Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Electrical and Control Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Yao, East Carolina University; Brent Walter Reed

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

research interests include wearable medical devices, telehealthcare, bioinstrumentation, biosignal processing, and control systems. His educational research interests are laboratory/project-driven learning and integration of research into undergraduate education. Dr. Yao is a member of the American Society of Engineering Education and a senior member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).Mr. Brent Walter Reed c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Facilitating Student Learning with Hands-on Projects in an Electronics Course in a General Engineering CurriculumIn a general engineering program at East Carolina University, an electrical

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Best Papers

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen Ann Thompson, Loras College; Danial J. Neebel PE, Loras College

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Diversity

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

electric circuitclass and associated lab. Students are then instructed on how to build a LabVIEW™ program toread and convert the rotation rate to a linear velocity as well as a volumetric flow rate.This method of integrating theory from different engineering theory courses by engagingstudents in practical applications helps the students to further their knowledge and understandingin both targeted areas. We are working on new experiences to integrate additional topics.IntroductionTo be an effective engineer and apply the fundamental principles of mechanics, materials,circuits, fluids, thermodynamics, etc. it is necessary to understand how these different distincttopics inter-relate. The skill of knowledge transfer is particularly difficult for

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Aero and Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Sullivan, Virginia Military Institute; Jon-michael Hardin P.E., Virginia Military Institute

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Diversity

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

 Mechanical DesignThe centerpiece of the new Intro to ME curriculum is a 9 week lab sequence in which studentsbuild a small bore pneumatic powered potato gun that is controlled using an Arduinomicrocontroller. In the initial 3 weeks of the course, students learn to use the machine shop tofabricate the potato gun components. In the next four weeks, students are introduced to theArduino microcontroller and use it to control a solenoid piloted pneumatic valve, (used to fire thegun), as well as a stepper motor, (used to adjust the angular position of the gun). Finally, in thelast 2 weeks of this project, students integrate the electrical and mechanical components, alongwith a firing control program to operate the gun. While potato cannons are undeniably

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Aero and Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Cardenas, Harvey Mudd College; R. Erik Spjut, Harvey Mudd College

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Diversity

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

addressed in the Resultssection.Figures 4 and 5 from 2008 show a great deal of quantization staircasing and the poor altituderesolution. The third and fifth columns of plots in Figure 6 are the sensor data from theaccelerometers and rate gyros from a 2008 flight. The plot in the third column on the third row isthe built-in accelerometer on the R-DAS. It shows severe quantization noise. The otheraccelerometer and rate gyro plots show much less stairstepping due to careful attention to scalingthe signals for the 10-bit ADC. The other plots on Figure 6 are axial position, velocity, androtation angle calculated by numerically integrating the data. While the curves are smoother, theoffset integration errors are unacceptably large. The flight reached an

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: BYOE Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Harry Courtney Powell, University of Virginia

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

are small enough to be used as in-classdemonstrations for courses that are entirely lecture-based. We are currently also running a smallpilot follow-on course that is conducted in a project-based approach where the students involvedspecify performance parameters, design (including printed circuit), and test a regulator board thatcould be used in subsequent offerings of our initial course offering. We have found that this typeof student involvement in curriculum development is a valuable tool in developing enthusiasmfor within our program.9 Student comments were favorable and indicated that courses such asthis one were an asset to our curriculum.Summary and ConclusionsWe have found student interest in topics related to the generation and

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Best Papers

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cara J Poor P.E., University of Portland; Evan S Miller, GeoEngineers, Inc.

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Paper ID #14671Hydrology Experiment Design: An Open-Ended Lab to Foster Student En-gagement and Critical ThinkingDr. Cara J Poor P.E., University of Portland Dr. Poor teaches many of the integral undergraduate civil engineering courses at University of Portland, including hydraulics, fluids, and environmental engineering. Dr. Poor is a licensed professional engineer with ongoing research in green infrastructure design, water quality, watershed management, and engi- neering education. She is currently developing new curricula for hydraulics, fluids, and environmental engineering labs, and conducting research on methods to

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Laboratory Pedagogy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julianne Vernon, University of Michigan; Deborah E. Goldberg, University of Michigan; John P. Wolfe, University of Michigan

