Conference Session

ECCD Technical Session 3: Energy and Multidisciplinary

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Saeed D. Foroudastan, Middle Tennessee State University

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Diversity

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Energy Conversion and Conservation

engineering from Tennessee Technological University. Additionally, he has six years of industrial experience as a Senior Engineer and 18 years of academic experience as a professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor. Foroudastan’s academic experience includes teaching at Tennessee Technological University and Middle Tennessee State University in the areas of civil engineering, me- chanical engineering, and engineering technology. He has actively advised undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, and minority students in academics and career guidance. Foroudastan has also served as Faculty Advisor for SAE, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Pre-engineering, ASME, Experimental Vehicles Program (EVP), and Tau

Conference Session

Topics in Biomass and Gasification Processes

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Madhumi Mitra Ph.D, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Corinne Johnson Rutzke, Corinne Rutzke

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

courses and currícula; 3) motivate and inspire students topursue careers in the STEAM disciplines with appreciation of sustainable issues; and 4)strengthening collaborations with existing partners as well as school systems for future projects(both research and education) on bioenergy and bio-based products and global climate change.Each NBBEP partner offers internships (summer field experience) and a NBBEP Institute duringthe summer at their site, immediately following the three-week enrichment and planning effortheld at Cornell University where all the site instructors and project leaders participate. This paperfocuses on the summer institute on Bioenergy and Bioproducts held at UMES led by the authors.2.0 NBBEP and the Kolb’s Experiential

Conference Session

Electrical Energy Courses, Labs, and Projects I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ona Egbue, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla MO; Suzanna Long, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Ean-Harn Ng, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

engineering. This workshop took place inNovember 2012, during “Expanding Your Horizons” (EYH) at Missouri University of Scienceand Technology. The EYH is a series of hands-on workshops that attracts 7th and 8th grade girlswith the aim of fostering interests in STEM subjects and STEM careers. The workshop consistedof two 50 minute sessions of approximately 15 students each and focused on basic concepts ofelectric vehicles and electric vehicles batteries including lithium which is a key component oflithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. These sessions were based on research conducted atMissouri University of Science and Technology and were designed to make the potentiallycomplicated topic easily understood and accessible to these students. Tests

Conference Session

Alternative Energy Laboratory Experiences

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erik A. Mayer, Pittsburg State University; Albert Leroy Powell, Bowling Green State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

sink circuit, developed the LabVIEW program, loaded theappropriate firmware into the DAQ, programmed it, and acquired I-V curves. This was doneover the course of a summer, and the student previously had only a freshman electronics classand no prior experience with LabVIEW or op-amps.The student outcomes for this lab were to make the student more aware of renewable energytechniques, in particular the use of solar cells, and what role they played in the generation ofenergy. Student outcome assessment was performed with a questionnaire with the followingquestions: How did this experiment influence your career choices? Are you more likely toconsider a career in renewable energy in the future? How did this experiment affect yourawareness of

Conference Session

Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Technical Session 1: Mechanical and CAD Track

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Hayrettin Bora Karayaka, Western Carolina University; Chip W. Ferguson, Western Carolina University; Amber C. Thompson, Western Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

student populations (especially first-generation students) whohave not historically entered careers in nuclear-related industries. Therefore, the project-basedlearning program presents an opportunity for education and training for students as part of thenuclear workforce development efforts.Several years ago, WCU joined with Consortium of Universities for Sustainable Power (CUSP)as part of a country-wide partnership lead by University of Minnesota to attract and trainstudents into careers in sustainable power. An engineering major with electrical powerconcentration was developed under the engineering program through which students could takevarious courses at WCU and to address the regional needs. To encourage interest in careers innuclear power

Conference Session

Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Technical Session on Solar

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Walz, Madison Area Technical College; Joel B. Shoemaker, Madison Area Technical College; Scott Liddicoat, Green Bay Southwest High School; Cris Folk, Madison College

