Conference Session

Communication in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Miskioglu, The Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Communication for Chemical EngineersAbstractGood communication skills are vital for any career. Engineers are often stigmatized as beingpoor communicators, and while this is merely a stereotype, many engineers and STEM studentsdo express disinterest in writing and other forms of communication. While communication isincorporated in many undergraduate chemical engineering courses through laboratory reports,presentations, and informal short answer questions, these items are generally evaluated for theirtechnical accuracy, not on aspects of their delivery and presentation. In the chemical engineeringdepartment of a large Midwestern university, students are required to take two courses in writingand communication. The

Conference Session

Simulation

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Natasha Smith P.E., University of Southern Indiana; Julian Ly Davis, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Paper ID #13859Connecting Theory and Software: Experience with an Undergraduate FiniteElement CourseDr. Natasha Smith P.E., University of Southern Indiana Dr. Smith is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Indiana.Dr. Julian Ly Davis, University of Southern Indiana Julian received is PhD from Virginia Tech in Engineering Mechanics in 2007. He spent a semester teach- ing at community college in the area and then spent two years at University of Massachusetts continuing his research in finite element modeling and biomechanics and continuing to teach. In 2010, he began his current tenure track position at the

Conference Session

Measurement and Instrumentation

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claudia Elena Vergara, Michigan State University; Michael Cavanaugh, Michigan State University; Subashini Nagendran Sivakumar, Michigan State University; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Thomas David Dionise, Michigan State University; Abdol-Hossein Esfahanian, Michigan State University; Jon Sticklen, Michigan Technological University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Paper ID #12196Towards a Framework for Assessing Computational Competencies for Engi-neering Undergraduate StudentsDr. Claudia Elena Vergara, Michigan State University Claudia Elena Vergara is a Research Scientist in The Center for Engineering Education Research (CEER). She received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Purdue University. Her scholarly interests include: improve- ment of STEM teaching and learning processes in higher education, and institutional change strategies to address the problems and solutions of educational reforms considering the situational context of the par- ticipants involved in the reforms. She is

Conference Session

Studying Engineering Education Research & Institutions

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lauren A. Sepp, University of Washington; Mania Orand, Human Centered Design and Engineering ; Jennifer A Turns, University of Washington; Lauren D. Thomas, University of Washington; Brook Sattler, University of Washington; Cynthia J. Atman, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Paper ID #12165On an Upward Trend: Reflection in Engineering EducationMs. Lauren A. Sepp, University of Washington Lauren is a first year PhD student at the University of Washington, studying Human Centered Design & Engineering. As a research assistant in the Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching, her research interests focus on engineering education and the importance of tactile learning.Mania Orand, Human Centered Design and Engineering Mania Orand is a researcher in the field of Human Computer Interaction at the University of Washington. Her research interests are on using reflection in designing web and

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robin F Hopkins, University of Louisville; Jeffrey Lloyd Hieb, University of Louisville; Patricia A Ralston, University of Louisville; Keith Brandon Lyle, University of Louisville

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

. After ten years working in industry, he returned to school, completing his Ph.D. in Computer Science Engineering at the University of Louisville’s Speed School of Engineering in 2008. Since com- pleting his degree, he has been teaching engineering mathematics courses and continuing his dissertation research in cyber security for industrial control systems. In his teaching, Dr. Hieb focuses on innovative and effective use of tablets, digital ink, and other technology and is currently investigating the use of the flipped classroom model and collaborative learning. His research in cyber security for industrial control systems is focused on high assurance field devices using microkernel architectures.Dr. Patricia A

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division: Faculty and Gender Issues

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ari Turrentine, VentureWell

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

as a function oftraditional gender relations, that men-dominated industries/sectors are more innovative thanwomen-dominated ones, all rooted in a social perception of technology that is more oftenassociated to men than to women.”18In addition to teaching, research, and publishing, schools of science, technology, engineering,and math (STEM) are more frequently considering patenting, licensing, and commercializationactivities in faculty bids for tenure and promotion.2,6,19 This is particularly relevant to schools ofengineering where a large proportion of research is geared toward real world application. Federaland state agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) are promoting this shift inengineering and STEM through programming