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

-represented groups in STEM disciplines.Prof. John P. Wolfe, University of Michigan John P. Wolfe received his B.A. degree in Chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1994 and his Ph.D. degree in 1999 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the guidance of Professor Stephen L. Buchwald. He carried out postdoctoral research under the supervision of Professor Larry E. Overman at the University of California, Irvine, prior to joining the faculty at the University of Michigan in July, 2002, where he is currently an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry, and the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education in the Department of Chemistry. Professor Wolfe’s current research is directed towards the

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Best Papers

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan W. Valvano, University of Texas - Austin; Ramesh Yerraballi, University of Texas - Austin; Chad Fulton, University of Texas - Austin

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

teaching and research. He has received numerous teaching awards and authored five widely-used text- books on embedded microcomputer systems. He has co-founded a successful medical device company called Admittance Technologies. His research involves integrated analog/digital processing, low-power design, medical instrumentation, and real-time systems.Dr. Ramesh Yerraballi, University of Texas - Austin Ramesh Yerraballi is a Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at The University of Texas at Austin. He received his Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Osmania University, India, in 1991 and his PhD degree in Computer Science from Old Dominion

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Electrical and Control Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Harry Courtney Powell, University of Virginia; Maite Brandt-Pearce, University of Virginia; Ronald D. Williams P.E., University of Virginia; Robert M. Weikle, University of Virginia; Lloyd R. Harriott, University of Virginia

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

everyoneinvolved. While much of the lecture material was similar to that presented in the old circuitscourse, one objective was to integrate some electronics and signals material in this first course.The addition of this new material necessitated selective removal of previously-covered circuitsmaterial, i.e. details of transient and phasor analysis, that would now be covered in futurecourses. The decision was made to include more exposure to diodes and to add a significantintroduction to MOS transistors in this first course. An introduction to the Fourier series wasadded to enhance the analysis of simple circuits excited by sinusoids.While the selection and integration of new material was somewhat challenging, much more workwas required to integrate the

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Electrical and Control Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Oscar Ortiz, LeTourneau University; Paul R. Leiffer P.E., LeTourneau University

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

learningexperience that would help us to evaluate (1) how well our junior engineering students couldapply the knowledge acquired in their freshman and sophomore engineering courses, (2) if theycould integrate this knowledge with what they were learning in the current Electronics course,(3) how to put it into practice when interfacing the Arduino microcontroller to practical analogcircuits and (4) if they could be challenged to seek to learn concepts from future engineeringcourses.For this purpose a Radio Controlled Race Car Project was selected as a semester-long project.The electronic project was divided into four distinguishable subsystems, 1) analog radio control,2) radio transmitter/receiver, 3) control unit, based on an Arduino microcontroller, and 4

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Classroom and Online Innovations

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dominik May, TU Dortmund University; Claudius Terkowsky, TU Dortmund University; Tobias R. Ortelt, TU Dortmund University; A. Erman Tekkaya, TU Dortmund University

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

in this context is not only to improve the level of usability of thislearning experience but also to open up the integration of laboratory learning to totally newlearning settings.The remote lab’s integration into new educational settings is accompanied by a new demandfor formative evaluation in order to assess and improve the setting as a whole. Therefore,after a short literature review this paper will focus on four different aspects: 1. The developed remote laboratory equipment 2. The course content and how laboratory experiments connect with engineering practice 3. The assessment tools used in evaluating the success of the remote laboratory 4. The results of the student evaluations from an online course given in 2015Developing

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Laboratory Pedagogy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Renee M. Clark, University of Pittsburgh; Arash Mahboobin, University of Pittsburgh

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

communicating theoretical knowledge, successful engineering education programsequip prospective engineers with the strategies and methods to solve practical problemsencountered in the work place. In contrast to many of the limited-scope problems in textbooks,practical problems are open-ended, loosely structured, and complex. Engineering programs havelong recognized the need to convey both theoretical and practical knowledge by supplementingtextbooks and lectures with laboratory experiences and integrated design projects; however,many of the teaching methods employed in the traditional lecture hall are carried over to the labenvironment.In the fall 2014, we observed student difficulty in solving open-ended problems, leading to lowachievement outcomes

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Electrical and Control Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dustyn Roberts P.E., University of Delaware; Andrew Peter Borowski, University of Delaware

