Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Caitlyn Clark, University of Notre Dame; Robert E. Choate III, Western Kentucky University; Jimmy Sandusky, Halton Company

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #14703Enhancing Student Learning through Extracurricular Energy ProjectsMs. Caitlyn Clark, University of Notre Dame Caitlyn Clark is a first year graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame. Her research involves using particle image velocimetry techniques for various flow analyses. She is also a recent alumni of Western Kentucky University where she served as a thermo-fluids research assistant. During her undergraduate career she carried out multiple research projects funded through internal grants and industry sponsorships.Prof. Robert E. Choate III, Western Kentucky University Robert

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chi-Cheng Cheng, National Sun Yat-Sen University; Chia-Chi Wang, National Sun Yat-Sen University; Yu-Jen Wang, National Sun Yat-Sen University; Ying-Yao Cheng, National Sun Yat-Sen University; Chua-Chin Wang, National Sun Yat-Sen University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #15540A Project-Oriented Capstone Course for Creative Engineering EducationProf. Chi-Cheng Cheng, National Sun Yat-Sen University Dr. Chi-Cheng Cheng has been with the Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering of National Sun Yat-Sen University in Taiwan since 1991. He currently is the Chairman of the Depart- ment. He is also an adjoin professor with the Institute of Undersea Technology and College of General Education of National Sun Yat-Sen University. He was a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of University of British Columbia in Canada in 2002 and a

Conference Session

Computer Modeling/CAD in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiaobin Le P.E., Wentworth Institute of Technology; Ali Reza Moazed, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Anthony William Duva P.E., Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #14644The Design Projects for the Simulation-Based Design CourseDr. Xiaobin Le P.E., Wentworth Institute of Technology Associate professor, Ph.D, PE., Department of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Wentworth In- stitute of Technology, Boston, MA 02115, Phone: 617-989-4223, Email: Lex@wit.edu, Specialization in Computer Aided Design, Mechanical Design, Finite Element Analysis, Fatigue Design and Solid Me- chanicsProf. Ali Reza Moazed, Wentworth Institute of Technology Ali R. Moazed is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Technology department at Wentworth Institute of Technology. In addition

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mehmet Sozen, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #16995A Design-and-Build Project for Heat Transfer CourseDr. Mehmet Sozen, Grand Valley State University Dr. Mehmet S¨ozen is a professor of mechanical engineering at Grand Valley State University. His general area of interest is thermo/fluid sciences with specialty in transport phenomena in porous media, thermal management of high heat flux systems and applications of alternative energy systems. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 A Design and Build Project for Heat Transfer CourseAbstract Design and build type projects could constitute a part of experiential

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #15004First-Time Experience of Teaching a Project-Based Mechatronics CourseDr. Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania Kala Meah received the B.Sc. degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1998, the M.Sc. degree from South Dakota State University in 2003, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Wyoming in 2007, all in Electrical Engineering. From 1998 to 2000, he worked for sev- eral power companies in Bangladesh. Currently, Dr. Meah is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program, Department of Engineering and Computer Science, York College of Pennsylvania

Conference Session

Design throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Haolin Zhu, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #14393Implementing Open-ended Hands-on Design Projects throughout the Me-chanical Engineering CurriculumDr. Haolin Zhu, Arizona State University Dr. Haolin Zhu received her PhD in Solid Mechanics and Computational Science and Engineering from Cornell University. She is currently part of the freshmen engineering education team in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Currently she focuses on designing the curriculum for the freshman engineering program as well as the NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program. She also designs and teaches courses in mechanical engineering at ASU. Her

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James A. Mynderse, Lawrence Technological University; Robert W. Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University; Liping Liu, Lawrence Technological University; Andrew L. Gerhart, Lawrence Technological University; Selin Arslan; Kingman E. Yee, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

engineering and the program director for the Master of Science in Automotive Engineering. In addition, he is faculty co-advisor for the Collegiate Chapter of SAE and the Blue Devil Motorsports Organization. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 A Three Semester Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Sequence Based on SAE Collegiate Design SeriesAbstractMechanical engineering students at Lawrence Technological University complete a five-credithour capstone project: either an SAE collegiate design series (CDS) vehicle or an industry-sponsored project (ISP). Students who select the SAE CDS option enroll in a three semester, threecourse sequence. Each team of seniors designs

Conference Session

Computer Modeling/CAD in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sung-Hwan Joo, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

CourseAbstractThe projects and assignments in freshman level CAD/CAM courses provide students a valuablechance to develop their skills further. In the past, most of assignments and projects were aboutdesigning simple mechanical (and/or electrical) system and theories without requiring anymanufacturing skills. However, students need to have basic manufacturing skills as they move upto the upper level classes or when they graduate. Students who have a good manufacturing skillstend to have better hands-on skills and to be more successful as students as well as engineers.In this specific example class, students are required to learn manufacturing skills through severalunique manufacturing assignments. Three manufacturing assignments including Keychain

