Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Bring-Your-Own-Experiments 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca Marie Reck, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

campus laboratories and those participating in distance education.Using a DC motor allows the instructor to assign experiments using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) to control the motor’s position. 1 Additionally, a DC motor setup can be expandedto create more complex setups like the inverted pendulum. 2 Inverted pendulum experiments canillustrate different types of systems and different types of control methods. These methodsinclude bang-bang control, fuzzy logic control, neural network control, PID adaptive control,robust control, hybrid control, predictive control, and feed-forward control. 3 Because of thisversatility, both the DC Motor and inverted pendulum systems will be used as the basis for the kitbeing developed

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Bring-Your-Own-Experiments 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Harry Courtney Powell, University of Virginia; Joanne Bechta Dugan, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

course is shown in Figure 1. It is useful to note that this board was designed by one of the authors and is locally manufactured. Students were expected to design a compatible board of this relative complexity. A further requirement was that this board should be of a scope that an

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Bring-Your-Own-Experiments 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nebojsa I Jaksic, Colorado State University - Pueblo

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

/FacultyandStaff/Pages/NebojsaIJaksicPhDPE.aspxAbstractWhile inexpensive 3D printers are allowing designers to quickly see their work without enlistingexpensive machine shop personnel and without experiencing long turn-around times, they havelimitations such as small build volumes, warping of thin objects, relatively low-precision, etc.This work demonstrates a new device, a 3D pen, which can be used for (1) repairing 3D-printedparts by adding material, (2) for “welding” the ABS or PLA plastic parts together, (3) forpersonalizing and decorating 3D printed objects, or (4) for creating free-hand 3D plastic objects.For each one of these processes, an appropriate example with instructions is provided. Duringthe demonstration, three 3D pens from three different

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Mechanical Engineering and Control

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julianne Vernon, University of Michigan, College of Engineering; Cynthia J. Finelli, University of Michigan; Noel C. Perkins, University of Michigan; Bradford G Orr, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

overly fashioned examples2, 5, 6. Hands-on laboratories that feature realmeasurements could allow students to probe the dynamics of realistic systems, therebystrengthening their conceptual understanding2, 7, 8. However, the prohibitive cost of equipmentand shortage of laboratory space limits these options.Our project aims to overcome these challenges by utilizing a new, highly portable andinexpensive technology, which we call interactive-Newton (i-Newton). The i-Newton can engagestudents in the experiential learning of dynamics outside the confines of the traditional lecture-based teaching methods.The objectives of the project we describe in this paper are to: 1. Investigate whether i-Newton has an effect on students’ conceptual

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Mechanical Engineering and Control

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John E Matsson, Oral Roberts University; Justice Boisselle, Oral Roberts University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

differentvelocities and with different densities. For a complete review of this instability, pleasesee Thorpe8. Thorpe9-12 found that the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability can be generated andvisualized by tilting a tube that contains two fluids at different densities.TheoryWe will look at the inviscid theory for the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in terms of asinusoidal disturbance between two fluids with velocities U1, U2 and densities 1, 2. z U1, 1 g U1, 1 U1, 1 𝜁(𝑥, 𝑡) x  U2, 2Figure 1. Development of Kelvin Helmholtz instability from

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Electrical and Computer Engineering Labs

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kip D. Coonley, Duke University; Justin Miles, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Electrical and ComputerEngineering course in signal processing at the undergraduate level. The sophomore-level coursein signal processing is required of all engineering majors and provides a foundation in themathematical modeling and analysis of signals and of linear time-invariant systems. Thelaboratory component of the course utilizes applications of signal processing to motivate thebreadth of the field which includes filters, AM modulation, and Nyquist sampling theory. In thisstudy, both the TMS320C6713 DSK development board with its 225MHz processor and thenewer Beagleboard-xM with its 1 GHz processer provide students with a real-time,programmable signal-processing hardware platform that enhances the learning experience. TheDSK board requires

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Electrical and Computer Engineering Labs

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Valentin Siderskiy, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering; Aatif Ahmed Mohammed, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering; Vikram Kapila, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Distinguished Teaching Award at NYU. In 2004, he was selected for a three-year term as a Senior Faculty Fellow of NYU-SoE’s Othmer Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies. His scholarly activities have included 3 edited books, 7 chapters in edited books, 1 book review, 55 journal articles, and 109 conference papers. He has mentored 1 B.S., 16 M.S., and 4 Ph.D. thesis students; 31 undergraduate research students and 11 under- graduate senior design project teams; over 300 K-12 teachers and 100 high school student researchers; and 18 undergraduate GK-12 Fellows and 59 graduate GK-12 Fellows. Moreover, he directs K-12 educa- tion, training, mentoring, and outreach programs that currently enrich the STEM education of over 1,100