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Diversity

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Energy Conversion and Conservation

goal is to advance thefield of renewable energy by supporting renewable energy programs. Madison College serves asthe lead institution for CREATE, and has developed and delivered various types of facultyprofessional development programs in solar energy for over a decade [18].The need to build a renewable energy educational pipelineA major challenge to educating future renewable energy professionals, is the need to build aneducational pipeline. Since this is an emerging field, many potential young students havelimited knowledge of renewable energy career opportunities, and they lack professional rolemodels. Young adults with an interest in STEM have at least some awareness of what scientists,engineers, and health care professionals do, and many

Conference Session

Innovative Energy Projects

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert W. Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

the team member’s experiences.The data considered here show interesting aspects of current and former team member’sperspective. The students generally wanted a formal collegiate competition experience; felt thatthe Formula Hybrid competition would be helpful in their career ambitions, but they alsoindicated that they had little to no knowledge of hybrid vehicle technology before joining theteam. Page 25.408.12Written responses are overwhelmingly positive. The students directly saw the benefit from thehands-on experience and definitely felt that participating on the team and attending thecompetition was extremely valuable.Here are averaged data

Conference Session

Projects in Alternative Energy: Wind and Solar

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kamal Sarkar, University of Texas, Pan American; Robert A. Freeman, University of Texas, Pan American; Dean Schneider, Texas Engineering Experiment Station; Ken Starcher, West Texas A&M University; Pam Groce, Texas State Energy Conservation Office

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Energy Conversion and Conservation

100 Colonia Home 50 0 Page 25.464.9 Fig. 5 Energy Demand and Estimated Power Supply for a Typical 1000 SF Colonia Home3. Team Selection & Training:To identify and expose high school students to engineering, in general, and alternative energy, inparticular, the Science Academy of South Texas10, was chosen as the target high school thatfocuses on math and science career fields. The Science Academy, as it is popularly known here,is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School known for its excellence in education. Twentytwo students

Conference Session

Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Technical Session 1: Mechanical and CAD Track

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Leah Hope Sirkis, University of Pittsburgh; Tony Lee Kerzmann, University of Pittsburgh

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Energy Conversion and Conservation

, Master’s, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. After graduation, Dr. Kerzmann began his career as an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Robert Morris University which afforded him the opportunity to research, teach, and advise in numerous engineering roles. He served as the mechanical coordinator for the RMU Engineering Department for six years, and was the Director of Outreach for the Research and Outreach Center in the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science. In 2019, Dr. Kerzmann joined the Me- chanical Engineering and Material Science (MEMS) department at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the advising coordinator and associate professor in the MEMS department

Conference Session

Outreach Projects and General Energy Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

installation of a PV system, which allowed me to learn more about the technology that could not be learned inside of a classroom. Furthermore, it personally had a major impact on my future educational and career choices. I am now extremely interested in the alternative energy technology and its impacts on society. “ “I really appreciated having the opportunity to work on the 10kW PV project. I have carried the knowledge gained from that experience through the remainder of my studio classes at LTU. In every studio since then, I either used the technology in building design myself, or I helped another student understand the technology for their project…” “As an architecture student, I appreciated

Conference Session

Design Projects in Wind and Solar Energy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Billy Hill, Rowan University; Ryan McDevitt, Rowan University; Peter Mark Jansson

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

while setting up different size wind datacollection towers. These skills are invaluable when it comes to entering into a career, whetherthe career be engineering or some other profession.III. Project DescriptionDetermining feasibility of wind power requires the erection of tall masts outfitted withanemometers, wind vanes and data loggers in order to collect data on wind speed and direction.The data collected aloft is sent down to a data logger at ground level and stored there untilcollection of the data was required. But before this could be done, specific procedures had to betaken to raise these 20 and 30 meter towers. Before beginning erection of towers, a suitablelocation for the tower had to be established. Each site was looked at and

Conference Session

Energy Efficiency and Capstone Projects

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Irina Nicoleta Ciobanescu Husanu, Drexel University; Richard Chiou, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

devices, and energy conversion systems. Also, this minor isdesigned to interest non-engineering students (students from majors such as science policy,science, environmental studies, business administration, STEM teachers etc.) to enhance theirknowledge in the fields of sustainability and green energy, so they may be able to expand theirskills and also career possibilities. The new learning materials will allow our undergraduatestudents, to “see and feel” the emerging renewable energy technology through interactivelaboratory experiments and learning modules. They also will be provided the opportunities toapply science and engineering principles (STEM) to renewable energy conversion and comparethem to actual field test data. These renewable energy