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott F. Kiefer, York College of Pennsylvania; Tristan M. Ericson, York College of Pennsylvania; Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania; James Moscola, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez in the traditional role of teaching and administering a modest research program. At Trine University, a small private school in Angola, Indiana, Scott taught ten different courses from introductory freshman courses to senior design, while serving as advisor to many undergraduate research projects. For the last four years, Scott has been at York College of Pennsylvania where his concentration is on undergraduate education in mechanical engineering.Dr. Tristan M. Ericson, York College of Pennsylvania Dr. Tristan Ericson is an assistant professor at York College of Pennsylvania. Prior to this appointment, he was a visiting professor at Bucknell University and received his PhD from Ohio

Conference Session

Design throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Martin Edin Grimheden, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

to integrating academic and professionalskills in European higher engineering programs in light of the relatively recent conversion tothe three cycle system. The study has been performed in a Mechanical Engineering programat KTH, in Stockholm, Sweden, where one of the main issues has been the addition of newlearning goals relating to scientific methods and research.The author presents three models for how research and scientific methods can be integratedwith engineering work in a thesis project context. We show that it is indeed possible toperform the integration synergistically, providing the various sets of requirements are clearlycommunicated particularly to any industrial representatives.Introduction: professional and academic

Conference Session

Design Throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sangarappillai Sivaloganathan, United Arab Emirates University; Farag K. Omar, United Arab Emirates University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Designing with Lessons from the Machine Design Course: A Capstone Experience Sangarappillai Sivaloganathan and Farag K. Omar Department of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering United Arab Emirates University P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain United Arab EmiratesKey Words: Machine Design, Capstone Project, Impact of Designed ArtefactsAbstract:Extensive procedures and complex calculations involved in the Machine Designcourses make the students feel dull. To enthuse the students there is a need to haveinspiring capstone projects that

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel J. Magda, Weber State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #15403Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies withDr. Daniel J. Magda, Weber State University Professor, Mechanical Engineer, Ph.D. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies with Laboratory Courses via Capstone DesignAbstractThe objective of this paper is to improve student retention of their engineering mechanicseducation with a teaching/learning strategy implemented in their capstone design project class.There are many quotes from great historians and current educators about the process of teachingand the benefits of

Conference Session

Using Laboratories for Instruction in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amanie N. Abdelmessih, California Baptist University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

fees that varied from $300 to less than $1000 a year for small projectsinvolving undergraduate students. Also, that faculty wrote and acquired numerous micro grantsfor equipment, instruments, and software. These micro grants ranged from $500 to $25,000.Creative methods were used to create unique hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduatemechanical engineering students. The undergraduate senior students designed, manufactured,assembled, and built unique thermal engineering experiments, with instruction and advising fromthe author. These activities met numerous of ABET criteria for accrediting undergraduateengineering programs. The projects that were designed and built by the senior mechanicalengineering students were used in educating

Conference Session

Design throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anurag Purwar, Stony Brook University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Conference and has served as symposium and session chairs for many ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences. He is the general Conference Co-Chair for the 2016 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (IDETC/CIE). Dr. Purwar is also the department’s representative to the NY state-funded Strategic Partnership for In- dustrial Resurgence (SPIR) program. As the SPIR representative, he identifies and coordinates projects between the department and Long Island based industries. SPIR projects include joint proposals for fed- eral funding, manufacturing and quality assurance improvements, research and development, and testing and evaluation. He won a SUNY Research Foundation Technology

Conference Session

Teaching Methods in Mechancial Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca L Norris, University of Oklahoma; Zahed Siddique, University of Oklahoma; M. Cengiz Altan, University of Oklahoma; J. D. Baldwin, University of Oklahoma; Wilson E Merchán-Merchán, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

groups and providing learning opportunities to those whomay otherwise be overlooked.Although we have been working toward these goals for some time, our department has beenparticularly active in these endeavors over the last year. We are currently participating in aNational Science Foundation funded program titled Transforming Engineering Culture toAdvance Inclusion and Diversity (TECAID), to implement and investigate culturaltransformation projects in mechanical engineering departments. We believe our faculty, staff,and students can benefit from increased awareness of and empathy for others, and we believethat participating in this program will help us achieve our desired atmosphere of inclusion. In thispaper, we will present our efforts in

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aric Martin Gillispie, University of Central Oklahoma; Adam Dorety, University of Central Oklahoma; Andrew Meier, University of Central Oklahoma ; Grant M. Armstrong; Evan C. Lemley, University of Central Oklahoma

