a structural element, balancing trade-offs between propertiessuch as strength, density, stiffness, cost, and environmental impact. By creating Ashby charts,analyzing

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Romain Kazadi Tshikolu, University of Detroit Mercy; Alan S Hoback, University of Detroit Mercy

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Diversity

Paper ID #49546Improving the use of online resources to enhance efficiency of the ProblemBased Learning in Engineering EducationRomain Kazadi Tshikolu, University of Detroit MercyDr. Alan S Hoback, University of Detroit Mercy Professor of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, University of Detroit Mercy ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025Improving the use of online resources to enhance efficiency of theProblem/Project Based Learning in Engineering EducationRomain Kazadi Tshikolu, Loyola University of Congo, DRC, kazadiro@udmercy.eduAlan Hoback, Department of Civil, Architectural

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Ernest David Cartwright Sr., Marshall University

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Diversity

for Engineering Education, 2025Work in Progress: A two-way learning street: Near-peer college students enhance highschool after-school STEM club opportunities.AbstractThis work-in-progress paper presents a novel way of teaching college and high school studentsby pairing groups of high school and college to help the high school students create a year-longcommunity-based research project (CBRP)as a requirement for the Health Science TechnologyAcademy (HSTA) in two high schools in West Virginia. The college students assist, teach, andguide the high school groups in organizing their CBRPs. Both peers and students learn thescientific method, survey and experimental design, data collection and cleaning, statisticalanalysis tools, presentation

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Yousef Sardahi, Marshall University; Asad Salem

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Diversity

System for Military Applications Erin Webb1 , Josie Farris2 , Lydia Hittle2 , Yousef Sardahi* 4 , Asad Salem5 , and Mallory Lind6 1-5 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25705, webb424@marshall.edu,farris33@marshall.edu, hittle@marshall.edu sardahi@marshall.edu, asad.salem@marshall.edu 5 CMI2 - Civil-Military Innovation Institute, Morgantown, WV 26505, mcoleman@cmi2.orgAbstractThis paper details a student-led research project, supervised by faculty and funded by the Civil-Military Innovation

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Tina Johnson Cartwright, Marshall University; Julie Lynn Snyder-Yuly, Marshall University; Wook-sung Yoo, Marshall University; Husnu Saner Narman, Marshall University

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-reviewed publications. Dr. Narman has received several awards, including the Weisberg Service Award, Academy of Distinguished Teachers Award, and Marshall University Distinguished Artists and Scholars Junior Category Award. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Mindset Matters: Exploring Grit and Attitudes in Engineering and CS Undergrads in an NSF S-STEM funded program Cartwright, T.J., Snyder-Yuly, J., Yoo, W-K., Narman, H. Marshall UniversityThe Project-Based Work Studio (PWS) is designed to increase the participation of women andunder-privileged students in computer science, engineering, and technology disciplines. Itsfocus

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Elin Jensen, Lawrence Technological University; Taylor Warstler; Donald D. Carpenter P.E., Lawrence Technological University; Alyssa Taube; Lynne Seymour

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Diversity

delivered.IntroductionEnvironmental Engineering and Civil Engineering are among the top professions within theengineering field. Despite their high rankings and critical societal roles, both fields facesignificant workforce shortages projected to persist over the next decade. Addressing thischallenge requires collaborative outreach efforts by industry, academia, government, andnonprofit organizations to attract new talent.This paper presents a new collaboration among a nonprofit organization, a medium-sized for-profit engineering firm, a government agency, and an academic institution to support one of fourtracks in a major outreach event. The event is titled "Blue Planet Jobs: Careers in Water," and itis aimed to inspire high school students to explore careers related to

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2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Susie Huggins, West Virginia University; Robin A.M. Hensel, West Virginia University; Manar Yamany, West Virginia University; Lizzie Santiago, West Virginia University; Akua B. Oppong-Anane, West Virginia University; Atheer Almasri, West Virginia University; Todd R Hamrick, West Virginia University; Carter Hulcher, West Virginia University

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first-year engineering students, which can be integrated into engineeringevents to enhance learning outcomes [7].Incorporating project management methodologies into educational initiatives can further enhancetheir effectiveness. O’Toole (2005) explored the parallels between event management andstandard project management, providing insights into the logistical and pedagogical planningrequired for successful engineering festivals [8]. These frameworks ensure that events are notonly engaging but also deliver measurable educational outcomes. In this case, graduate teachingassistants from the department are learning a variety of project management skills through theimportant behind the scenes activities and duties as well as organizational skills

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Punya A Basnayaka, Cuyahoga Community College, School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering and Computer Science

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Diversity

effectiveness of teaching topics such assustainability, LCA, and renewable energy4,5. A five-year research project was conducted toanalyze how sustainable development (SD) was introduced into technological universities6.Theresearch found a lack of teaching in the areas of social and attitudinal aspects of sustainability.Furthermore, the findings showed that courses applying a more community-oriented andconstructive, active learning pedagogical approach increased students’ knowledge of SD.The literature survey findings and emerging engineering ethics criteria of ABET and otherprofessional organizations paved the way to reevaluate the curriculum to respond and act. Thispaper highlights preliminary research conducted and the initiation of action to

