Conference Session

Laboratory Experiences with Thermal and Chemical Systems and Sensors

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexander Joseph Plotkowski, Grand Valley State University; Lihong (Heidi) Jiao, Grand Valley State University; Nael Barakat, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

AC 2012-3563: DESIGN AND COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF DIAPHRAGM-BASED PIEZORESISTIVE PRESSURE SENSORS FOR INTEGRATIONINTO UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUMMr. Alexander Joseph Plotkowski, Grand Valley State UniversityDr. Lihong (Heidi) Jiao, Grand Valley State University Lihong (Heidi) Jiao is currently an Associate Professor in the Padnos College of Engineering and Com- puting at Grand Valley State University. She received her B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. from Nankai University, China and Ph.D in electrical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. Her teaching interests include solid state device physics and fabrication, nanotechnology, and fiber optics. Her research activi- ties include fabrication and characterization of

Conference Session

Laboratory Experiences with Thermal and Chemical Systems and Sensors

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey Corbet Johnson, Grand Valley State University; Nael Barakat, Grand Valley State University; Lihong (Heidi) Jiao, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

in addition to inherent challenges related to working in the cleanroom and the diversified background needed to be covered before even starting this process. Theinvolvement of undergraduate students into the development of processing procedures allows thestudents to gain a deeper level of understanding and experience in focused areas of study. It also Page 25.1067.2allows the instructor to assess the experience and produce a frame of reference when attemptingto integrate the fabrication part into an undergraduate curriculum. A well-defined processingsequence is crucial for the successful, and reproducible, fabrication of small scale devices

Conference Session

Laboratory Experiences with Thermal and Chemical Systems and Sensors

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin A. Gibbons Ret., U.S. Air Force Academy, NexOne, Inc., and CAStLE; Philip Knodel, U.S. Air Force Academy; Joel William Noble, U.S. Air Force Academy; Nathan W. Seibt, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

, vendors, and pricing. Several measurements are requiredfor calculation of efficiency of a fuel cell and several variables could be rather easily controlledin order to determine their effects on efficiency. Therefore, with these considerations in mind,this proposal was accepted. Other factors considered in the selection of this equipment wererelatively easy setup, fairly user-friendly operation, adaptability to small student teams, and theability to be integrated with current laboratory data acquisition hardware and software. In orderto provide the students taking the Experimental Mechanics course with an ill-defined or open-ended problem experience per course objectives, students were tasked, as stated in the projectabstract, to research fuel

Conference Session

Improving the Pedagogy of Laboratory Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sujatha J., Mission10X, Wipro Technologies; Rajshri Jobanputra

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

Education in IndiaIntroductionQuality of engineering education, which is essential for the economic growth of the nation, hasemerged as a factor of paramount importance in India, today. This has led to several discussionson reforms in teaching-learning processes in engineering classrooms 1, 2.In particular, laboratory courses form an integral part of the degree programs in engineering.Concepts taught through lectures are often complemented by laboratory experiments which arecritical to enable learners to further develop their knowledge and skills. Student participation,however, in these laboratory based courses has been largely disappointing. It is often times ateacher’s experience that students are either not very interested in their laboratory

Conference Session

Laboratory Exercises for Energy, Power, and Industrial Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zeit T. Cai, Princeton University; Jeremy John Worm P.E., Michigan Technological University; Drew Dosson Brennan, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

testing, he was able to apply his engineering experience and conduct a test to observe first-hand how certain variables effect a vehicles energy loss. Other accomplishments include involvement in helping to develop a Hybrid Electric Vehicle Mobile Lab, serve as Chair for Alpha Society, and achieving the Deans’ List every semester. Page 25.613.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Experimental Studies in Ground Vehicle Coastdown TestingAbstractHands-on engineering instruction is an important yet often underused component of theengineering curriculum. The lack of

