Conference Session

Aerospace Engineering Education

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristoffer Borgen, Purdue University; William Theodore Weldon, Purdue University; Brian Kozak, Purdue Polytechnic Institute; Tracy L. Yother, Purdue Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

, Indiana. He has strong personal interests in aviation where he enjoys piloting aircraft and building a composite airplane. Dr. Kozak holds FAA private pilot, airframe and powerplant, and remote pilot certificatesMs. Tracy L. Yother, Purdue Polytechnic Institute Tracy L. Yother is a PhD student in Career and Technical Education in the College of Education at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. Ms. Yother currently teaches the undergraduate Powerplant Systems course in the Aeronautical Engineering Technology (AET) program. She possesses a B.S. and M.S. in Aviation Technology. She also holds an airframe and powerplant certificate. Ms. Yother has 18 years’ experience in the aerospace and defense industry working

Conference Session

Student Success, Learning Strategies, and Retention in the Aerospace Industry

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Chadia A. Aji, Tuskegee University; M. Javed Khan, Tuskegee University; Ana M. Tameru, Tuskegee University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

from mathematics department and Dr. Ovais Khan from aerospace engineeringdepartment at Tuskegee University for assisting with the design of the courses incorporating theactive-learning strategies and for implementing the methodology in their courses.References[1] https://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2018-06-08/study-boys-interest-in-stem-careers-declining[2] https://recruitingdaily.com/why-the-u-s-has-a-stem-shortage-and-how-we-fix-it-part-1/[3] https://ssec.si.edu/stem-imperative[4] https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014001rev.pdf[5] E. Seymour & E. Hewitt (1997). Talking About Leaving: Factors Contributing to HighAttrition Rates Among Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Undergraduate Majors. Boulder,CO: Bureau of Sociological

Conference Session

Aerospace Student Projects, Engineering Design and Research

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Wilhelm A. Friess, University of Maine

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

Paper ID #28956Lighter than air vehicles as aerospace focused projects in a mechanicalengineering capstone sequenceDr. Wilhelm A Friess, University of Maine Dr. Friess holds a Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering and a B.Sc. in Physics from Rensselaer Polytech- nic Institute (1997), and currently is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering with the Univer- sity of Maine. Previously he has spent 5 years in Dubai as inaugural faculty of RIT Dubai and Dubai Aerospace Enterprise University. Dr. Friess’ industrial and academic career spans a variety of consult- ing and entrepreneurial activities in Europe, Asia and Africa

Conference Session

Experimentation and Laboratory-oriented Studies Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Cyrus Habibi P.E., University of Wisconsin, Platteville; Darius Fieschko, University of Wisconsin, Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace, Experimentation and Laboratory-Oriented Studies

logic elements.While many engineering programs have already implemented PLC courses in their curricula,instruction remains lacking in many others. Since engineering students with some PLC trainingmay have better career opportunities than those who do not, this may represent an area forimprovement for some programs.Introduction to Projects and Tools is a freshman level course offered to electrical engineeringstudents at [XXX University]. This one-credit laboratory course serves to provide students withhands-on experience with a variety of projects such as the implementation of 555 timers, basiclogic circuits, and measurements of electrical quantities.A two-week PLC module was developed and implemented in the Introduction to Projects andTools

Conference Session

Topics Related to Assessments and Outcomes

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Maughmer, Pennsylvania State University; Kathy Schmidt, University of Texas-Austin

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

stages to sketch basicideas. Although technology is being used in place of pencil and paper, currentresearch on cognition and the impact of technology on thinking and learning isexploring how interfacing with a keyboard and not a hand-held device like astylus or pencil is influencing thinking. 3 Keyboards drive productivity, but notnecessarily creativity. If the creative visual processing is only done through acomputer, then are engineering students limiting their thinking capacity andstaying restricted to thinking that is mostly verbal and rational?At this stage in my career, I’ve been in the classroom close to a quarter centuryand I wonder if the newer professors, who have mostly learned with technology,lack basic drawing skills. For the most

Conference Session

Best Practices in Aerospace Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Swami Karunamoorthy, Saint Louis University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