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 8: Project-based Learning and Cornerstone Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Elmore, Binghamton University; Sharon B Fellows, Binghamton University; Koenraad E Gieskes, Binghamton University; Lee A Cummings, Binghamton University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

project-based curriculum to more fully Page 26.751.3engage first-year students.Project Descriptions The projects in spring 2013 were selected by the engineering Graduate Teaching Assistants(GTAs), who work within the first-year program. Each GTA represents one of the engineeringdisciplines within the Watson School: Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Systems Science andIndustrial, and Biomedical engineering departments. Each GTA submitted three ideas andpresented them to the Engineering Design Division faculty, who made the final decisions. Theengineering faculty then wrote a brief summary of each project for the students. Each GTAserves as an

Conference Session

Design and Research in BME

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Breanne Przestrzelski, Clemson University; John D. DesJardins, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

for the team’s innovation: Assurefit- a chest tube stabilization device. Breanne found her drive for innovation and fascination with design during the development of this technology and seeks to equip students with this same drive through experiential learning.Dr. John D DesJardins, Clemson University Dr. John DesJardins is the Robert B. and Susan B. Hambright Leadership Associate professor in Bioengi- neering at Clemson University and the director of the Frank H. Stelling and C. Dayton Riddle Orthopaedic Education and Research Laboratory at CUBEInC. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, his MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Ph.D. in

Conference Session

Aerospace Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masoud Rais-Rohani, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

extends the prior workon the subject15. In particular, it relies on the experience of the author in teaching the senior-levelAerospace Structural Design course in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at MississippiState University for nearly two decades.The field of aerospace structures, as a subset of the broader area of structural mechanics, dealswith topics—such as deformation, stress, instability, and failure—that are influenced by thephysical and engineering properties of materials as well as the geometric attributes and boundaryconditions of the structural system. The thin-walled nature of flight structures is a noteworthyfeature that, combined with low-density materials, is critical in reducing the weight of aircraftand spacecraft. For

Conference Session

Assessing URM Programs Targeting the K-16 Continuum

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pablo Biswas, The Mercer University; Rohitha Goonatilake, Texas A&M International University; Gerardo Javier Pinzon P.E., Texas A&M International University; Mahmoud Khasawneh, Texas A&M International University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

TAMIU. He and his team was recently awarded a $1.2 million NSF award to promote mathematics education in the area of need in Laredo through pro- viding scholarships to juniors and seniors at TAMIU to prepare talented, skillful, and highly qualified teachers to teach immediately after graduation. Dr. Goonatilake was a recipient of the Scholar of the Year Award in 2006 and the University Honors Faculty of the Year in 2013. He was a PI for more than three program-funded grants and Co-PI for more than 10 different program grants since joining TAMIU. He has a very active research agenda that involves network anomaly detection, probability, disease preva- lence, and microeconomics. He was extensively involved with many

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John D. Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Linda S Hirsch, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Raquel Perez-Castillejos, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Paper ID #12268The Impact of a Neuro-Engineering Research Experience for Undergradu-ates Site on Students’ Attitudes toward and Pursuit of Graduate StudiesDr. John D. Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology Dr. John D. Carpinelli is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He has served as coordinator of activities at NJIT for the Gateway Engineering Education Coalition and as a member of the Coalition’s Governing Board. He previously chaired NJIT’s Excellence in Teaching Awards Committee and is Past Chair of the University Master Teacher Committee.Linda Hirsch, New

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Bring-Your-Own-Experiments 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger A Beardsley PE, Central Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Paper ID #11540BYOE: Using the Biodiesel Process as a Lab Activity to Reinforce ChemistryConceptsMr. Roger A Beardsley PE, Central Washington University Roger Beardsley is an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology at Central Washington University, Ellensburg WA. He teaches classes in Thermodynamics, Fluids and Heat Transfer, among others. His professional interests include renewable energy, including biofuels. Page 26.318.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald W. Welch, The Citadel