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Bring-Your-Own-Experiments 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger A Beardsley PE, Central Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

renewable fuels and related climate change topics.The process outlined in this paper can be presented three ways, depending on the pedagogicalcontext:1) Process Demonstration2) Lab Activity with predetermined process parameters3) Lab Activity with process parameters developed in worksheetBiodiesel Reaction ParametersMost vegetable oils and fats (triglyceride) can be easily converted into fatty acid methyl ester(FAME = biodiesel) with a catalyzed process that can occur at room temperature and pressure.The ratios of reactant and products are outlined in Table 1. A reaction using 400 ml of oil willproduce nearly 400 ml of biodiesel. Typically excess methanol is used to push the reaction closerto completion(1). The demo process outlined in this paper

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Mechanical Engineering and Control

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Yao, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

into how the engineering educational community has been teachingcontrols from the time-domain and frequency-domain, the author conducted a comparativeliterature review. “Controls”, along with “Root locus” and “Bode plot” respectively, were usedas keywords to search the IEEE Transaction in Engineering Education and the ASEE AnnualConference Proceedings. The results from this quick review, as summarized in Table I, indicatethat, in both sources, more efforts on time-domain methods were reported than those onfrequency-domain methods, confirming the discrepancy between the existing efforts in the time-and frequency domain. Moreover, few publications returned from these two searches directlyaddressed the abovementioned concern [1-9].TABLE I Time

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Electrical and Computer Engineering Labs

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen Teresa McGuire; Jessica Urbano; Frank G Jacobitz, University of San Diego; Ernest M. Kim, University of San Diego; Thomas F. Schubert Jr. P.E., University of San Diego

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

solution will be used to demonstrate the basic concepts of balanced three-phase power inan introductory setting.Project GoalsThe basic project goals are based on the project goals from the article “Synthesis of Low-Voltage Three-Phase Power for Use in Low-Cost Motor and Systems Experiments at theSophomore Level”1. Some variation has been made to the goals but the overall scope of theproject has not changed. The goals are:  to develop a meaningful three-phase system for sophomore engineering students who have only introductory knowledge of three-phase power  to improve student knowledge concerning the basics of those systems  to give the students increased confidence in applying the knowledge obtained  to work at

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Mechanical Engineering and Control

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger A Beardsley PE, Central Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

core sequence of classesin the major. Though students may have touched on some fluids related topics in Physics classes,this is their first engineering fluids class. The current lab activities have evolved from those thatwere developed in the late 1980s and partially outlined in a paper by Kaminski (1) in 2001.In reviewing the literature on the topic of fluids lab activities it becomes apparent that manyengineering programs bundle fluids labs with thermodynamics labs and sometimes also includeother topics often as a single lab class far removed from the original lecture section (2). Whilethese topics do have significant interactions there is a limit to the number of topics that can beexplored by bundling them into one lab class. In the

Conference Session

Best Paper Presentations

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Constans, Rowan University; Shivakumar I Ranganathan, Rowan University; Wei Xue, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

the simplicity to be built by students over the course offive semesters. The research is designed to test two hypotheses: 1. A long-term design project that integrates knowledge from multiple courses strengthens student knowledge retention. 2. A large-scale design project requiring tools from many courses improves student problem-solving and design skills.By integrating five semesters of the mechanical engineering curriculum into a cohesive whole,this project has the potential to transform the way undergraduate education is delivered. Beforeand after testing is being conducted to assess: a) Change in retention between courses and b)Change in student problem-solving and design skills.The centerpiece of the hybrid powertrain is

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Electrical and Computer Engineering Labs

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Wong, Portland State University; Branimir Pejcinovic, Portland State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

similarities in syntax. While teaching MATLAB as an introduction toprogramming is not new7, direct interfacing between MATLAB and hardware still remains non-trivial. For example, using MATLAB to operate an Arduino microcontroller requires Simulink,which adds another layer of complexity. By design, ECE 103 avoids overly theoretical computerscience topics to focus on practical techniques that would be of value to electrical engineers. Therevised course outcomes for ECE 102 and 103 are shown in Table 1. Table 1: Course Outcomes – Students have the ability to … ECE 102 ECE 103 1. Solve engineering problems by applying 1. Develop algorithms in C to solve the