Conference Session

Improving the Pedagogy of Laboratory Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas F. Schubert Jr. P.E., University of San Diego; Frank G. Jacobitz, University of San Diego; Michael S. Morse, University of San Diego; Truc T. Ngo, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

the Course and Laboratory ChallengeThe University of San Diego (USD) is a Catholic, liberal arts institution of higher educationlocated in Southern California. The university offers three engineering majors: electricalengineering, industrial and systems engineering, as well as mechanical engineering. The threemajors share a common curriculum in the freshman and sophomore years. Students receive adual BS/BA degree in unique 4.5 year programs.Engineering design is incorporated into the curriculum of the three programs at all levels.Students are first exposed to engineering design in the freshman year through two courses:ENGR 101 (Introduction to Engineering) and ENGR 102 (Engineering Design Practice). Thedesign experience is integrated into

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning through Laboratory Experiences

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sushil K. Chaturvedi, Old Dominion University; Jaewan Yoon, Old Dominion University; Rick McKenzie, Old Dominion University; Petros J. Katsioloudis, Old Dominion University; Hector M. Garcia, Old Dominion University; Shuo Ren, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

WorkThe literature review of virtual labs presented in the previous section indicates that the state ofthe art has advanced considerably in recent years. However despite recent developments, theresearch in this field has yet to be translated into strategies that would make virtual realitylaboratories an integral part of engineering education. The present study is a step in thatdirection. The overarching goal of this study is to advance the development and use of virtualreality laboratories that will closely emulate the learning environment of physical engineeringlaboratories. In this pilot study, a 3-D virtual reality experiment emulating a physical experimenttitled “Jet Impact Force” in the thermo-fluids laboratory course in the mechanical

Conference Session

Improving the Pedagogy of Laboratory Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine; William Marshall, Alief Independent School District

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

industries. The discussion will also identify how the “need” for thistype of project based curriculum became obvious. Four prerequisite courses are brieflydescribed before focusing on the project based capstone course. These four coursesprovide the students with the technical skill sets needed to succeed in the senior levelcapstone course. Accomplishments and outcomes from the student perspective, theUniversity perspective, and the industry perspective will also be shared.Our advancing world of computer integration, process control, industrial automation, andtelecommunications requires technical problem solvers and knowledgeable decisionmakers. “The activities of problem solving and decision making are closelyintertwined”,1 and both skills can

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning through Laboratory Experiences

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeremy John Worm P.E., Michigan Technological University; John E. Beard, Michigan Technological University; Wayne Weaver, Michigan Technological University; Carl L. Anderson, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

consists of three road-legal vehicles which are used for hands-on learningactivities by the students in the HEV Engineering curriculum, and can also be used for a widerange of outreach and community education opportunities. The vehicles, a Chevy Volt ExtendedRange Electric Vehicle (EREV), a Chevy Malibu Belted Alternator Starter (BAS), and a SaturnVue Mulit-Mode HEV represent a majority of the technology currently available in Hybrid andelectric automobiles today. Data acquisition is done with ETAS hardware running INCAsoftware. The data acquisition system interfaces with the vehicles CAN bus through the OBD-IIconnector. Plans are underway to utilize a National Instruments CAN module running in aCompact DAQ chassis as an alternative to the ETAS

Conference Session

Remote and Network-based Laboratories

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexander A. Kist, University of Southern Queensland; Andrew Douglas Maxwell, University of Southern Queensland; Peter D. Gibbings

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

apply to any RAL learning activity. Theyare used for the evaluation of the RAL activities in other disciplines in the body of the study.Slangen and Sloep12 suggest that it is important to provide an “environment in which the pupilcan construct knowledge and can reflect upon his interactions and thinking” and highlights that“learning implies the initiation of a thinking process” (p. 228). The integrated thinking model ofJonassen13 cited by Slangen & Sloep12 highlights three general thinking tasks, i.e. basic, criticaland creative thinking that are part of a complex thinking process. Slangen & Sloep12 suggest thatthe effective use of mind tools promotes fluency in different ways of thinking described in themodel.For a laboratory learning