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

(focused) schools or are designated a STEM school. In SouthCarolina, a number of elementary and middle schools have been designated a STEM school.These schools seek out annual field trips to allow their students to have firsthand STEM Page 26.1395.2experiences such as laboratory experiences within college level courses, aquariums, architecturalfirms, research labs, and manufacturing companies to mention a few.Gifted and talented Fourth and Fifth Grade students from Richland School District 2 schoolshave been conducting a field study (ALERT)2 at The Citadel every other year. Recently, the offyear visit is with an architectural firm at the school and

Conference Session

International Division Technical Session 8

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Marie Kusano, Virginia Tech; Aditya Johri, George Mason University

Tagged Divisions

International

Paper ID #11361Developing Global Engineering Competency Through Participation in ”En-gineers Without Borders”Dr. Stephanie Marie Kusano, Virginia Tech Stephanie Kusano is a postdoctoral research fellow from George Mason University Department of Ap- plied Information Technology. She received her Ph.D. in Engineering Education in 2014, B.S. in Me- chanical Engineering in 2010 and her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering in 2012, all from Virginia Tech. Her research interests include non-curricular learning, informal learning, design education, and students’ professional development. Her teaching experience has primarily been with

Conference Session

Engineering Management Division Technical Session 5

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Browder, Bristol Tennessee Essential Services; Andrew J. Czuchry, East Tennessee State University; April Eads

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

risky strategic orientation from the CEO’s vantage point. Thesestrategic alternatives are currently under investigation as ways that the conceptual framework canbe tailored and modified to help large organizations achieve their innovation objectives.Pilot projects are conducted in our living laboratory to verify the non-linear results. Thenrefinements are incorporated to the detailed business plan that is systematically implemented inconcert with the Check-Act-Plan – Do improvement process that has been successful for the corebusiness. This is significant because changing processes in this manner avoids destruction ofthose approaches that are already contributing to the organization’s success.The need for a total systems approach is underscored

Conference Session

Course Development / Curriculum Development

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alisa Gilmore P.E., University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

™platform to achieve a meaningful and valuable laboratory experience that also complemented andenhanced lecture topics. Freshman year, students soldered together their CEENBoTs whilebeing introduced to basic electric circuit principles, then they learned to program the CEENBoTwith microprocessor programming in assembly and an introduction to the C language. In ajunior level course, they fitted the robots to play a game of laser tag. Beyond this, students didnot do much more with adding sensors or intelligence to their robots. This new course wouldprovide the advanced experiences with the CEENBoT, by adding an extensive sensor suite,applying a robotics intelligence methodology, and teaching a robust programming structure thatwould equip robots with

Conference Session

Making in Design

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ethan Reggia, University of Maryland, College Park; Kevin M Calabro, University of Maryland, College Park; Justin Albrecht, University of Maryland, College Park

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

 were enrolled in the course this semester. The purpose of this class is to teach first­year engineering students important technical skills and practices necessary for engineering design. The students have the opportunity to tackle a difficult design challenge that requires them to use these capabilities, including working with a team, preparing and giving presentations, working under a budget, and constructing a functional prototype that accomplishes a complex set of  18​objectives and adheres to a set of design specifications​ . In order to complete the project, students learn the basics of mechanics, electronics, programming, and manufacturing. Learning

Conference Session

Virtual Instruction and Collaboration

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shahnam Navaee, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

either be executed by users on the server-side or remote-side. This choicecan be altered with ease at any time. The development of two sample VIs created as webdocuments, for an undergraduate and a graduate engineering mechanics course are included anddiscussed in the paper to clearly illustrate the power and utility of this type of Virtual Instruments.LabVIEW Virtual Instruments published as HTML files also seem to have a great potentialapplication in the area of experimental research. Using these files, the investigators have theopportunity to remotely monitor the health of structural members in the field or laboratory withoutactually needing to be present at the experimental site for the entire duration of the experiment. Thiscapability of