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Dynamics Research on Undergraduate EducationAbstract The obtaining of an undergraduate degree concludes a successful student universitycareer. For many pursuing an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, the process canbe tedious and difficult. Much like an engineering design, an engineering education requiresspecific tools to see the problem from design to production. For many, the desired solution toproducing the degree is supplemented only by an introductory design class, a few hands onlaboratories that provide an introduction to a few key basic concepts, and a capstone course thatrequires the implementation of the acquired knowledge in a final design project intending tomimic the design process

Conference Session

Using Laboratories for Instruction in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vidya K Nandikolla, California State University, Northridge; Vibhav Durgesh, California State University, Northridge

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

components.Mechatronics is a newer branch of mechanical engineering that is a synergistic combination ofmechanical, electrical, electronics, computer science, control techniques, and informationsystems. Integrating mechatronics content in mechanical engineering curriculum has been achallenge since it has been viewed as a significant deviation from traditional courses. In the past,pedagogical approaches like semester-long, project-based classes, or linking mechatronics toother engineering disciplines, have been used to integrate mechatronics into the mechanicalengineering curriculum, with varying results. Furthermore, teaching an interdisciplinary class ofthis nature within a semester is a difficult pedagogical endeavor. To overcome these issues, thetopics and

Conference Session

Using Laboratories for Instruction in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John E Matsson, Oral Roberts University; Matthew Raman Fulton, Oral Roberts University; Brennan T. Harrup, Oral Roberts University; Meagan N Case, Oral Roberts University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

and the resulting room air motion.Students designed the space air diffusion experimental test setup for use in the Fluid Mechanicscourse’s laboratory and for the ASHRAE Senior Undergraduate Project Grant program, whichfunded the project. Three groups of students in the Manufacturing Processes course designed theexperimental setup – one group designed the mechanism to position the Pitot-tube and hot-wireanemometry measurement devices in the flow field, another group designed the layout of thechannel the air would pass through to become steady flow, and the remaining group designed thesection which would streamline the air supplied by the fan. The overall objective was to engagethe students in a design project. This paper will provide details

Conference Session

Using Laboratories for Instruction in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul E. Slaboch, St. Martin's University; Floraliza Bornasal, Oregon State University; Rico Picone, Saint Martin's University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

authors developed an exploratory pilot interview focusing on students’identification and recognition of the application of course concepts into their senior designprojects. The pilot interview was qualitative, semi-structured, and open-ended in nature.2,3 Theinterview protocol is listed in table 4.In order to explore students’ ability to recognize and identify mechatronics, instrumentation, andexperimental design concepts without biasing their answers at the initiation of the interview, theprotocol followed a specified format. The first stage of the interview allowed the students toexplain their senior design project (i.e. their roles, problems faced, and stage in design). Thesecond stage of the interview engaged students in talk about concepts

Conference Session

Flipped Classrooms in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John-David S Yoder, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

final exam questions, are included.Preliminary findings indicate that in general this approach can work, but that there arecertain content areas in which the available resources are very weak. A summary ofresources used and student ratings of each will also be provided.BACKGROUNDThis paper describes work completed at Ohio Northern University (ONU), a small, private,comprehensive university focused on undergraduate education. At ONU, engineeringstudents are heavily involved in design projects throughout the curriculum. A course in thesenior year called “Process of Design” is required for all mechanical engineering students.This course provides content to accompany the capstone projects, a model that is notunique1.Previously, this course was

Conference Session

Uses for MATLAB in Mechancial Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Rhudy, Pennsylvania State University - Berks; Rungun Nathan, Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

within an Undergraduate Dynamics CourseAbstract This project introduces a method of teaching undergraduate students MATLABprogramming within a typical engineering lecture course, dynamics. This particular course waschosen because its content offers natural connections between engineering and programmingconcepts. The MATLAB programming instruction and assignments were approached throughthe context of the dynamics course material. This allowed students to make connections betweentheir typical dynamics course content and the more abstract programming concepts which cansometimes be difficult for them to understand. This idea was indicated to be effective throughanonymous student comments from student evaluations.Introduction Although

Conference Session

Teaching Methods in Mechancial Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael R. Maughan, University of Idaho Department of Mechanical Engineering; Joel C. Perry, University of Idaho

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

solutions for upper extremity rehabilitation. Dr. Perry served as a University of Idaho Adjunct Faculty member from 2013-2014 through a European International Fellowship (Marie Curie COFUND) and joined the University of Idaho’s Mechanical Engineering Department as an assistant professor in 2014. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Student performance improvement from a student-graded- logbook exerciseAbstract An exercise was designed and implemented for a mid-program design course in order toimprove student performance and effectiveness in the use of engineering logbooks in the contextof design projects. Over the course of two successive semesters

Conference Session

Design Throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James M. Widmann, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Peter Schuster, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Paper ID #15706All Active All the Time? What are the Implications of Teaching a TraditionalContent-Rich Machine Components/Mechanical Systems Design Course Us-ing Active Learning?Dr. James M. Widmann, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Jim Widmann is a professor of mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He received his Ph.D. in 1994 from Stanford University and has served as a Fulbright Scholar at Kathmandu University it Nepal. At Cal Poly, he coordinates the departments industry spon- sored senior project class and teaches mechanics and design courses. He also

