handling large volumes of data but also about translating these data into actionable knowledge that can drive environmental change. Throughout his career, Hang has consistently demonstrated a commitment to leveraging technology for environmental research. His innovative approaches to data handling and interpretation have made significant contributions to the understanding of environmental behaviors and interventions. As a forward-thinking researcher, Hang continues to explore the intersection of technology, data science, and environmental studies, aiming to contribute further to this dynamic and increasingly crucial field.Karen McNeal, Auburn University Dr. McNeal conducts research in geoscience education
a mutually beneficial learning dynamic[8].To address these challenges, we developed a novel teaching strategy for an introductoryengineering course that integrates high school students with first-year college students. Thiscourse, titled "Introduction to Engineering Laboratory" aimed to expose students to variousengineering disciplines through hands-on experiments and collaborative projects. The ultimategoal was to foster motivation, build foundational knowledge, and help students make informeddecisions about their future career paths.The course was structured as a rotational program, with students spending three weeks in each offour engineering modules: mechanical, electrical, computer, and civil engineering. Each moduleincorporated hands
-style questions for the subject area.Table 1: Outline of FE Encouragement Plan embedded in courses. Cohort Course-Level Strategies Freshmen Phase 1 (AY23-24) Baseline. • (Fall) ME 101: Introduced to FE Exam and PE licensure • (Spring) Integrated Design I: Students further introduced to licensure and connections to career pathways Sophomores Phase 2 (AY24-25) • (Spring) Dynamics: Further describe licensure process and importance of familiarity with FE Reference Handbook. Add quiz assignment with FE-style questions from the subject area in the “Other Disciplines” exam
and the workforce: the context of climate, cultures, policies,and procedures of organizations and person-based attributes like interest, abilities, and self-confidence.The recognition of this disparity and the pursuit of effective strategies for recruiting, retaining,and promoting women in engineering – both in academic and professional contexts – are notrecent endeavors. Groups formed to devote resources and energy towards tackling the issue.These include the Society of Women Engineers founded in 1950 [9], whose mission is broadly toempower women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, and the non-profit WEPAN, originally the Women in Engineering Program Advocates and now the Womenin Engineering Proactive Network
isseen as overly burdensome or if there are other political or personal objections to completing thegovernment forms, potential scholarship applicants are being missed due to low FAFSAcompletion. This issue will require further inquiry and research to determine a strategy toincrease student applications.Multi-Layered MentoringResearchers have found that a multi-layered mentoring approach provides students access todiverse avenues of support, where tier of mentoring plays a vital role in helping mentees navigatetheir undergraduate education and future career spaces [4]. Discipline experts (including facultyand industry mentors) provide field-specific details, student peers (such as upper divisionstudents in the program) help to provide a
suchisolation often report self-discouragement and declining interest in STEM careers, includingseeking advanced degrees in engineering [4, 5, 6, 7].Additional barriers for underrepresented groups include a lack of role models, mentorship, and awelcoming environment, all of which have been identified as factors contributing to disinterest inpursuing graduate education in engineering [6,7, 8, 9]. A critical contributor to this disparity isthe feeling of isolation from the community and limited access minorities have to undergraduateresearch experiences which serve as a vital gateway to graduate education [4]. Studies haveshown that undergraduate research experiences not only increase interest in graduate education,but also build research skills and
Initiatives for the Development of Engineers (GLIDE) research group. Lexy’s research interests include early career engineers, Artificial Intelligence, experiential learning, and global experiences. He earned his master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. Before that, he received an Erasmus scholarship for an exchange program at the University of Ja´en, Spain. He completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.Alanna Nash, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Experiential Learning Activities: Building Grit and Driving Success Among Mechanical Engineering
Facility and a McCormick Teaching Excellence Institute Research Fellow. Her research focuses on how identity, among other affective factors, influences diverse groups of students to choose engineering and persist in engineering. She also studies how different experiences within the practice and culture of engineering foster or hinder belonging, motivation, and identity development. Dr. Godwin graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering and Science Education. Her research earned her a National Science Foundation CAREER Award focused on characterizing latent diversity, which includes diverse attitudes, mindsets, and approaches to learning to understand engineering