Conference Session

Engineering and Public Policy Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Judy L. Cezeaux, Western New England University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

curriculum already contains material related to publicpolicy issues, although not explicitly defined as such to students. For example, our junior-levellaboratory course contains a module on the use of humans and animals in research which tracesthe origins of legislation related to these issues and the relevant regulations involvingInstitutional Review Boards (IRB) and Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC). This isfollowed by a senior-level laboratory where students perform experiments on human subjectsafter completing the process to obtain IRB approval. Finally, students are introduced to the FDAQuality Systems Regulations during the first semester of our two-semester senior capstonedesign sequence and follow the process outlined in the regulations

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Mechanical Engineering and Control

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John E Matsson, Oral Roberts University; Justice Boisselle, Oral Roberts University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

using SolidWorks, and ANSYS Fluent software was used by a third studentwho was not on the senior capstone team to simulate the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.IntroductionThis project involved the design, building and testing of a Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilityapparatus by undergraduate engineering students. The laboratory will enable students toconduct visualizations of the waves that develop due to the instability.The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is a classical problem originally studied by Helmholtz 1and Kelvin2. The mechanism causing the instability has been studied in detail by Lamb3,Bachelor4, Drazin and Reid5, Chandrasekahr6, Craik7, and many others. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability can appear at the interface of two fluid layers flowing with

Conference Session

Circuits and Systems Education 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan Davis, Central Washington University; Charles Pringle, Central Washington University; Lad Holden, Central Washington University; Michael L. Whelan, Department of Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction, Central Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

University Charles Pringle is a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Central Washington University. Charles teaches upper division courses including the senior capstone course.Prof. Lad Holden, Central Washington UniversityDr. Michael L. Whelan, Department of Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction, Central Washing-ton University Received B.S.C.E. (1970) and M.S. (1971) degrees from the University of New Mexico followed by a Ph.D. (1981) from Iowa State University. Has held faculty and administrative positions in several universities, a visiting researcher position in a governmental laboratory, and a variety of engineering positions in industry during the period 1971 to the present

Conference Session

Construction Education Topics

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rui Liu, University of Texas at San Antonio; Rogelio Palomera-Arias, University of Texas, San Antonio

Tagged Divisions

Construction

Paper ID #12084Term Project Design for Undergraduate Building Information Modeling Ed-ucationDr. Rui Liu, University of Texas at San AntonioDr. Rogelio Palomera-Arias, University of Texas, San Antonio Dr. Rogelio Palomera-Arias educational and professional background is multidisciplinary and multilin- gual in nature. He obtained his Ph. D. in architecture with a concentration in building technology, and an M.S. in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge MA. Dr. Palomera-Arias joined the faculty at Construction Science Department at UTSA in the Fall 2013. The main teaching

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 10: Paying Attention to Retention

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Warren Bucks, University of Cincinnati; Kathleen A. Ossman, University of Cincinnati; Jeff Kastner, University of Cincinnati; F James Boerio, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

a variety of classes ranging introductory programming and first-year engineering design courses to introductory and advanced courses in electronic circuits. He is a member of ASEE, IEEE, and ACM.Dr. Kathleen A. Ossman, University of Cincinnati Dr. Kathleen A. Ossman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University of Cincinnati. She teaches primarily freshmen with a focus on programming and problem solving. Dr. Ossman is interested in active learning, flipped classrooms, and other strategies that help students become self-directed learners.Dr. Jeff Kastner, University of Cincinnati Dr. Jeff Kastner is an Assistant Professor Educator in the Department of Engineering Education

Conference Session

Emerging Computing and Information Technologies I

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peng Li, East Carolina University; Lee Toderick, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Computing & Information Technology

University to meet the needs ofthe growing number of face-to-face and distance education students6. Laboratory experiments areuseful in teaching students skills needed for employment, and to reinforce theoretical conceptsintroduced during lectures. However, the students sometimes do not receive timely feedbackbecause it is extremely time-consuming for the instructors to grade the hands-on exercises. Thestudents usually do not have the opportunities to fix the mistakes they made in previous labs dueto lack of timely feedback. These challenges were addressed by the creation of an automatedgrading and feedback system, called BroadReach Extended, for locally designed hands-onexercises in Information Technology (IT) courses. By introducing the automatic

