Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

James V. Masi

plastic glue sticks. The objectives, then , are to measure the diffusion rates for solids,liquids, and gases using simple techniques to yield sophisticated answers. Diffusioncoefficients will be determined, and curve fitting the graphical results will be performed.Equipment and supplies:(1) Metallurgical preparation and polishing apparatus (Buehler Co.),(2) Glass or quartz stirring rods (Fisher Scientific),(3) Cupric chloride, Petri dishes, test tubes, tongs, bunsen burners, small beakers (Fisher Scientific),(4) Food Coloring, vanilla or garlic extract, paper towels (grocery store),(5) Metallurgical microscope (Olympus, Zeiss, etc.),(6) Timers (split time preferred), and(7) Hot melt clear and colored glue sticks.Abstract:Differences in

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1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert A. Hall; Mark W. McK. Bannatyne

1 Session 3538 Facing Technological Disenfranchisement In The Global Community Dr. Mark W. McK. Bannatyne, Professor Robert A. Hall Purdue University/State Dept. of Corrections, New HampshireIntroductionAs professionals in what we might be pleased to call the "technologically progressive nations",we have access to data systems and networks that are able to both manage and provide bits andbytes in quantities that just a few years ago were considered a dream of things to come

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert A. Hall; Mark W. McK. Bannatyne

1 Session 3260 Facing The Future of Engineering Education In Russia: The Cost of Change Dr. Mark W. McK. Bannatyne, Professor Robert A. Hall Purdue University/State Dept. of Corrections, New HampshireIntroductionChange, more often than not, is a painful thing. The citizens of Russia have within the last 10years had their share of pain; the only life that most Russians have ever known has been violentlystripped away and slowly replaced with an uncertain future. The social structure

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1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Olusegun Odesina; Nicholas Akinkuoye

Technology Department of Industrial Technology Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT 060501 Corresponding Author February 9, 1998 Page 3.283.1 1 Factors that Aid in the Promotion and Retention of Engineering Technology FacultyIntroduction Numerous national surveys and scholarly studies indicate that significant changes havetaken place involving retention, tenure and promotion practices at colleges

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Richard M. Felder

andcarrying out the research—is a full-time job. First-class teaching—planning and updatinglessons, creating appropriately challenging but fair homework assignments and examinations,learning about, importing, and implementing new instructional methods and materials, doingclassroom research and curriculum development and presenting and publishing the results, anddealing with the myriad of problems that students routinely present (classroom management,cheating, emotional problems, etc.)—is also a full-time job. There is a limit to how many full-time jobs one individual can hold down. Faculty members find different ways of dealing with this dilemma.1. The superhuman professors. Some faculty members manage to put in the time needed to do

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert Heidersbach; David Gibbs; Daniel Walsh; Alan Demmons

possess 1) an ability to apply knowledge ofmathematics, science and engineering, 2) an ability to design and conduct experiments as well as to analyze andinterpret data, 3) an ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs, 4) an ability to functionin multidisciplinary teams, 5) an ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems, 6) an understanding ofprofessional and ethical responsibility, 7) an ability to communicate effectively, 8) the broad education necessary tounderstand the impact of engineering solutions in a global/societal context, 9) a recognition of the need for and anability to engage in life long learning, 10) a knowledge of contemporary issues, and 11) an ability to use thetechniques, skills

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

G.J. Freeman; A.M. Mankowski; Daniel J. Pack

Session 3520 A Fire-Fighting Robot and Its Impact on Educational Outcomes D.J. Pack, A.M. Mankowski, and G.J. Freeman Department of Electrical Engineering United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, CO 80840-6236 ABSTRACTIn this paper we discuss the educational experiences gained through the design, construction,and competition of a fire-fighting robot. We focus on two significant educational outcomes: 1)teamwork skills and 2) the ability to frame, define, and resolve difficult, real-world

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Scott A. Stefanov; Daniel J. Pack