points to the need to show students how products, such as wind turbines and solar panels, require knowledge of fluid and thermodynamic principles.Question 1c—Job Opportunities One of the most interesting observations pertains to the student response to Question 1b—From your perspective, what job opportunities exist with regard to fluids and thermodynamics? While many different career options were listed, no students listed careers in climate change or addressing global warming, sustainability or resiliency, for example.Question 2—Describe your experience with the thermodynamic courses. Here, the students noted how they have used thermodynamics to solve problems and develop resiliency in working through incorrect answers. Also, they
education.IntroductionThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into modernengineering practices has created an urgent need for engineers with AI/ML skills to tacklechallenges in automation, robotics, preventive maintenance, defect detection, system optimization,and beyond. This integration underscores the transformative potential of AI/ML in engineeringeducation, necessitating curriculum advancements to prepare students for the evolvingtechnological landscape [1]. This need is driven not only by industry demands but also by students,who increasingly see AI/ML expertise as vital for their future careers and expect opportunities toapply these skills in real-world engineering projects. Numerous national reports, including thoseby the
technical skills are often the focus of engineering programs,students rarely receive formal guidance on effective teamwork. Without proper training, negativegroup experiences can challenge their future workforce professional success. Therefore,integrating teamwork training into the engineering curriculum is vital for preparing students forthe collaborative nature of their careers and this is our primary motivation.There is an open question on how and where to fit these teamwork preparations into thecurriculum. Developing teamwork skills involves understanding key elements in team dynamicssuch as, managing roles and expectations, effective communication, and conflict management -shown in Figure 1. Successful teams build trust by clearly defining
skills, hinderingknowledge retention and leaving them underprepared for design-focused careers [4-5]. Bruner [6]suggests, learning is a constructivist process, requiring multiple, meaningful interactions withcontent. To build strong design competencies, students need consistent engagement with theengineering design process throughout their education.A distinctive aspect of the course is the design project, which mirrors real-world engineeringprocesses, from problem formulation to experimentation and data interpretation. This project-based approach strengthens theoretical understanding while fostering practical skills such asteamwork, documentation, and adherence to engineering constraints.This paper discusses the Mechanics Laboratory course
problem numerically to find asingle answer, are not preparing them for their careers as practicing engineers” (p. 149, [9]). Thisfinding is consistent with other results suggesting a mismatch between the message studentsreceive about engineering practice through their coursework and the reality of engineeringpractice. Recent work developing and studying the effects of open-ended modeling problems define anopportunity to provide students with challenging problems that simultaneously reinforce theirunderstanding of course material while exposing them to the realities of engineering practice [7][8]. Preliminary results from Miel, Swenson, and Johnson (2022) found that “engineeringscience homework in the form of an open-ended modeling problem can
thoseinvolved in research venues, while Hurtado et al reported that research venues clarify post-graduation career options [4], [31], [32].Student learning, engagement, and success has further been promoted in higher education viaadvising and mentoring roles. According to Gordon, mentorship roles are a critical component forstudent success given that 20-25% of entering freshmen are undecided about a specific major,while 75% will transition to other majors at least once prior to matriculation [9]. Marquez andGarcia developed a mentorship model called RCDD (e.g., acronym for Relationship, Commitment,Desire, and Disseminate) which identifies four critical components in the transformative processof supporting student success in undergraduate research [13
relate toconstructs like self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and interest, thus impacting subsequentdecisions to remain in engineering or pursue a future career in the field. Further, studentperceptions on what mechanical engineering is and what mechanical engineers do likely changeover time based on coursework and informal learning experiences such as internships.Engineering literacy—the ability to solve problems using engineering design processes and makeinformed decisions about crucial issues such as energy consumption and climate change—is also avital component of engineering education. Much of the research on student perceptions ofengineering focuses on K-12 students and teachers rather than current engineeringundergraduates. However