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Ragavanantham Shanmugam, Fairmont State University; Madhan Gopal Perumal, The University of Texas at Dallas; Uma Maheswari Krishnamoorthy

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prepares learners for the complexities of the modern world.2.2 Strengthening Practical Application of KnowledgeTraditional education provides a strong theoretical foundation, but students often struggle toconnect abstract concepts to real-world applications, particularly in STEM fields [5].Foundational knowledge is essential, yet integrating hands-on learning, internships, and project-based activities reinforces understanding and prepares students for practical challenges.Experiential learning offers students direct engagement with real-world problems, bridging thegap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. This approach, when integratedwith structured traditional methodologies, enhances student comprehension and retention

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Baqer Aljabr, The University of Toledo; Mohammad Elahinia, The University of Toledo

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Diversity

fill these gaps, the present study aims to evaluate the influence of participation ofstudents in automation, robots, and coding clubs on their academic excellence and preferencestoward STEM fields as careers in the future.4. Methodology The STEM catalyst cohort model is best suited for this project because it aims to providehands-on training, information, and new learning to marginalized students. Middle and high schoolstudents will be grouped in cohorts in this club. Each cohort will be supervised by a competentteacher with teaching and working experience in STEM fields. In each cohort, mentors will giveequal attention to all students and they guide them to their particular area of interest in STEMfields. In the club, game-based

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Sudipta Chowdhury, Marshall University; Ammar Alzarrad, Marshall University; Sungmin Youn, University of Texas at El Paso

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was a Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) manager at an engineering design firm in Chicago, where he managed multi-million projects (i.e., Wrigley Field restoration and expansion project). Dr. Alzarrad is a PMP©, CPEM©, and the Director of The Engineering Management Graduate Program at Marshall University.Sungmin Youn, University of Texas at El Paso I am an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, focusing on environmental engineering and nanotechnology. My research involves the fate and transport of contaminants in engineered systems and sustainable developments for cementitious materials. I have published impactful articles and secured several external grants for projects from the EPA, NSF

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Nathan Galinsky, West Virginia University Institute of Technology

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Diversity

assignments for college students, and active learning. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025Designing and Developing Summer K-12 STEM Outreach Programs Through a Tenure-Track Faculty’s PerspectiveAbstractWhile projected science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) job employment increasesof 10% are expected by 2033, the number of trained professionals is not expected to keep upwith that demand. In 2025, it is projected to include 3.5 million new STEM related jobs.However, the current workforce is not qualified to completely fill those new positions. As aresult, it is imperative that we reach K-12 students in STEM fields to inspire and educatestudents to pursue STEM related fields

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Rick Hill, University of Detroit Mercy; Vanessa Burrows, University of Detroit Mercy; Linda Slowik PhD

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Diversity

with students one-on-one to help them navigate challengesthey may face. The SEED program seeks to achieve these same goals in a more cost-effectivemanner through the counseling facilitators, the part-time administrator, the industry mentors, andfaculty mentors who are assigned to each of the students.Program evaluation and outcomesThe external evaluator for the project administers a survey upon the students’ entry to the SEEDprogram with follow-up surveys and focus groups conducted annually thereafter. These methodsseek feedback from the scholars about program activities, while also tracking the evolution of thestudents’ STEM identity and self-efficacy. Here we report on student opinions on the impact ofthe different core elements of the SEED

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Mark A. Palmer

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Diversity

the clicker study where questions from the end-of-course evaluations did notreveal any apparent differences between the clicker and control classes2. The NSSE annualsurvey of freshmen and seniors asks students how often they have, for example, participated inprojects that required integrating ideas or information from various sources, used e-mail tocommunicate with an instructor, asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions,received prompt feedback from faculty on their academic performance, participated incommunity- based projects, or tutored or taught other students. The findings are used todetermine how successful a university is at engaging students4.Sometimes student feedback contradicts the results associated with

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Benjamin Lubina, Gannon University; Ramakrishnan Sundaram, Gannon University

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Diversity

system’s ability to differentiate between objectcharacteristics, addressing challenges related to signal noise, environmental interference, andcomputational efficiency. By building on to prior research done on the same project refining thealgorithms used for classification and visualization, this research seeks to advance real-time Wi-Fi-based imaging for practical applications in security, navigation, and situational awareness.Background Researchers have utilized Wi-Fi routers to detect 3D shapes and movements ofindividuals within a room, effectively enabling imaging through walls. By employing deepneural networks, they mapped Wi-Fi signal parameters to human body coordinates, achievingdetailed human pose estimation without the need for

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Yousef Fazea, Marshall University; Yousef Sardahi, Marshall University; Asad Salem

Tagged Topics

Diversity

integrating group projects and collaborative assignments. • Engaging Content Delivery: The incorporation of surveys, questionnaires, discussion prompts, videos, webinars, and infographics can improve the quality of online lectures. Comprehension and interest can be enhanced by dividing lectures into brief segments and correlating concepts to real-world scenarios. • Updated Resources: The learning experience is improved by maintaining a diverse and current selection of course materials. Ensuring that resources are accessible across devices and that they are updated with the most recent research, trends, and case studies can accommodate a variety of learning styles. Regular student feedback is