Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Cunningham, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

objectives, with emphasis added tothe action verbs are:After successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Describe the components of a fuel cell and explain the purpose of each one. 2. Apply appropriate principles (e.g., Conservation of Energy, Conservation of Mass, etc.) to fuel cells to derive relevant model equations. 3. Develop and debug a nonlinear dynamic fuel cell simulation model in Matlab Simulink. 4. Explain and analyze dynamic fuel cell behavior. 5. Conduct repeatable fuel cell experiments and analyze experimental data to characterize fuel cell operation and performance. 6. Critically analyze the potential for fuel cells to improve efficiency and reduce pollution by assimilating social

Conference Session

Project-based Education in Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Tebbe, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

basic design process with competing constraints for local(Minnesota) use and use in Ghana, as well as the final design and construction, will be discussed.This includes the testing of a 40 foot tall chimney in Minnesota that was able to generate a 22degree Fahrenheit temperature difference during winter months. However, the paper will focuson the student learning experiences during the project.1. BackgroundWith some exceptions electricity is available to less than one quarter of the population in Africancountries “with supply being limited almost entirely to urban areas” 1. The majority of thiselectricity is supplied by non-renewable and environmentally polluting sources such as coal andnatural gas2. Rural locations can also be limited by a

Conference Session

Experiences in Teaching Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

field.1) IntroductionThe recruitment, enrollment and retention of students are major areas of attention for collegesand universities across the country. This is especially true for academic programs in the sciencesand engineering. In addition, major efforts in Science, Technology, Engineering, andMathematics (STEM) education programs have now been on-going for several years to helpassure an adequate supply of future engineering and technical talent.1, 2 Many universities andtheir and their respective colleges have, over the years, developed summer camp programs forstudents from all ages of the K-12 spectrum to help meet these goals of recruitment andenrollment. This is especially true for colleges of engineering and the departments within

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

into a system that provides a continuous and uninterrupted powerstream.1. IntroductionRenewable energy related courses are becoming an essential part of engineering andengineering/industrial technology curricula. Many schools are integrating renewable energyprograms or courses to their core curriculum to support existing programs to expose students toenergy systems [1-7]. The nature of renewable energy courses differs depending on the program ofstudies in various departments. For example, construction and civil engineeringtechnology/science programs usually adopt green building and geothermal related classes andprojects [8], engineering programs adopt thermal systems, solar, wind, human power, energyconversions systems, and biomass classes

Conference Session

Energy Education and Industry Needs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jai Agrawal, Purdue University, Calumet; Omer Farook, Purdue University, Calumet; Chandra Sekhar, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

/manager/professional who hold baccalaureate in other technology fields. Thecertificate courses introduce the concepts and technology of harvesting energy from sun, windand other alternative sources, thermoelectric, electrochemical, bio-photosynthetic and hydrogenbased energy systems. The certificate consists of 12 credit hours, equivalent of four courses: 1)Solar Engineering Systems, 2) Wind and Alternative Energy Technology, 3) Energy Networkingand 4) Energy Neutral Living.Courses in the certificate can be delivered in traditional classroom/distance learning formats.Each course comprises of three components: a) content, b) critical review of current researchpapers and c) project. The course content consists of study of sources of energy and

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

activities which provide opportunities for students to engage in experiments that willreinforce the material covered. The safety of the unit was confirmed after several tests indifferent conditions on campus.1. IntroductionWe live in an age of environmental awareness, and alternative energy education is present inmost of our daily conversations in engineering, technology, and science education. Renewableenergy today provides about 9% of the world’s energy and 8 to 10% of the U.S. needs [1].However, in many parts of the world these percentages are increasing significantly. Based oncurrent data on global warming, as well as the current U.S. dependence on overseas oil, there isan interest and urgency in utilizing alternative energy sources. In order 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

topics that challenged their neophyticunderstanding of pertinent engineering principles. The students had access to facilities andequipment not usually available in their first year. In some cases, as with that presented here, thestudents also benefited from work being performed by more senior student researchers. Ideasput forth by team members were evaluated and tried in near-real-time to determine their meritand effectiveness. Thus a “sandbox” environment was created.The team investigation presented in this paper involved energy harvesting techniques. Previouswork in this area has been presented.1 In the work presented here, the students investigated theefficiency of human-powered flashlight devices. These devices are becoming quite popular

Conference Session

Energy Education and Industry Needs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frank Falcone, Argonne National Laboratory; Terrence Davidovits, A123 Systems; Eric Schacht, The Ohio State Univeristy; Michael Wahlstrom, Argonne National Laboratory