need for clear project guidelines, rubrics, and early introduction of projects, asseen in studies by Dochy et al. [8]. The design of medical devices as a context for engineeringprojects has gained traction as an interdisciplinary approach to teaching, integrating conceptsfrom mechanical engineering, electronics, and biomedical sciences, providing students withexposure to real-world healthcare applications [9]. This approach aligns with broader trends inengineering education to prepare students for interdisciplinary and socially impactful careers. Inthis work, student team projects involving design and development of walking end-effectorbased robots as artifacts were chosen as means to study design principles of medical devices. Arelated field
career and industry interests. Another goalfor the process is to develop a curriculum that includes varied, yet cohesive, learning experiencesfor the students to provide a range of activities, interactions and environments. An additionalprocess goal is to integrate topics across the curriculum, thereby reducing the silo effect, as wellas improving learning efficiency and program flexibility.AcknowledgementsThis paper is reporting on work done by a committee over the course of several years. Theauthors would like to acknowledge all of the past and current faculty members who have put inthe work to move this project forward. Thank you to Carlos Castro, Rebecca Dupaix, Jung HyunKim, Russell Marzette, Sandra Metzler, Satya Seetharaman, Rob Siston
are best suited for teaching the different components of their courses. Giventhe importance of Introductory Thermodynamics in many students’ engineering careers,individual learning activities need to be effective, easy to implement, and optimally enjoyable.Students, especially struggling students, need activities that help them learn the fundamentalconcepts that will guide their reasoning when they are later performing calculations. Learningtechnology developers need to understand which technologies and approaches are the mostpromising so they know where to invest their efforts.In this paper, we provide some empirical evidence that may help instructors and designers makethese decisions. We explore the development, deployment, use and student
(anxiety etc.).There have been many studies on gender differences. Jones [5] studied how gender differencesaffect student motivation constructs, achievement, and career plans, along with the interactionsamong them. Jones found that female students did have lower self-efficacy, but not necessarilyto a statistically significant level. In Hutchison et.al. [4], it was found that females who persist inSTEM have lower self- efficacy perceptions than their male colleagues. These were also brokendown by race and ethnicity. Fraley et.al. [3] assessed confidence and competency of first yearengineering students. It was found that many students enter class with a pre-conceived notion ofalready knowing the material. It was also found that female students
and inspires students as well." • "I think it's important to give students the opportunity to problem solve with a real-world project that involves working in teams and more exposure to projects to further our understanding." • "Yes, because it helps see real-world examples." • “yes definitely, lots of classes feel disconnected from each other and being able to see how they connect and how you could use all the subjects together in your career is nice.” • ME 4010 System Dynamics II In the Fall 2024 semester, a total of 50 students were enrolled in two sections of System Dynamics II, both taught by the same instructor. The survey given to these students was similar
Catherine G.P. Berdanier is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from The University of South Dakota, her M.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and her PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Her research expertise lies in characterizing graduate-level attrition, persistence, and career trajectories; engineering writing and communication; and methodological development. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Creating Public Resources to Diversifying Content in Mechanical Engineering: Fostering Awareness and Ethical ConsiderationsAbstractThis paper explores an innovative
humans and robots due to the application ofsoft materials in the robot’s structure, the next generation of robotics will yield more softrobotics. Engineering programs should introduce this cutting-edge technology in their curriculumthat is designed to satisfy societal challenges, provide a template for the advances in softrobotics, and support students to learn and explore these revolutionary changes to prepare theU.S. workforce for advanced robotics careers. However, despite the rapid growth of softrobotics, the resources available to the engineering faculty and students are very limited. To meetthe needs of developing technological solutions in soft robotics courses by visualizing complexconcepts, improving students’ core understanding of the