Conference Session

Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jinmyun Jo, Virginia State University; Xiaoyu Zhang, Old Dominion University; Ali A. Ansari, Virginia State University; Pamela Leigh-Mack, Virginia State University; James Irvin Cooke Jr., Virginia State University

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Diversity

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Energy Conversion and Conservation

offering graduate school research experience, improving students’ academicperformance and confidence, and having a lasting impact on their career paths2. Hirsch et al.suggested that their REU program could provide preparing undergraduates to be more capablemembers of their profession3. Further, it was found that most participants in a summer researchprogram in electrical engineering for minorities at Georgia Tech were either enrolled in graduateschool or were planning to enroll within the next two years4.Sores stated that Florida A&M University senior design projects used C-Stamp microcontrollersrather than topic-specific microcontroller for robot design. He also stated that C-Stampmicrocontrollers are more student-friendly and allowed

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Faruk Yildiz, Sam Houston State University; Keith Coogler, Sam Houston State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2010-1232: DEVELOPMENT OF A RENEWABLE ENERGY COURSE FOR ATECHNOLOGY PROGRAMFaruk Yildiz, Sam Houston State UniversityKeith Coogler, Sam Houston State University Page 15.405.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Development of a Renewable Energy Course for a Technology ProgramAbstractEnergy systems play a critical role in everyday life and are an important part of engineering. Theacademic, business, and industry fields have been seriously pursuing renewable energy systemsadvantageous to their needs. Students graduating from engineering and technology programs areinvolved in buying, managing, and trading alternative energies during their careers as part

Conference Session

Project-based Education in Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Faruk Yildiz, Sam Houston State University; Keith Coogler, Sam Houston State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2010-1256: STUDENTS BUILT EDUCATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGYTRAINING UNITSFaruk Yildiz, Sam Houston State UniversityKeith Coogler, Sam Houston State University Page 15.1131.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Student-Built Renewable Energy Training UnitAbstractEnergy is one of the major building blocks of modern society. Understanding energy meansunderstanding energy resources and their limitations, as well as the environmental consequencesof their use. When preparing students for their future careers, real world training is a plus duringtheir education. Renewable energy training units are very important for the hands-on laboratorysections of energy

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Van Treuren, Baylor University; Ian Gravagne, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

great success. This individual, who waspursuing a career working with college students, was full of energy and ideas, just the type ofindividual that was well suited to the task of planning extra-curricular activities. These activitiesincluded social dinners, picnics, and trips to sports activities. Couple these activities with thestudents living together in a dorm situation and it is easy to see how the goal of communitydevelopment was met successfully.Other areas that were difficult for the authors were field trips to energy facilities and bringing inguest speakers. Energy facilities, such as power plants, were not open to tours. This is thereality of the world in which we are living after 9/11. In its place, the ELG made use of

Conference Session

Miscellaneous Topics in Energy Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Foreman, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Karina Clarissa Halim, Purdue University; Rajeswari Sundararajan, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

students in power generation careers. Students that find careers in coal powerwill be able to directly benefit from this, while students who focus in alternative power careers,for example solar, will gain a sufficient understanding of coal power to perform comparativeanalyses and engineer alternative forms of power such that they can integrate with, andeventually replace, coal use.Coal power educationCurrent educational shortcomings Although coal is an old and seemingly established form of power generation, there is stilla need for new graduates with technical skills applicable to coal power. For the past severalyears, power education in general has been lacking5, and most of the momentum in new powereducation has been in alternative power

Conference Session

Using Real-World Examples

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian G. Belu, Southern University; Richard Chiou, Drexel University; Lucian Ionel Cioca, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

- uate and graduate courses in power electronics, power systems, renewable energy, smart grids, control, electric machines, instrumentation, radar and remote sensing, numerical methods, space and atmosphere physics, and applied physics. His research interests included power system stability, control and pro- tection, renewable energy system analysis, assessment and design, smart microgrids, power electronics and electric machines for non-conventional energy conversion, remote sensing, wave and turbulence, nu- merical modeling, electromagnetic compatibility and engineering education. During his career Dr. Belu published ten book chapters, several papers in referred journals and in conference proceedings in his ar- eas