QualityImprovement.Step – 1: Program Educational Objectives (PEO)ABET definition states that “Program educational objectives are broad statements thatdescribe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparinggraduates to achieve.”A program not only educate certain skills, knowledge and values that a student supposedto know at the time of graduation but also what he/she would become by applying orpracticing those knowledge, skill and value. In simple terms, what is the purpose of theprogram? The answer to this question in broad statements should be developed afterseeking input from constituents. As a rule of thumb, the number of objectives can be atleast three and at most five.A program in general serves the constituency of Industry and/or

Conference Session

Aerospace Technical Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adeel Khalid, Southern Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

with freshmen engineering students are discussed and lessons learned areoutlined.IntroductionThe challenges associated with getting freshmen students involved in research studies mirrorthose of graduate level research. Often time undergraduate students are less prepared for aresearch study. They are looking for an experience as a means to determine career pathways. Thesupport mechanisms, evaluation structure, and reward systems for undergraduate students are notwell established or well defined and are still being developed in many institutions anddisciplines. In addition, funding mechanisms have not truly figured out how to properly evaluateand fund undergraduate research1,2. Given those challenges, it is still important to get themmotivated

Conference Session

Spacecraft Design Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sanjay Jayaram, Saint Louis University; Michael A. Swartwout, Saint Louis University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

spacecraft design related issues in their future career, that graduate students valuedthe seminars and put more effort on its preparation than most of the undergraduate students.Summary and ConclusionsThis new seminar-based course was implemented as a dual senior undergraduate and graduatecourse in the Aerospace Engineering Curriculum. The course covered a broad range of topicsdealing with space mission failure issues stemming from systems engineering perspective to sixcategories that are directly or indirectly related to space mission failures. Based on the studentfeedback, there is enough evidence that the goals for student learning were achieved, for themost part. This assessment is based on overall good student performance in class assignments

Conference Session

Design Courses 1, Teaching Tools

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Justin Charles Major, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Tyler Tallman, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

same authors and others describethe importance of connecting with industry partners to align disciplines and industry to oneanother. However, it was found that both needs could be addressed by connecting to industrypartners more fruitfully. Specifically, both stakeholders can provide to each other’s needs in theform of funding, training, and provision of career pathways to students. Having described the broadscope of engineering education as it relates to NDM teaching and learning, I now move to a morein-depth discussion of ideas.6. Discussion of ThemesIn this section, I wish to take a step forward and dig deeper into the themes of the many works Iread and reviewed. Specifically, I hope to target the issues I have found out about NDM

Conference Session

Teaching Methodology & Assessment 2

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

George Frederick Halow, University of Michigan; Maia E. Herrington, University of Michigan; Melanie Spare, Siemens Digital Industries Software; Shannon O'Donnell, Siemens Digital Industries Software; Gilbert Morris, Retired (formerly Siemens)

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

, George had a distinguished 31-year career at Ford Motor Company, where he held numerous positions as Chief Engineer of multiple vehicle lines (Expedi- tion/Navigator, Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, Town Car, and Ranger), several engineering leadership positions in automotive interiors and exteriors, and possesses operational experience in product design, manufacturing, and business & technology strategy. George has also been a very active mentor and coach, both in industry (serving on multiple personnel development committees and special projects to enhance organizational competency) and in academia (serving as the Ford Executive Champion for University of Michigan Student Teams, and Ford lead re- cruiter for

Conference Session

Hands-On Activities and Student Learning in Aerospace Engineering - I - Student Papers

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Nelson, Iowa State University; Benjamin Ahn, Iowa State University of Science and Technology; Christine Nicole Nelson

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

engineers. Because Make to Innovate is open tostudents from the freshman level to the senior level, we hope to reinforce these skills throughouttheir academic career continuously.ConclusionWe believe that the Make to Innovate program is helping our students in learning additional skillssuch as professional skills, manufacturing skills, and moving a design to reality. These skills willhelp our students in becoming better engineers and give them experience that can help them intheir future careers. The data we have collected so far have shown that we are making an impacton students and that employers have taken notice of the benefit of the program. As with anyprogram though, continuous assessment and improvement are needed to keep the

Conference Session

Aerospace Engineering Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Antonette T. Cummings P.E., Purdue University, West Lafayette; William C. Oakes, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Carla B. Zoltowski, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

engineering disciplines, butnot very many recently that are specific to aerospace. How can engineering educationresearchers leverage research tools from other disciplines to conduct research in an aerospacecontext? Engineering education researchers apply research to link professional practice toclassroom practice in order to keep the classroom up-to-date or even anticipate the knowledgeand skills that engineers will need to be successful in their careers. Engineering educationresearchers also investigate how students learn, from preschool years all the way through lifelonglearning as adults. Because the uniqueness of the learner and context of learning influence eachother, researchers must pay attention to the learner, the content, and the