Session 3520Fire-Fighting Robot: The United States Air Force Academy Experience D. J. Pack and S. A. Stefanov Department of Electrical Engineering United States Air Force Academy USAFA, CO 80840-6236 ABSTRACTIn this paper we present an overview of the ongoing study on fire-fighting robot projectsat the United States Air Force Academy. The main objectives of this paper are: 1) todemonstrate the usefulness of a fire-fighting robot project as a tool for students tointegrate their undergraduate knowledge and 2) to present the

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert (Bob) M. Anderson

current situation is that many different software systems areavailable to deliver and administer instruction using the Internet (sometimes referred to below asWWW). Thirty different software systems are listed in Table I at the end of this manuscript.New systems seem to be announced weekly; some systems disappear mysteriously without atrace.An early adopter has a very difficult task to select which software system(s) to use. A list ofcriteria to be considered is presented in Table II at the end of this manuscript. (Table II isadapted from a private communication from Dr. M. Albright, Iowa State University.) My rankordered list of important factors is:1) Try to select a software system that will survive the shakeout in this industry that surely

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Stephen M. Williams; Byron P. Newberry

maintain contactbetween engineering majors and the engineering department. Consequently, we sought todevelop a new strategy for delivering the course that would simultaneously satisfy to twoapparently opposing requirements: that the course be very demanding of students to learn andpractice problem solving; and, that the course have a high success rate and motivate, rather thanweed out, students. The following describes the technique we have implemented, Minimum Self-PacedMastery. We have used this technique in the Spring and Fall semesters of 1997.MINIMUM SELF-PACED MASTERYRationale Two well-known, yet non-traditional, concepts are utilized in this course: self-pacing andmastery [1-4]. Self-pacing in its purest form allows students to

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Wallace B. Whiting; Joseph A. Shaeiwitz; Ph.D., Richard H. Turpin; Richard C. Bailie

phenomena, as fundamental asthermodynamics, and as crucial to the professional success of our graduates as a firm groundingin material and energy balances and process design. In this paper, instruction modules for ethics and professionalism and for environmentalhealth & safety are presented. We use these modules in the senior design class; however, theystand alone and can be used most anywhere in the curriculum. More details are available in anew, recently published textbook for the capstone design class.1 Ethics and Professionalism The purpose of this module is to teach students their ethical and legal responsibilities asprofessional engineers and to help them develop strategies to make the best

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Harish K. Krishnaswamy; Ryan B. Wicker

required to document the designprocess and experimentation in a final laboratory report. The NDC was introduced for the firsttime in the Fall 1997 semester. In the following, the NDC is described and the results from thatexperience are detailed.Description of the Nozzle Design ChallengeThe Nozzle Design Challenge (NDC) was a four week laboratory session in which students wererequired to design, analyze, and manufacture the least restrictive flow nozzle. Groups of twostudents were formed and each group was provided two, 3-inch long and 3-inch diameter sectionsof acrylic rod, from which individual flow nozzles were manufactured. The nozzle was to bedesigned based on the principles of fluid mechanics within the following design constraints: 1

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Craig Gunn

engineerstarts to collect information immediately the report will unfold with a much greater ease. It will also Table 1. Info-collection - (* indicates continuous collection throughout semester) 1. Info session - What do you need for the report?__________ 2*. Plant tour - What do you see?______________________________ 3*. Co-op job orientation. What are your responsibilities? What are the objectives of your position? Why does it exist? Does it utilize your tech. background? 4. Who will you report to and how is this to be done?_________ 5. Does the company have a particular style/format for text production. Is there anything peculiar about producing text for

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Michael Khader

telecommunication program graduate is $50,525. The Page 3.290.4average initial salary upon completion of the program is $36,740. An interesting observationregarding the initial salaries brought our attention to the improvement of the market place withinthe past five years. For example, significant number of recent graduates started with salariesranging in the low forties. In contrast, the initial salary of earlier graduates within the same timeperiod ranged between $32,150 and $38,500. This jump in the initial salary indicates animprovement in the job market in the past two years that is encouraging. Table 1 summarizes thesalary information both for the