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sheng-Jen Hsieh, Texas A&M University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Automation laboratory at Texas A&M University, a state-of-the-art facility for education and research in the areas of automation, control, and automated system integration. Page 26.459.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Design and Preliminary Evaluation of Portable Kit for Programmable Logic Controller EducationAbstractPLC control programming is a complex cognitive skill that requires hands‐on experience todevelop proficiency. Successful automation/control engineers must know how to write PLCprograms to control and troubleshoot the process being

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Electrical and Computer Engineering Labs

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aidan F. Browne, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Wesley B. Williams P.E., University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Keith Loftus, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Christopher Benfield

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Engineering Technology and Construction Management, where he teaches courses in the areas of instrumentation and controls, technical program- ming, and mechanical design. He is active in the area of robotics, serving for three years as a faculty mentor for the UNC Charlotte Astrobotics team competing in the NASA Robotic Mining Competition.Mr. Keith Loftus, University of North Carolina, Charlotte Keith is currently pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology at UNCC. In addition, Keith has been admitted to an early entry program to work towards a M.S. in Applied Energy and Electromechanical Systems at UNCC.Christopher Benfield

Conference Session

Materials Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isabelle Dutil, University of Toronto; Varuna Prakash, University of Toronto; Jun Nogami, University of Toronto; Scott Ramsay, University of Toronto

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Materials

interest in engineering education that stems from the differences that he has observed in Engineering vs Physics pedagogy.Dr. Scott Ramsay, University of Toronto Scott Ramsay is currently a lecturer and Adjunct Professor Scott is currently an Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada, and a registered professional engineer in Ontario. Scott earned his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2007. Scott’s current primary academic interests are in improving the quality of undergraduate engineering education through the use of various reusable learning objects. Scott has taught extensively in Material Science, teaching

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ying Tang, Rowan University; Kauser Jahan, Rowan University; Talbot Bielefeldt, Clearwater Program Evaluation

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

journal and conference papers and book chapters.Dr. Kauser Jahan, Rowan University Kauser Jahan, is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University. She received her B.S.C.E. from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, an MSCE from the Univer- sity of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Her passion as an educator and mentor has been recognized by many professional organizations over the years. She is the recipient of the Gloucester County Women of Achievement Award, Lindback Foundation Teaching Award, the NJ ASCE Educator of the Year award, the Gary J. Hunter Excellence in Mentoring Award, the ASEE Environmental Engineering

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division – Innovative Course Offerings

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David G. Novick, University of Texas, El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

studentsin engineering and computer science, and particularly for the most entrepreneurial, to knowabout IP, is it possible to teach IP to undergraduates? This paper reports on three semesters ofexperience in teaching IP to undergraduate students at the University of Texas at El Paso. Thepaper presents the course’s context, content, delivery, and assessment, and discusses the ways inwhich the course has changed as a result of assessment.Course ContextThe University of Texas at El Paso is a public regional institution, enrolling 23,000 students, themajority of whom are Hispanic Americans. The university has a large College of Engineering,which includes a department of computer science, and, in the College of Liberal Arts, a highlysuccessful law

Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 10: Paying Attention to Retention

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steffen Peuker, California Polytechnic State University; Nova Alexandria Glinski Schauss, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Paper ID #11270Improving Student Success and Retention Rates in Engineering: An Innova-tive Approach for First-Year CoursesDr. Steffen Peuker, California Polytechnic State University Dr. Steffen Peuker holds the James L. Bartlett, Jr. Assistant Professor position in the Mechanical Engi- neering Department at the California State University in San Luis Obispo. He is teaching courses, includ- ing laboratories, in the HVAC&R concentration and mechanical engineering including first-year courses. Dr. Peuker’s educational research focuses on increasing student retention and success in engineering through implementation of a