Conference Session

Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Technical Session on Conservation and Optimization

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian G. Belu, Southern University and A&M College; Lucian Ionel Cioca, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu; Richard Chiou, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

, senior engineer and consultant. He has taught and developed undergraduate and graduate courses in power electronics, power systems, renewable energy, smart grids, control, electric machines, instrumentation, radar and remote sensing, numerical methods, space and atmosphere physics, and ap- plied physics. His research interests included power system stability, control and protection, renewable energy system analysis, assessment and design, smart microgrids, power electronics and electric machines for non-conventional energy conversion, remote sensing, wave and turbulence, numerical modeling, elec- tromagnetic compatibility and engineering education. During his career Dr. Belu published ten book chapters, several papers

Conference Session

ECCD Applications

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gabriela De Mattos Veroneze, North Carolina A&T SU; Zhichao Li, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University; Pedro Augusto Pinto Caldeira

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

report will berequired to have a conference format so the undergraduates can practice writing papers. At the end of the semester each group will present their Power Houses model as well astheir written project. To access students learning progress as well as attribute grade a finalwritten exam will be given. The expected outcome of this class is to engage students in using renewable energy thrutheir professional careers showing that there is an alternative to traditional models.Conclusion Renewable energy resources are here to be explored, studied and improved. The mainobjective to this class is to get engineering students from different departments and teach themhow these resources can be used in their projects as well as

Conference Session

ECCD International Outreach

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rim Razzouk, Arizona State University; Anshuman Razdan, Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus; Ambika Prasad Adhikari, Arizona State University

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering in the School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering (CIDSE). Dr. Razdan has a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering and PhD in Computer Science. He has been a pioneer in computing based interdisciplinary collaboration and research at ASU. He leads the Image and 3D Exploitation and Analysis (I3DEA) lab (http://i3dea.asu.edu) He is the Principal Investigator and a collaborator on several federal grants from agencies including NSF, NGA and NIH and DHS, US Army, USAID, and Science Foundation of Arizona. He has led or participated in over $25Million grants in his career. Anshuman has published extensively in refereed journals and conferences and is sought as an

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teodora Rutar, Seattle University; Gregory Mason, Seattle University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

placedon understanding how to make interdisciplinary projects successful. The paper also explores thestudent’s motivation for undertaking an interdisciplinary project and looks at how they were ableto remain motivated. Initial results show that student’s motivation remained high as long as theproject remained challenging. However, the interdisciplinary subject matter, laboratorytechniques, and interactions between students, staff, and sponsors all played a role in the projectsuccess. Finally, the paper explores how participation on these interdisciplinary projectsinfluenced students in their subsequent career choices. Page 22.423.2IntroductionAt

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarma Pisupati, Pennsylvania State University; Yaw Yeboah, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

society and to equip students with the knowledge necessary to achieve thefollowing career and professional accomplishments or program educational objectives: becomevaluable contributors in addressing society’s energy needs and demands; successful leaders inadvancing the technology and management of energy; innovators and entrepreneurs in the energysector; and educators, practicing engineers, and national leaders on energy and associatedenvironmental, health and safety, and policy and economics issues. The program integrates skillsets in the physical sciences (chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics) and socialsciences (economics, policy, and management) to ensure successful career opportunities and

Conference Session

Novel Energy Applications in Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Swedish, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2008-951: USING THE EXERGY CONCEPT IN AN INTUITIVE APPROACHTO THE SECOND LAWMichael Swedish, Milwaukee School of Engineering Page 13.1363.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Using the Exergy Concept in an Intuitive Approach to the Second LawTraditional Approaches to the Second Law In the Mechanical Engineering Program at the Milwaukee School of Engineering allstudents take one full year of engineering thermodynamics. It is clear that most of the students inthe classroom will not pursue a career focused on thermodynamic design specifically. Themotivation for the alternative approach presented in this paper

Conference Session

Solar, Wind, and Novel Energy-System Initiatives

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Recayi 'Reg' Pecen; Jill Humston, University of Northern Iowa

