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

AC 2008-1297: A “BALLOON SATELLITES” PROJECT COURSEJohn Kuhlman, West Virginia University John Kuhlman is a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University. He received his Ph.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1975, and his M.S. and B. S. Mechanical Engineering degrees also from CWRU in 1973 and 1970, respectively. His current research interests include spray cooling, reduced gravity fluid mechanics and heat transfer, and applied CFD. He is a course co-instructor for the WVU Balloon Satellites project course project course, and also serves as a course instructor for the WVU Microgravity Research Team project course.G. Michael Palmer, West

Conference Session

Undergraduate Space Design and Project Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Kuhlman, West Virginia University; Donald Gray, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

AC 2008-1575: “MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH TEAM” (MRT) PROJECTCOURSEJohn Kuhlman, West Virginia University John Kuhlman is a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University. He received his Ph.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1975, and his M.S. and B. S. Mechanical Engineering degrees also from CWRU in 1973 and 1970, respectively. His current research interests include spray cooling, reduced gravity fluid mechanics and heat transfer, and CFD. He is a course instructor for the WVU Microgravity Research Team project course, and also serves as co-instructor for the WVU Balloon Satellites project course.Donald Gray, West Virginia University Donald D. Gray

Conference Session

Undergraduate Space Design and Project Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sven Bilen, Pennsylvania State University; Brian Schratz, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

NASA Graduate Student Research Program Fellow. As a student, he has been involved in the development and leadership of student balloon, sounding rocket, and satellite projects; he now serves as the Programs Manager for the SSPL. Page 13.1253.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 The Penn State Student Space Programs Lab: Training the Next Generation of Space Systems EngineersAbstractThis paper addresses the formulation and implementation of the Student Space Programs Lab(SSPL) and its integration into the curriculum at The Pennsylvania State University. The Labhas adopted specific

Conference Session

Undergraduate Space Design and Project Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debbie Mullins, Texas Space Grant Consortium; Wallace Fowler, University of Texas at Austin

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

AC 2008-2883: THE TEXAS SPACE GRANT DESIGN CHALLENGE PROGRAMDebbie Mullins, Texas Space Grant Consortium Debbie Mullins is the Program Coordinator for the Texas Space Grant Design Challenge. Many of the facets of the program are based on her ideas and she is the face of the program to students in the participating academic programs. She solicits projects, recruits mentors, and attends to the many details of running the program.Wallace Fowler, University of Texas at Austin Wallace Fowler is Paul D. & Betty Robertson Meek Centennial Professor and University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the U. of Texas at Austin. He also serves as Director of the Texas Space Grant Consortium

Conference Session

Preparing a Modern Aerospace Workforce

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sven Bilen; Lisa Brown; Mieke Schuurman; Timothy Wheeler; Julio Urbina

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

AC 2008-1102: ADDRESSING AEROSPACE WORKFORCE NEEDS: THE IMPACTOF HANDS-ON SPACE SYSTEMS PROJECT EXPERIENCES ON CAREERCHOICESSven Bilen, Pennsylvania State University SVEN G. BILÉN is an Associate Professor of Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering at Penn State. He is the Chief Technologist for Penn State's Center for Space Research Programs and Director of the Student Space Programs Lab. He is member of IEEE, AIAA, AGU, ASEE, URSI, and Sigma Xi.Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University MIEKE SCHUURMAN is an engineering education research associate with the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education in the College of Engineering at The

Conference Session

Preparing a Modern Aerospace Workforce

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Narayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

aerospace students. Several examples of current “grand projects”are considered, and progress towards them is summarized. Several ideas and proven strategiesfor nurturing such talents in formal curricula are considered.IntroductionWhen asked how to define and differentiate aerospace engineering, the best answer used to be:“Aerospace engineers turn the dreams of Humanity to reality through science and engineeringinnovation”. This is hard to remember in an age when air travel has become less pleasant than avisit to the dentist, working for airlines and aerospace companies seems to be a perpetualscramble to stay aloft in a downdraft, and we are under constant pressure to bring “cost reality”to squelch the enthusiasm of students and “focus on realistic