-time Problem Based LearningBelow we describe how the above black box framework leads to a uniform solution process thatconnects theory to applications across applications and subject areas. This process helps studentsrepeatedly practice the same expert-like approach to simulations across courses, helping tointernalize it and carry it forth into their careers. We begin with a problem statement where wedescribe the geometry, material properties and boundary conditions as well as the desired outputssuch as the displacement field and factor of safety in solid mechanics. The problem can involvea simple geometry with an analytical solution such as a bar in extension or a realistic geometrysuch as those shown in Figures 1 and 2.The first step in the
futurechallenges in their academic and professional careers. By actively involving students in the project, theinitiative not only advances their technical and conceptual understanding but also contributes to thedevelopment of an innovative educational resource that aligns with the objectives of engineeringpedagogy.VII. Preliminary ResultsAs part of an undergraduate Statics course, students were assigned a project to design, build, and analyzea crane using the PASCO Advanced Structures Kit. The project aimed to strengthen their understanding offundamental statics concepts, including force analysis, equilibrium, and internal forces. Students wererequired to submit a comprehensive design report, deliver a presentation, and provide an
multifaceted design project thisassignment was also used to help assess the junior level students’ progress towards meeting theABET program outcomes.Introduction Engineers seek to design new things. To help train upcoming engineers to successfullyaccomplish this, engineering faculty are always looking for new ways to invigorate their studentsand let them see how the material they are learning in class will be applied to their future careers,as discussed by Svensson [1]. While taking an idea from initial concept to a finished workingprototype is ultimately the goal, this is not always practical or feasible. This would requireintegrating material learned in most of the courses in the engineering curriculum to fullyaccomplish. This culmination of
Capture, Utilization, & Storage (CCUS) 4. Smart Grids 5. Floating Offshore Wind 6. Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) 7. Electric Vehicles (EVs) 8. Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning 9. Microgrids 10. Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS)What skills and knowledge does a (one of five categories listed in response)mechanical engineer need to Industry-Specific Knowledgeprepare for a career in the energy 1. Renewable energy
and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Central Florida. He coordinates two undergraduate programs – B. S. Mechanical Engineering and B. S. Aerospace Engineering. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal and proceeding papers. He has 12 and 6 patents granted in the U.S. and Korea, respectively, in the areas of sensors, microfluidic devices, and micro/nanofabrication. His current research focus is on miniaturized environmental sensors and sample handling devices. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2002. He worked as Research Engineer at Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) from 1993 to 1997. He received the NSF CAREER award in 2004 and was given
. are exposing students to the benefits of PLM software integration in a team-based,undergraduate design course where students develop a digital twin for a scaled, tracked, roboticvehicle. The team integrated NX and Teamcenter into their guided and student-led projects tofacilitate their digital twin design and improve collaboration as a team, while surveys were usedto measure the student’s understanding and career preparedness of PLM topics.PLM integration into engineering education can effectively prepare students for their futurecareers; however, PLM integration into engineering programs is limited [13]. This research aimsto identify an area of the curriculum where PLM tools can be integrated and tested foreffectiveness. A case study
Paper ID #49275Pressure-enthalpy diagram centric approach to open-system component, Braytoncycle, and Rankine cycle analysis in a thermodynamics courseCmdr. Matthew Schell, United States Naval Academy Commander Matt Schell is a Navy Reservist currently recalled to active duty as a Master Instructor in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy. He started his Navy career on active duty as a nuclear-trained submarine officer. As a civilian, he worked for ten years at the Navy Nuclear Lab in the Pittsburgh Area. At Navy Nuclear Lab he had cognizance over various aspects of the Navy
turn, confirmed for them that they were pursuing the right degree path and, for one, helped refine career goals within the field of engineering. The peer mentors felt they had experienced personal growth in relating to supervising faculty, expanded their repertoire of social skills (e.g., team leadership, team trouble shooting), and had taken on an informal and continuing role as a sounding board for and guide to some of the students from the course in which the robotics project was implemented. They improved their understanding of course topics, reinforced past learning