Conference Session

Preparing the Future Workforce in Aerospace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Narayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

andDillinger14 studied students’ perceptions of grading, and their expectations based on those. Theydefined grade inflation as students receiving a grade that exceeds the level of performance in thecourse. They found that “average” students expected “B” or “A”. They identified changes incourse format, grading policies, student evaluations of instructors, and alternatives offered forextra credit and reworking of assignments as factors contributing to grade inflation.From Kennedy15 “At Princeton, it was discovered that some faculty members had, over theirentire careers, given "A" or "A-" course grades to as few as 35 percent of their students ( "asfew"?) while others awarded these grades to as many as 87 percent of their students. In somerequired courses

Conference Session

Aerospace Teaching and Learning I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hadi Ali, Purdue University; Robin Adams, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

CDIO initiative in aerospace engineering, contextualization isfound to be a compelling learning approach that goes beyond the regular educationalenvironments: “The evidence for adopting a contextual learning approach is compelling. This approach encourages students to choose specific careers and remain in their respective career preparation programs. Learning environments and experiences set in professional contexts open students’ minds, enabling them to become more thoughtful, participative members of society and the workforce. Moreover, a contextual learning approach assists students in learning how to monitor their own learning so that they can become self-regulated learners.”52 As a point of

Conference Session

Topics Related to Assessments and Outcomes

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Helbling, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; David Lanning, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Ron Madler, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Darin Marriott, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Karl Siebold, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

faculty gain more experience in using the facility andmore fully understand the capability of the new equipment. In the meantime, the improvementin the undergraduate learning environment afforded by this new facility continues to betterprepare our students for the next phase of their academic or professional careers, thereby addingto ERAU’s reputation for producing quality engineers who understand the relationship betweentheory and application.References1 Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs Effective for Evaluations during the 2003 – 2004 Accreditation Cycle, Engineering Accreditation Commission, November 2002

Conference Session

Best Practices in Aerospace Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Hannigan, Mississippi State University; Keith Koenig, Mississippi State University; Lorenzo Coley, Mississippi State University; Christopher Hamm, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

within each. In thenot-so-distant past, almost all of the aerospace engineering students would graduate with nearlyidentical transcripts except for the behavioral and human sciences courses. Now it is notuncommon for students to choose a path leading to various specializations of study, certificatesof specialization, or to take steps toward professional registration while relatively early in theiracademic careers. Although individual advisors can assist in charting a curricular path toward adegree or certificate programs such as leadership and material certificates within the engineeringcollege, the larger picture and a measured exposure to the various paths available must beprovided to each student. Only if the student chooses the appropriate

Conference Session

Best Practices in Aerospace Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristi Shryock, Texas A&M University; Helen Reed, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

careers or being skilled practitioners. Theyare much longer range attributes a graduate accomplishes. One pitfall programs can face is thattheir objectives can many times be too closely related to what is expected of students at the timeof graduation. Objectives should describe what is attained the first several years aftergraduation.On the other hand, program outcomes are specific measurable qualities students must know or beable to do by the time of graduation. While they are normally measured as a student progressesthrough the program, the program must show they have been achieved by the time the studentgraduates. Programs will often times confuse the terms of program outcomes and courseoutcomes or objectives.Courses within the program have

Conference Session

Efficient Authenticity: Modeling, Labs, Real-World Applications in Aerospace

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Muhammad Omar Memon, University of Dayton; Dathan Erdahl Ph.D., University of Dayton Research Institute; Saad Riffat Qureshi, University of Dayton

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

were also working to complete their capstone designprojects, and many of them were traveling for interviews. However, the advantage of catchingthem at this position in the departmental study plan is that the students were also more aware ofthe potential benefit of the course on their career, and the concept of adding this course project totheir resume was very attractive. In spite of catching the students at the end of their collegeexperience, the classroom demographics were favorable. When making decisions on the applicability of any set of techniques or approaches toteaching a course, several factors must be balanced. The position of the course within thedepartmental curriculum could affect the course load and the ability of the