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Bring-Your-Own-Experiments 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jun Nogami, University of Toronto; Scott Ramsay, University of Toronto; Scott D Ramsay, University of Toronto

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

-property relationships. Visualization of three-dimensionalstructures and crystallographic directions by first year engineering students often poses achallenge as textbooks and other learning materials can utilize only two dimensional depictions.This tutorial activity allows students to build crystal structures, and to examine and comparethem.In the past, other researchers had conducted a similar activity to support student learning.Published in 1952, Hatch, R.A., et.al [1] used hollow plastic balls for crystal structureconstruction in order to facilitate x-ray crystallography and crystal chemistry teaching. Morerecently, in 2013, Sow, C.H., et.al [2] stacked tennis balls into a transparent box. These twosources support and justify our approach

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Electrical and Computer Engineering Labs

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ning Wang, University of Houston; Siu Chun Michael Ho, University of Houston; Qianlong Lan, Texas Southern University; Xuemin Chen, Texas Southern University; Gangbing Song, University of Houston (CoE); Hamid R. Parsaei, Texas A&M University at Qatar

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

chenxm@tsu.edu Gangbing Song Dept. of Mechanical Engineering University of Houston Houston, TX 77004 gsong@uh.edu Hamid Parsaei Department of Mechanical Engineering Texas A&M University at Qatar Doha, Qatar hamid.parsaei@qatar.tamu.edu Page 26.487.2 Proceedings of the 2015 ASEE North Central Section Conference 1 Copyright © 2015, American Society for Engineering EducationABSTRACTIn

Conference Session

Best Paper Presentations

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

of 3 courses, Linear Circuits,Electronics 1, and Signals and Systems - a very traditional approach. Linear Circuits had alaboratory component that met bi-weekly, Electronics 1 had a weekly laboratory, and Signalsand Systems had no laboratory at all. The first and third courses were assigned 3 credit hours, thesecond 4 credit hours. In this scenario, the students viewed each course as its own entity andfrequently did not make the connections between the concepts in each. Electronics 1 wouldrequire a massive review of basic circuit concepts, and students did not see how Signals andSystems was anything other than a straight mathematics course, with no relevance to workingwith real devices.All electrical and computer engineering students study

Conference Session

Best Paper Presentations

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Smitesh Bakrania, Rowan University; Kaitlin Engle Mallouk, Rowan University; Krishan Kumar Bhatia, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

easily implemented elsewhere following the guidelines provided here.Project DescriptionThe CRP requires student teams to effectively test three different brands of a product andultimately recommend a particular brand based on their experimental results and analysis. In theprocess, students must identify testable and quantifiable attributes of the product, repeatcontrolled measurements, and build confidence in their outcomes. At the end, the teams mustweigh results to recommend a superior brand. While the project is designed to be student-driven,there are several milestones to guide their progress. These milestones are elaborated below usingan example of ‘superglue’ as a product of choice by a typical student team (See Fig. 1). Theinstructor

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Pedagogy of Lab-Oriented Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bridget M. Smyser, Northeastern University; Gregory J Kowalski, Northeastern University; Andrew F. Carbonar, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

research labs, working on commercialproduct ideas, or designing equipment for undergraduate teaching labs. This investigation isrestricted to projects related to teaching laboratories. Capstone teams are particularly valuable fordeveloping equipment for labs that are small, for elective courses, and for courses that need a Page 26.1414.3hands on component without having a physical lab space. Since 1995 there have been 14different project teams that have been tasked with designing equipment and experiments for theteaching laboratories, including 3 projects that are currently underway. These projects, listed inTable 1 below, have varied from

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Pedagogy of Lab-Oriented Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rupa Purasinghe, California State University, Los Angeles; John E. Shamma; Brian Phan, California State University of Los Angeles ; Howard Lum, California State University Los Angeles

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

implemented:  Three classes worked on four-point laboratory-bending tests (Figures 1 and 2) of a ductile iron pipe.  The freshman design course (CE 195) with 50 students (about eight groups of six) addressed a preliminary design of a pipeline network (Figure 3 and 4) that crossed an active fault line. They studied the impact of a rupture of this fault on the pipeline. They participated in the preparation and testing of a four-point pipe bending tests.  The junior structural laboratory course (CE 382) with eighteen students (about four in a group) analyzed the laboratory pipe test arrangement (Figure 5) using SAP2000 software with the pipe element as a structural element. They also participate in the