Conference Session

Preparing the Future Workforce in Aerospace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

. The immediate and continuedsuccess of students involved in this two course sequence is described, as they put their lab skillsto work in the lab, at home, and on individual research projects. The evolution and expansion oflaboratory instrumentation is described and the assessment of this laboratory sequence isdiscussed.Introduction to Experimental MethodsIn the aerospace engineering curriculum at many universities, laboratory exercises are eitherincluded as an integral part of various classes, or separated into a sequence of courses taught inthe upper division. Previously at Mississippi State University, laboratory courses were offeredonly in the senior year, with one course being a lecture/lab class introducing experimentalmethods, and the

Conference Session

Preparing the Future Workforce in Aerospace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Narayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology; Marilyn Smith, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

program, and thefindings from the numerous seminar summaries developed by the scholarsThe original CSEMS program was set up as a Congressional condition for expanding the H-1Bvisa program. It sought to address the shortage of qualified people going into technologicalcareers in the US. NSF provides the funds as a lump sum grant for 4 years, to be distributed at$100K per year. As the CSEMS program’s continuation under Congressional mandate appeareddoubtful in 2004, our project was renewed early, with the new program’s official start date beingJanuary 2005. Funds from the new project were first used in Fall 2005, so that this is the end ofthe second year of its operation. The original parameters of the program were that1. Recipients had to be

Conference Session

Preparing a Modern Aerospace Workforce

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Helbling, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Lance Traub, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

for use of the Rapid Prototyping Lab by students to allow fair andequitable access to the printers. The build times for parts can be rather lengthy, especially forthose for which aerodynamic shaping is critical. Therefore, all parts to be fabricated must beapproved by a faculty member who is placed in charge of the lab and who ensures that the partshave some stated academic purpose. The CAD files are then brought to one of two labtechnicians, who evaluate the parts in terms of fidelity, projected build time, and cost. Build jobs(which typically consist of several parts which make up an assembly) are limited to a 48 hourbuild time and $500 cost. The senior capstone design courses are given priority, with all othercourses queued on a first come

Conference Session

Best Practices in Aerospace Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Swami Karunamoorthy, Saint Louis University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

information. The faculty member mayrequire the team to research the library and/or the web to find the latest availableinformation regarding their project. The visual representation of data helps to identifywhere the change is required and it serves as a feedback for continuous improvement ofprogram.In the matured or well developed stage of assessment, in-depth or specifics inperformance criteria are used for evaluation.Performance criteria #1: “Listening to other team members” Specific (A): Number of team meetings Specific (B): Minutes of the meetingPerformance criteria #2: “Sharing the work” Specific (A): Individual contribution Specific (B): Knowledge of other members’ contributionPerformance Criteria #3: “Information

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

to develop performance criteria for thedifferent outcomes was the Engineering Education Assessment Methodologies and CurriculaInnovation project, a National Science Foundation joint project.4After going through this process, faculty within the department have a much better idea of whatwe are trying to achieve, and we feel we have taken the ambiguity out for the students as wellwhen we assess the outcomes. It does take some undertaking and a little time. It may takeseveral iterations to formulate a set of performance criteria for each outcome, but the energiesspent will be well worth it as everyone will have a clear definition of the outcomes. It is helpfulto have a smaller group develop the performance criteria and then obtain feedback from

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

minds about aerospace engineering, though they hadyet to take an actual aerospace course. At the same period in time there was much publicity ofdownturns in the industry, etc., that likely influenced their decisions as much as any otherfactors. The number of our students continuing on into graduate school has been increasing, andwe are retaining more of our best undergraduates. Much of that trend can be immediately tracedto the introduction to students of senior research faculty in lectures to the intro classes, and thesubsequent employment of undergraduates on research projects that interest them. Building onthat interest and continuing into graduate research from undergraduate wage employment is adefinite consequence of the familiarity with