Conference Session

Aerospace Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masoud Rais-Rohani P.E., University of Maine; David S. Rubenstein, University of Maine; Wilhelm A. Friess, University of Maine

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

University of Maine. In this capacity, he has developed an Aerospace Engineering Concentration at the University through the creation and teaching of four aerospace courses.Dr. Wilhelm A. Friess, University of Maine Dr. Friess holds a Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering and a B.Sc. in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1997), and currently is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering with the University of Maine and Director of the Brunswick Engineering Program. Previously he has spent 5 years in Dubai as inaugural faculty of RIT Dubai and Dubai Aerospace Enterprise University. Dr. Friess’ industrial and academic career spans a variety of consulting and entrepreneurial activities in Europe, Asia and Africa. Dr

Conference Session

Undergraduate Aerospace Design – General Topics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Biezad, California Polytechnic State University; Joon Kim, Lockheed Aircraft Co

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

AC 2007-2071: INTEGRATING GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT IN THEAEROSPACE CURRICULUMDaniel Biezad, California Polytechnic State University Dr. Biezad is currently a professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department in the College of Engineering at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. In June, 2006, he received the Outstanding Scholar Award from the university with a cash prize of $1500. In his career at Cal Poly, he has also received all three of the teaching awards offered by the College of Engineering. He has related academic experience as the Associate Dean of the Air Force Institute of Technology (1988-1989) and as Deputy Head and Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at

Conference Session

Aerospace Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adeel Khalid, Southern Polytechnic State University (ENG)

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

. Edward D. McCormack, ‘The Use of Small Unmanned Aircraft by Washington State Department of Transportation,’ Research Report Agreement T4118, Task 04, prepared for Washington State Transportation Commission, Department of Transportation, June 2008 3. Suman Srinivasan, et. al., ‘Airborne Traffic Surveillance Systems – Video Surveillance of Highway Traffic,’ VSSN’04, ACM 1-58113-934-9/04/0010, New York, October 2004 4. Southern Polytechnic State University Honors Program [http://www.spsu.edu/honors/] 5. Raymond B. Landis, Studying Engineering: A Roadmap to a Rewarding Career, Discovery Press, 3rd Page

Conference Session

Aerospace First-Year Project-Based Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristi J. Shryock, Texas A&M University; Kaushik Das, Texas A&M University, College Station; Stephen Oehler, Texas A&M University; Jacques C. Richard, Texas A&M University; Dimitris C. Lagoudas, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

University from 2001- 2004, and as the first chair of the Materials Science and Engineering Program at TAMU. He has been involved with curriculum innovations and engineering education throughout his career, notably with the Foundation Coalition, where he focused on restructuring the sophomore year engineering curriculum. Page 22.298.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Bringing Smart Materials Applications into a Project-Based First- Year Engineering CourseAbstractRecently, aerospace engineering faculty members and graduate students at Texas A&

Conference Session

Aerospace Technical Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Lynn Brannon, Pennsylvania State University; Oranuj Janrathitikarn, Pennnsylvania State University; Lyle Long, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

Page 15.535.2new course in software engineering was developed and first offered in Spring 2007 at thePennsylvania State University. Students in the aerospace major are required to take the softwareengineering course or an electrical circuits course.Undergraduate engineering students must have mastery in engineering theory and concepts.Employers tell us that it is equally important for aerospace engineers to have teamwork skills andthe ability to communicate systematically with electrical, computer, software and systemsengineers to be successful in the workforce. In order to prepare students for a career in theaerospace industry, it is important for the students to experience and understand real worldchallenges and problems. Pedagogically

Conference Session

Aerospace Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Martin James Brennan, University of Texas, Austin; Adam Wayne Nokes, The University of Texas at Austin; Wallace T. Fowler P.E., University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

Paper ID #7481Using a Graduate Student Developed Trajectory Generation Program to Fa-cilitate Undergraduate Spacecraft / Mission Capstone Design ProjectsMr. Martin James Brennan, University of Texas, Austin Martin James Brennan developed a passion for Science and Mathematics at Mississippi State University (MSU), where he met his wife Holly. In December 2008, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with an emphasis in Astrodynamics, a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, and a minor in Mathematics. He began his graduate career in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Orbital Mechanics in