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies: Electrical and Computer Engineering Labs

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aidan F. Browne, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Wesley B. Williams P.E., University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Keith Loftus, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Christopher Benfield

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Critical Operations curriculum. The goal ofthe curriculum is to provide industry with a workforce that has the electrical, mechanical, andinformation technology skills necessary to support critical operations in the healthcare, datacenter, automated manufacturing, and energy sectors. [1] One goal of the work is thedevelopment of remote automation exercises that would enable geographically distributedstudents access to valuable electromechanical and programming lab experiences. [2,3] Anothergoal is to introduce them to remote troubleshooting, where their initial corrective or investigativeactions would be taken from a remote control station instead of in proximity to the actual setup.[4,5]The electromechanical systems chosen for these exercises

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Bring-Your-Own-Experiments 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bridget M. Smyser, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

described here was designed to eliminateoutdated or overly canned experiments, while choosing robust equipment that the students couldinteract with in a much more open-ended way.Measurement and Analysis is a required course for junior level mechanical engineers. Theoverall purpose of the course is to teach students how to design experiments, how to measurecommon engineering variables, and how to use and select sensors. The experiment in question isdesigned to teach students how to measure strain. Students are asked to investigate the effect ofdifferent numbers of strain gauges on the output of a Wheatstone bridge circuit, and observe therelationship between physical location on the object and location in the circuit. The specificgoals are: 1. To

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Pedagogy of Lab-Oriented Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Natacha Depaola, Illinois Institute of Technology; Roberto Cammino, Illinois Institute of Technology; Bonnie Haferkamp, Illinois Institute of Technology; Paul R. Anderson, Illinois Institute of Technology; Eric M Brey, Illinois Institute of Technology; Jamshid Mohammadi, Illinois Institute of Technology; Fouad Teymour, Illinois Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Illinois Institute of Technology,under the umbrella of a Distinctive Education Initiative within the Armour College ofEngineering, we challenged ourselves to build on these more traditional mechanisms forexposing students to research in a manner that would: 1) increase the opportunity for inquiry- Page 26.651.3based learning and creative engineering thinking; 2) prepare students for subsequent placementin a research laboratory; and 3) provide all engineering students at our institution an opportunityto perform mentored, self-directed research. Furthermore, as an engineering college within ouruniversity, we also felt that our solution should address

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Pedagogy of Lab-Oriented Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ventzislav Karaivanov, Colorado School of Mines; Jeffrey A. Holley P.E., Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

increased efficiency and allowed for the expansion and growth ofcourse content. The viewing statistics show that video modules are initially viewed prior to thelab period and, again, during the preparation of the final report.This paper will explore the concerns and motivations that preceded preparation of multimediacontent, outline thoughts to aid future production of effective course material videos based onexperience gained, and offer a qualitative assessment of the changes in terms of the student Page 26.941.2experience and outcomes. Page 1 of 10BackgroundThe undergraduate educational laboratory is an

Conference Session

Best Paper Presentations

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gwen Elizabeth Ellis; Cecilia Dianne Richards, Washington State University; Brad R. Thompson, Washington State University; Robert F. Richards, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

students. There are several labclasses in the junior and senior years which require specialized equipment. The initial focus ofdelivering lab education to satellite campuses is the junior thermal fluids lab on measurementtechniques. There are three styles of laboratory experiments throughout engineering education: hands-on,simulation, and remote (or virtual) labs.1-7 Hands-on experiments allow student to physicallymanipulate components and gather data. Simulations use computer software to emulate the resultsgathered in a real laboratory setting. Simulations can be successfully used to explain and reinforcephysical concepts, but limit the capability for true experimentation. Remote labs use the positivefeatures of both hands-on and simulation

Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies: Pedagogy of Lab-Oriented Courses

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nebojsa I Jaksic P.E., Colorado State University, Pueblo

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

layers and separate them from the platform. Figure 1 shows an example ofcatastrophic failure where parts of the extruder were engulfed in plastic. In this case, the 3Dprinter was left unattended overnight since the time predicted by the 3D-printing program tocreate a part was about 9 hours. As the first few layers were deposited, they separated from theprinting platform and adhered to the printing nozzle of the extruder. Then, the nozzle and someportions of the extruder were encapsulated as more plastic was extruded. To remove the plasticbuild-up, a student used a heat gun to re-melt the plastic and release the extruder. However, inthe process, a plastic extruder holder was partially melted as well and had to be replaced. Figure1a shows the