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diane L. Peters PE, Kettering University; Janet Brelin-Fornari P.E., Kettering University; Sheryl Janca, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the students were given two lab sessions to complete the final project. Lab Number Lab Description Introduction to Matlab and Solving 1 Differential Equations 2 Matrix Math 3 Spring Mass Damper System 4 Linear Simulation in Matlab 5 Introduction to Simulink 6 Block Diagram Algebra 7 First Order System Response Final Lab Project: Modeling and 8

Conference Session

Design Throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elliott Vega, University of Washington, Bothell; John William Bridge P.E., University of Washington, Bothell

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

incorporate a material selection design textbook with an associated professional-level software program. Materials selection concepts and methods were interspersed throughoutthe course and integrated into three student-group design projects involving springs, bearings,rotating shafts, and gear elements. This approach resulted in a practical and effective method ofintroducing materials selection into the design process and provided needed skills for the follow-on, senior-level capstone design course. At the end of the class, an easy-to-follow, student-written material selection reference guide (with examples) was produced to provide guidance forfuture classes and students needing a quick overview of the materials selection process and useof the

Conference Session

Uses for MATLAB in Mechancial Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyle Frederick Larsen P.E., Eastern Washington University; N.M. A. Hossain, Eastern Washington University; Martin William Weiser, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

realistic problems to show the students how to apply the concepts with thetheory. If a student can visually see how all the pieces fit together, they will be able to master thesubject and apply it to real world applications.Projects with real world applications are another tool used in teaching MATLAB. Many schoolsuse projects to teach their students a variety of different subjects.At Northern Illinois University5 they used MATLAB to design and simulate a sun tracking solarpower system. The simulation consists of four modules: solar tracking cells, signal conditioningcircuit, controller, and motor. The simulation provides an excellent platform for undergraduateengineering technology students to study the design and theory of a sun tracking solar

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Youssef, San Diego State University; Vladimir Arutyunov, California State University Northridge

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Vladimir Arutyunov2 1 Mechanical Engineering Department, San Diego State University 2 Mechancial Engineering Department, California State University NorthridgeAbstractSenior design projects are essential capstone experiences to Mechanical Engineering studentsthat allow them to integrate and apply the knowledge they attained in all of their prerequisitecourses. Generally, senior students are required to engineer a system that can be purelymechanical or interdisciplinary such as a biomedical, automotive, or aerospace system.Traditionally, Mechanical Engineering curricula focus on the specifics of each component orsubsystem with no regard, or at best little regard, to the overall system

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michele Putko P.E., University of Massachusetts - Lowell; Juliette Nicole Rooney-Varga, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

optimization under uncertainty. She is a member of the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative.Juliette Nicole Rooney-Varga, University of Massachusetts - Lowell Juliette N. Rooney-Varga is Director of the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative and Associate Pro- fessor of Environmental Biology. Her microbial ecology research has spanned diverse topics related to carbon cycling, climate change, and energy; from feedback loops in microbial production of methane in the Arctic and the climate system, to harnessing electricity produced by anaerobic microorganisms in soil. She recently led the NASA-funded Climate Education in an Age of Media (CAM) Project to integrate student-produced media and climate change science, while

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Youssef, San Diego State University; Enrique A. Ainsworth, University of California - Los Angeles; Casey Ann Shapiro, UCLA Center for Educational Assessment; Hannah Whang Sayson, UCLA Center for Educational Assessment; Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, University of California - Los Angeles

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

programs, honors education, undergradu- ate seminars, transfer students, community learning opportunities, and undergraduate research education. Finally, the unit collaborates with faculty across campus to develop and implement curricular assessment components of funded grant projects. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Comprehensive Research Experience for Undergraduates George Youssef1, Enrique Ainsworth2, Hannah Whang3, Casey Shapiro3, Marc Levis- Fitzgerald3, and Jane Chang4 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University 2 Center for Excellence in Engineering and

Conference Session

Design throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mariappan Jawaharlal, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Paul Morrow Nissenson, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Angela C. Shih, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

their undergraduate studies. At Cal Poly Pomona, mechanical engineering students useArduino in their control systems class, usually taken in their senior year. Many students also useArduino in their senior design projects. Witnessing that Arduino is being introduced at high schoollevel [11], and after experimenting with one section of first year students, we decided to introduceall mechanical engineering students to Arduino early in their first year. This gives an opportunityfor our students to learn about microcontrollers, circuits, electronics, sensor-actuator integrationand programming at the beginning of their education in a project-based environment. It is hopedthat the students will become more confidant in integrating mechanical parts