Conference Session

Innovative Uses of Technology and Techniques for Laboratory Exercises

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Y. Chiou, Drexel University; M. Eric Carr, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

influence the downstream design and testing processes. Materials, methods,and tools are outlined, including the use of servomotors and microcontroller-basedcontrol systems. Students in the Engineering Technology program are required to workwith this robotic experiment as part of a laboratory session in the “MET 205 Roboticsand Mechatronics” class. The project provides students with such robot design experienceand enables them to improve their robotic skills by using wireless microcontrollers forperforming different robotic applications.Introduction This paper presents the design of a cell phone-controlled walking robot forteaching and research integrated with the emerging fields of bionics through an NSFproject involving undergraduate and

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning through Laboratory Experiences

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Per Henrik Borgstrom, University of California, Los Angeles; William J. Kaiser, University of California, Los Angeles; Gregory Chung, University of California, Los Angeles; Zachary Nelson, National Instruments; Manda Paul, University of California, Los Angeles; Stoytcho Marinov Stoytchev; Jackson Tek Kon Ding, Marvell Technology Group, Ltd.

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

implemented on a protoboard, and a National Instruments myDAQ data acquisition device.Platform DescriptionThe SEAL platform, shown in Figure 1, consists of a car assembled primarily from LEGOcomponents and novel electronic systems implemented by students on a prototype board, both ofwhich interface with an NI myDAQ data acquisition device. We note here that the myDAQdevice is not included in the SEAL platform. The method used at UCLA, which is typical of anumber of universities that use similar devices, is that myDAQ units are lent to students asrequired for circuits laboratories or for use with the SEAL platform. Alternatively, some schoolsrequire students to purchase such devices during their freshman year and use them throughoutthe curriculum for

Conference Session

Innovative Uses of Technology and Techniques for Laboratory Exercises

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eniko T. Enikov, Universiy of Arizona; Giampiero Campa, MathWorks

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

cabling. Attached to the micro-motor is asmall propeller which provides thrust force needed to rotate the pendulum to a desiredangle. The experiment is designed to operate from student's laptops, therefore no speciallaboratory space is required.The project was tested in a classical control systems design class offered to senior-levelmechanical engineering students. Student feedback and survey data on the effectivenessof the module are presented along with examples of student assignments illustrating theuse of hardware.IntroductionHands-on laboratories have been an integral part of the engineering curriculum since itsinception. Their importance has been recognized by the Accreditation Board of EngineeringEducation (ABET) and its predecessors by

Conference Session

Remote and Network-based Laboratories

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rick Williams, East Carolina University; Loren Limberis, East Carolina University; Rebel Umphlett, BioNetwork Capstone Center; David Hobson Yarley, BioNetwork Capstone Center

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

training facilitylocated at the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), answers this questionwhile accomplishing the following objectives: Develop and integrate two 2-day BTEC short course laboratory experiences into the ECU’s bioprocess engineering curriculum. These short courses are a required and graded component of two bioprocess engineering courses. Develop companion web-based materials to provide students with prerequisite material, maximizing the time spent on hands-on laboratory activities on-site at BTEC, as well as providing an opportunity for students at other institutions to enroll. Enhance ECU engineering students’ competiveness in the workplace by providing hands- on

Conference Session

Laboratory Exercises for Energy, Power, and Industrial Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hyun W. Kim, Youngstown State University; Yogendra M. Panta, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

(CFD), microfluidics/lab-on-chip, and energy research. Page 25.646.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Fostering Students’ Capability of Designing Experiments Through Theme-specific Laboratory Design ProjectsIntroductionLaboratory courses are essential and integral part of engineering curriculum. The courses providestudents with good opportunities to solidify their understanding on theory of physical laws andprinciples learned in classroom through hands-on experimental activities in laboratory.Experiment is an effective pedagogical tool that transforms