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert J. Hofinger

elegant frugality.”“Using our resources more productively will bring us a number of benefits. For example: 1) We’ll live better - improved efficiency also means improved quality. 2) We’ll slow down the depletion of our natural resources and pollute less. 3) This will lead to a safer and cleaner world. 4) Corporate profits will be increased due to material cost savings and reduced environmental remediation costs.”On Information Redistribution:Electronic technologists will have the ability to access enormous bodies of knowledge and beable to control the global distribution of that information. This will be of greatest benefit tothose entrepreneurial start-up companies. Being the largest corporation in

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Wayne Hager; Jacques Lesenne; Dominique Saintive; Richard Devon

plans.A Developmental Model for International CollaborationsDuring initial discussions between the SETCE and the IUT, we recognized the followingdevelopmental stages of international educational partnerships. This model has beensuccessfully followed to date to somewhere between stages 3 and 4: 1. Familarization with Institution This is a time period to exchange adminstrators, faculty, and key individuals associated with the anticipated development of the exchange program. The purpose of the exchange is to become familiar with the partner institution, its goals and mission, institutional facilitites, and level of commitment to the international partnership. The first

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Barry M. Lunt; C. Richard Helps

are sometimes required for all freshmenstudents. The needs common to freshmen students can be summarized into three groups: 1) generaltools for success; 2) major-specific tools for success; and 3) vision of chosen major.Development of Course When an introductory course for Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) students wasfirst proposed, one of the primary concerns was to avoid adding further requirements to analready full curriculum. At the same time, it was believed that such a course was greatly needed,so further attempts were made to define and fit the course into the curriculum. In order to make room in the curriculum for this cornerstone course we moved some ofthe leveling previously done elsewhere into this

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Suzanne Keilson

easier to create such contests with a mechanical rather than an electrical focus. At Loyola College all freshman engineering students take a common introductorycourse and it was desirable for them to have some exposure to electronics. This had to beachieved within a number of constraints. The project had to take the form of a designcontest, it could not demand extensive prior knowledge of electronics (e.g. designingcircuits from scratch), and the budget for new equipment and materials was limited. Thispaper describes the solar mini-car contest that was established with a basic circuit andmaterials from Solarbotics1. Students learned about basic electronic components suchas resistors, capacitors, transistors, and solar cells. The basic

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Mireya Fernández; Albert Lozano-Nieto; Ferran Silva

Session 3148Freshman Experiences in the Electronics Lab: Comparing the Approaches at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain) and Penn State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus Mireya Fernández1 , Albert Lozano-Nieto2, and Ferran Silva1 1 Electronic Engineering Dept., Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain 2 Penn State University. Commonwealth College. Wilkes-Barre Campus. Lehman, PAABSTRACTIt is widely recognized and accepted that the first electronics laboratory experiences forEngineering and Engineering Technology students are critical to establish good laboratorypractices

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

William Park

any significant amount of energy to the system during or after the insertion of the coin. (For example, you may not pull on a string which lifts the coin itself or any part of your mechanism.) In other words, all of the energy required must be stored in the device before the coin is inserted. (See setup time mentioned in Basic Rules above.)• The coin handler must be able to distinguish a quarter from other standard US coinage (1¢, 5¢, 10¢, & 50¢). Only a 25¢ coin should result in activation of the product delivery mechanism. Any other coin should be returned to the user in a coin return tray located near the insertion point and made easily accessible to the user.• After the coin is placed and the machine is activated, you may not

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

J. A. Murden; K. P. Brannan

language should provide these opportunities.Thus, before the change to Mathcad was made, the faculty scrutinized the package to ensure thatthese goals could be met. Although a few disadvantages were noted that are discussed in latersections, it was felt that Mathcad clearly met these fundamental goals.Using Mathcad versus a Traditional LanguageThe department’s introductory programming course focuses on developing solutions to problemsusing language independent algorithms. This is accomplished by using programming constructsthat are common to most traditional languages. The programming fundamentals included in thethree most recent versions of the programming course are presented in Table 1. A comparison ofthe topics covered in the different