Conference Session

Aerospace Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chadia A. Aji, Tuskegee University; M. Javed Khan, Tuskegee University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

be aviable approach.This approach is not only beneficial for aerospace engineering concepts but also for studentsstudying mathematics. Fundamental concepts in basic math courses are more often perceived bystudents as “required” rather than as key concepts and skills to open doors and empower them topursue their education and careers in STEM disciplines. Anytime theoretical concepts are linkedto examples of their application and when the students have to implement those concepts tomake something that works, the reasoning (or concepts) is better understood and retained. Thisapproach is well documented in literature on learning as problem-based learning or activelearning14. While teachers may know or envision the long-term benefits of the

Conference Session

Innovations in Aero Curriculum and Program Level Administration

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sidaard Gunasekaran, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

this model in the compressible flowclass with examples, students’ reflections and feedback. Students found this model to bedifferent and more effective than traditional graduate classes and were able to connect,apply, understand and appreciate the relationship between the complex mathematicalequations and the real-life applications. It was also found that creating a portfolio takes moretime and effort when compared to traditional exam based class and the workload might needto be reduced.I. Introduction Preparing graduate students to be successful in all aspects of their career has remained avelleity for many years in academia. Recent study finds that the perceptions of the students in theircompetence in the workforce does not align with

Conference Session

Aerospace Technical Session 3

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hank D Voss, Taylor University; Jeff F Dailey; William A Bauson, Taylor University; Bill Chapman, Taylor University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

prepare graduates well. Traditional“small stepping” lab and project classes serve a real purpose but can be limited and geared morefor workforce literacy (“Cubicle” engineers). Challenging projects give students freedom andownership while driving and amplifying their problem solving skills with some failure andcreative feedback solutions. Appropriate and inspiring big projects better prepare students foradvanced leadership by doing advanced engineering and “swimming with the Big Boys” innational competitions, peer reviewed publications, and selective job interviews.AdvantagesReal world and challenging experiences for students have many advantages: • improved student resume and career opportunities • are significant for attracting top students

Conference Session

Aerospace Student Projects, Engineering Design and Research

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Mohammad H. Sadraey, Southern New Hampshire University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

hired as a member of a flight test team for one of theadvanced aircraft development programs in the Sikorsky (Parent organization: Lockheed Martin). Twoyears ago, he presented a talk about his experiences with Sikorsky and shared some lessons learned in hispast career. Moreover, another aeronautical engineering graduate was hired by Scaled Composites threeyears ago. He also had a technical talk in our institution and presented the latest projects in the company heworks for.One of common points for both presentations was the significance of what they learned here in SNHU thatwere employed in their aircraft research/design projects. Both graduates had a few recommendations abouthow to better teach aeronautical sciences and skill to students to be

Conference Session

Undergraduate Spacecraft Design I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Liu, University of Michigan; Christopher Deline, University of Michigan; Rafael Ramos, University of Michigan; Steven Sandoval, University of Michigan; Ashley Smetana, University of Michigan; Yang Li, University of Michigan; Richard Redick, University of Michigan; Julie Bellerose, University of Michigan; Peter Washabaugh, University of Michigan; Bogdan Oaida, University of Michigan; Brian Gilchrist, University of Michigan; Nilton Renno, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

knowledge and expertise that would otherwise takeyears of post-graduate experience to be achieved.1.1 S3FL’s philosophyA comprehensive education that prepares students to be strong contributors and leaders in theirfuture careers requires an academic program of both classroom and practical components.Classroom settings provide the foundations of engineering analysis but cannot substitute forpractical, hands-on experience gained from real-world problem solving in end-to-end projects.S3FL’s objective is to provide students with the opportunity to learn, develop, and practice theengineering, teamwork, management, and leadership skills required as members of the nation’sfuture space workforce.S3FL offers students the following opportunities2: • Hands

Conference Session

Undergraduate Space Design and Project Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Kuhlman, West Virginia University; G. Michael Palmer, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

Page 13.135.16motivator for many of the students, as well as an opportunity for them to learn to apply theirclassroom knowledge to the solution of a “real” problem. It appears to us that the result tends 15to be an increase in their overall engagement in the educational process, and in their self-confidence and maturity. The three written reports and class homework that also emphasizeswriting contribute to improved technical writing skills. The collaborative team environmentfor the project is good preparation for their careers, and we believe that it also helps in theirverbal communication skills. Also, those who have provided financial resources for the Balloon