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

MSETI –AREA project has established a partnershipbetween the university and selected area middle schools for the improvement of students’mathematical and scientific skill sets, improve their technological literacy by creating anenvironment where they must understand and figure out relationships among basic mathematics,science and engineering technology applied to renewable energy fields in order to mentor andmanage effectively, and to give them a professional skill-set for successfully applyingmathematics and science to technical projects with diverse teams throughout their careers. Theuse of a number of renewable energy and energy efficiency based hands-on projects will alsopromote mathematics and science for middle school teachers and

Conference Session

ECCD Technical Session 3: Energy and Multidisciplinary

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jacques Belanger, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Andrew Davol, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Huy A Duong, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Trent Hamilton

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

exposed me to directions I had not known I could gowith my major. Since the project, I am now concentrating in mechatronics and minoring incomputer science. This is in part due to the exposure to these fields I was given through workingwith Student 1, a computer engineering major. We had to find a way to communicate our ideaswith respect to our different educational backgrounds, and she taught me about both herhardware and software knowledge. For example, I had never soldered before or used amicrocontroller.Throughout my time working on the project, I was better able to picture myself as an engineer inmy professional career, and I become more confident in being able to share my ideas.”From these comments it is clear that the open-ended nature of

Conference Session

Automation, Instrumentation, and Computer Simulations

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xavier Shastri Domnique Henry, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Madhumi Mitra Ph.D., University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Lei Zhang, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

supervisor-mentor understood what I was saying. C.4 My supervisor-mentor and I had meaningful conversations C.5 My supervisor- mentor offered me guidance and knowledge. C.6 I expect to remain in contact with my supervisor-mentor C.7 As a result of my work experience with my supervisor-mentor I feel more assured about my career path Please explain:Q.1 Did you experience any difficulties or challenges in your relationship with your supervisor-mentor? Figure 4. Student Participation Assessment survey and survey questions. 4.0 Results and Discussion The final automated multiparameter water quality monitoring system is shown below (Figure 5) Figure 5. Final Version of Automated Multiparameter Water Quality Monitoring System The

Conference Session

CAPSTONE (SENIOR) DESIGN AND UNDERGRADUATE PROJECTS

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Herbert L. Hess, University of Idaho, Moscow; Edward James William Jr, Solved Engineering LLC

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

 challenging product could be made, a large defense contractor produced a competing device.  Another large defense contractor followed suit, though more slowly.  After completing this project and a few other projects for the same government agency, a new SBIR, phases 1 and 2, were awarded to the university.  The agency stated that the pattern of success on this project and others was significant in awarding the new SBIR.    The second assessment indicator is the success of the early stages of their careers.  The doctoral student found successful design work with a series of electrical equipment manufacturers.  He is now starting his own consulting and design business.  The first of the undergraduates has been with SpaceX as an electronics and power

Conference Session

Experiences in Teaching Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Page 15.1319.5Maximum student enrollment 12 12Session offerings in summer 1 12.1) Goals of ProgramThe goals set for this program were multifaceted and remained essentially unchanged for eachyear’s session. These included: a) Provide students an opportunity to learn both the basic science and engineering theory of alternative energy systems. b) Give students a hands-on experience through “you build-it” projects and by using alternative energy systems. c) Educate students about career opportunities and the diversity of skills that can be utilized in the alternative energy field. d) Expose students to the LTU campus and to

Conference Session

Experiences in Teaching Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale Litwhiler, Pennsylvania State University, Berks; Thomas Gavigan, Penn State Berks; Brittany Farrell, Penn State Berks

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2010-1293: ENERGY HARVESTING INVESTIGATIONS BYUNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY STUDENTSDale Litwhiler, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Dale H. Litwhiler is an Associate Professor at Penn State, Berks Campus in Reading, PA. He received his B.S. from Penn State University (1984), his M.S. from Syracuse University (1989) and his Ph.D. from Lehigh University (2000) all in electrical engineering. Prior to beginning his academic career in 2002, he worked with IBM Federal Systems and Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems as a hardware and software design engineer.Thomas Gavigan, Penn State Berks Thomas H. Gavigan is an Assistant Professor at Penn State, Berks Campus in Reading, PA. He