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

improvement withinthe laboratory curriculum. While 69% of respondents agreed that lab exercises rated either as“Very Effective” or as “Effective” for active learning, the average rating for “the overall qualityand frequency of active learning” in laboratory courses was only 2.4 on a scale of 0 to 4. 51% ofrespondents asserted that the frequency of active learning in lab classes should be increased. Inresponse to what topics they felt exposure to was valuable in a mechanical engineeringcurriculum, 73% responded with advanced analytical software (e.g. MATLAB), 71% withcomputer control & data acquisition, 51% with integrated PLC control, and 47% withmicroprocessors.The second survey prompted participants to rank the labs they had participated in on

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Electrical and Control Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ismail Guvenc, Florida International University; Natalie Paul, Florida International University; Rhys Bowley, National Instruments; Maria Lorelei Fernandez, Florida International University

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Learning Technolo- gies. She, also, has a background in Mathematics Education and Engineering.Mr. Rhys Bowley, National Instruments Rhys is an engineer working at National Instruments in a role that focuses on wireless communications in education. Rhys graduated with a Masters (MEng Hons) in Communications and Electronic Engineering from Cardiff University, where he spent a short time working as a researcher in loadpull characterisation techniques for mobile device power amplifiers. During his time at Cardiff he also taught lab classes in LabVIEW programming for both under graduate and post graduates alike. His passion is that wireless communications in

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Best Papers

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anahid Behrouzi, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Daniel Kuchma, Tufts University

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Diversity

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

, especially those associated with the instructors’ personal research/consulting experience, received highly positive feedback and students would often approach the instructor to ask follow up questions. These types of case-studies should be more fully integrated throughout the semester, rather than concentrated at the end as they were in the Fall 2015 semester.  Students enjoyed the creativity associated with the final design project and the fact that each team’s problem statement was unique. Many requested that some of the experiment- based activities from earlier in the semester be replaced with small design challenges. Instructors would have to be selective to insure curriculum topics are still addressed if this

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Aero and Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Elizabeth Chambers, The Cooper Union; Sergio Anibal Rodriguez, The Cooper Union; Robert Michael Walsh, The Cooper Union; David Wootton, Cooper Union

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

samescenario tested in this experiment. Figure 20 shows the results of the FEA simulation run for theFSAE spaceframe. The simulation was run with 400 ft-lbf, an average suspension load, appliedacross the front axle. The torsional stiffness at the front axle from FEA was calculated to bearound 1100 ft-lbf/deg. This is within 10% of the value calculated from the experimental setup. Figure 20: The results of the torsional rigidity computer simulation.Course StructureThe implementation of the laboratory experiment consisted of both horizontal and verticalcurricular integration with other courses.Horizontally, this laboratory experiment in ME160 Engineering Experimentation is an extensionof an experiment that is done earlier in the course

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Laboratory Pedagogy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bridget M. Smyser, Northeastern University; Sahar Tariq, Northeastern University

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

0.46-0.48: ‘describe calculation methods’, ‘estimate uncertainties in results’, and ‘explain routine data processing such as calibration corrections’. Weak positive correlations were seen with ‘justifying adjustments or corrections’ and ‘examining data for consistency’. An interesting result is that there was almost no effect for the behaviors ‘anticipate results from theory’ and ‘compare data to previous work or literature’. This may point to either a weakness in the curriculum in reinforcing these behaviors, or a lack of maturity and understanding on the part of the students at this point in their academic careers. One lab that stands out is Lab 6. This had a very low positive correlation for the total number

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: BYOE Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald W. Recktenwald, Portland State University

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Diversity

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Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

power control or fan speed control is required. Students in an instrumentation or controlscourse could use the USB interface to the Arduino to collect data and/or reprogram the Arduino toperform feedback control.Six of the devices with varying sized heat sinks were used in a trial homework assignment in anundergraduate heat transfer course with 75 students in Spring 2015 and in another section of thesame course with 57 students in Winter 2016. At this point, we have no quantitative assessmentdata.OverviewThough laboratory exercises are a standard part of an engineering curriculum, there are a widevariety of ways that labs can be implemented. In recent years a number of simple experimentshave been developed that help to make laboratory