Conference Session

Ocean and Marine Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian G Belu, Drexel University (Tech.); Irina Nicoleta Ciobanescu Husanu, Drexel University (Tech.)

Tagged Divisions

Ocean and Marine

graduating from 4-year engineering or engineering technology program mustcomplete some type of capstone design project in order to graduate. It is of utmost that theproject selected is not any project, but rather one that simultaneously enhances the learningexperience of students, prepares the graduating ones for the real world, increases freshmenretention and strengthens relationships between universities and industries. The key to makingthe most out of capstone design projects is to carefully select ones that will accomplish all of theabove. After completing a 4-year engineering program, most students are proficient in theprinciples they studied in the classroom. Whether recent graduates are able to apply theseprinciples to various situations upon

Conference Session

Ocean and Marine Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Edward Paquette, US Coast Guard; Thomas Robert Cogley; Tooran Emami Ph. D., U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Aaron Peder Dahlen, USCG; Richard J. Hartnett P.E., U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Ocean and Marine

capstone project in ElectricalEngineering at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In this project three students are asked to applylessons learned through three previous years’ academic experience to an autonomous floatingvessel, for the purposes of modeling and real-time heading control. Consistent with the maritimefocus of the U. S. Coast Guard, students construct a four by eight foot barge propelled by sixcommercial Minn Kota trolling motors, in order to study real time heading control algorithmssuch as those which might be encountered on typical Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU’s).Controlling a smaller scale model platform provides students an opportunity to perform systemidentification and control, and allow students opportunities to expand