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Zbigniew Prusak

skills intoday’s workplace, and what else must be taught. Results given by the "let's try and see" experimentalattitude in various lab and classroom courses. Analysis of tests and observations of students havingdifferent backgrounds and levels of skills.1. INTRODUCTION Evolution of technology and society demands education of people who are equipped withknowledge and skills that are useful in the surrounding environment. New professions are created andsome traditional ones become obsolete. Blacksmiths, professionals that once were on the leading edgeof technology, became extinct. Advances in technology transformed their trade, created multitude ofrelated specialties and demands for new skills based on higher level of scientific knowledge

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Edgar N. Reyes; Dennis I. Merino; Carl W. Steidley

population genetics, among them robustness andefficiency. Features of biological systems found in genetic algorithms include reproduction, self-guidance, self-repair, the nature of survival of the fittest, and variation through mutation. Geneticalgorithms were developed by John Holland of the University of Michigan in the 1970's. Many ofthe essential properties of genetic algorithms discussed in this paper can be found in [1, 2].When a genetic algorithm is used to find an optimal solution in the space of all feasible solutions,the algorithm maintains a population (or set) of feasible solutions which evolve through randomprocess based on principles found in the mechanics of natural selection and genetics. Each time thisset of solution evolves (or as

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Beena Sukumaran

Conference Session

Promotion and Tenure

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

James R. Alexander, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; Donald D. Harter, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; Jerry W. Samples, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators (NEE)

, are required to attend an orientation hosted by Page 3.300.2the VPAA. Here, the tone of the university is set by the proclamation that: “Our primaryfunction is undergraduate teaching.” Since contracts are initially for three years, with the renewalprocess beginning in the fall of the second year, the importance of a fast start is emphasized. Thex’s on the time line below indicate the times when dossiers are needed for decisions oncontinuance and tenure. Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 x

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Ingrid H. Soudek

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Steven H. VanderLeest; Edward G. Nielsen

their academic program, offering no lasting value or merit. A variety of creativeapproaches have been attempted in the past to clarify the significance of the liberal arts course inthe engineering curriculum 1-4. In this paper, we offer an alternative approach that provides thestudent with important skills in the area of global engineering while at the same time instilling anappreciation of the liberal arts. These two important academic areas complement each otherremarkably well. We have developed a course, described in this paper, that combines the two –global engineering and the liberal arts – and the combination produces measurable improvementsin student perceptions.Why are the liberal arts important for the engineering student? Because the

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Daniel Nosenchuck

for subsequent travel abroad for hands-oninteraction with engineers and management of leading international product firms, with theopportunity to explore possible technology-transfer.1. IntroductionIt is no longer debated, but implicitly assumed and often explicitly stated, that leading engineerswill need to be prepared to function in the increasingly interconnected global environment. Itwill be the exception, not the rule, when engineering enterprise can be wholly executed withinnational boundaries. To prepare engineers for the complex, and often mysterious, climate ofinternational design and engineering, a new facet to the design curriculum at Princeton is in theprocess of being developed. An overarching emphasis on global engineering is

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

M.P. Hottenstein; C.O. Ruud

)Strategic decision context of manufacturing and linkage with corporate and business strategy.Includes cost drivers, organizational structure, and human relations.QMM 597 Communication and Leadership Skills for Managers (3.0)Comprehensive applied communications instruction including oral, written, and mediacommunication.Table 1 shows the course structure of the program. Table 1 Curricular Structure of QMM program Summer Fall (16 credits) Spring (14 credits) Internship Intro. to Business Concepts for Manufacturing (3) QMM 491 or Intro. to Engineering

Collection

1998 Annual Conference

Authors

Bernard J. Weigman; Glenn S. Kohne

, 3 large engineering corporations provided over 95% of thestudent body. These corporations were primarily defense oriented. When the cold war came to aclose starting about 10 years ago, the number of engineers employed by these companies was cutdrastically. Takeovers and buyouts changed the way companies did business. For long periods,new engineering hires, which were the mainstays of our program, no longer existed. During thisperiod the makeup of our student population changed dramatically. Instead of 80 to 100 studentsfrom each of 3 major companies, we went to 1 to 4 students from each of over a hundreddifferent companies, large and small. Our recruiting approach changed as our competitionbecame keener. Our product had to be the best or