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

will need to solve if they chose to work in the automotive industry. In thecompetition’s early years, most of the engineering was performed by mechanical engineeringstudents. Students modified engines to run on various alternative fuels such as propane,methanol, and ethanol. As technology evolved, so did the competitions as hybrid powertrainarchitectures entered the field. This expanded the required engineering skill sets to includeelectrical and electro-mechanical engineering experience to the program. In 2004, Challenge Xbegan which expanded the competition series time frame from 1 year to 3. Argonne, the US Page 15.783.2DOE, and General

Conference Session

Project-based Education in Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrian Ieta, State University of New York, Oswego

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

the last 20 years have contributed to the development of third world countries become morecompetitive [1] and their development contributes to an even more acute need for energy. Studies indicatethat US high school graduates tend to be less prepared for college studies in STEM areas than many otherWestern or Asian countries [2]. Science and engineering skills are essential for maintaining the UnitedStates’ competitiveness in the increasingly knowledge-based global economy [3]. However, studentsoften lack those skills [1] and are unaware and unable to assemble the impact of common activitiesaround in a larger picture and have appropriate reactions to them. Physics is at the core of understandingenergy concepts which are often difficult [4

Conference Session

Project-based Education in Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Spezia, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Jason Buchanan, Southern Illinois Universaity, Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

harmoniccontent of CLF’s from three manufacturers. It also proposes a voltage-controlled harmonicmodel for studying the impact of harmonics in the secondary circuits of power distributionsystems. In particular, the model focuses on how the number of CFL’s affects voltage totalharmonic distortion (THD). The paper examines the educational benefits of the researchexperience through a student report and personal interview. These methods examine how thestudent researcher applied concepts and skills learned during the research experience to currentcoursework.Experimental MethodThe project examined the harmonic current distribution of CFL’s produced by threemanufacturers. Table 1 lists the ratings and manufacturers tested. The experiments used 26 wattCLF’s

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Shepard, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Camille George, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Page 15.1073.3The project was open-ended and the performance of the design was minimally weightedin the grading to allow students to be as creative as they liked. The instructor wasavailable for questions and to help recognize potential issues but refrained from offeringsuggestions during the design phase. As the students had yet to take a heat transfercourse the project was not intended to be a capstone, but did provide a qualitativeintroduction to the different forms of heat transfer and how they occur. The finalproducts can be seen in Figure 1; note the use of shaded glasses for protection from thebrightness of the collected and focused light. Figure 1. Solar cookers in actionUpon completion, the solar cookers

Conference Session

Energy Education and Industry Needs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

G. Marshall Molen, Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems at Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

serves as the team leader whohas overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the various activities. A teamorganization chart is shown in Fig. 1. The major faculty advisor, who is the author of this paper,has the primary responsibility for interfacing with the university administration, providingresources as required, and technical leadership as may be required. Overall, however, the team ismanaged by the students themselves and they have proven that they are capable of rising to thislevel of responsibility. Students from throughout the university are invited to participateregardless of major or classification. The leadership has proven effective in mentoring theyounger students and on occasion removing students from responsible

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lynn Albers, North Carolina State University; Karen Lindsay, Wake County Public School System; Janice Hemric, Wake County Public School System; Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Jade Tucker, Wake County Public School System; Karen Hollebrands, North Carolina State University; Elizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Energy Clubs to one club at threedifferent elementary schools by the 2008-2009 academic year. For the 2009-2010academic year, the program installed two clubs, one for fifth graders and one for thirdand fourth graders combined, at two elementary schools. These clubs are unique for thisage group and were created through the collaboration between the RAMP-UP GraduateFellow and a third grade RAMP-UP teacher.The focus of the club is to use hands-on activities to teach math, science and engineeringconcepts related to renewable energy. This is in line with Dr. John Dewey, one of thefounders of pragmatism in education who believed that learning was active and that mathcould be learned through everyday activities such as cooking.1 Building upon

Conference Session

Experiences in Teaching Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Garcia, Miami Dade College; Jonathan Andrechik, U.S. Coast Guard

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

information sources on renewable ocean energy, as well as many of the seminarpresentations, were posted.The syllabus provided the following course description:This is a cross-disciplinary, 1-credit seminar course being offered for the first time this Spring Page 15.1285.22009. The key focus is on renewable ocean energy and its many tie-ins to the various U.S. CoastGuard Academy majors. Cross-disciplinary communication will be encouraged, while variousquestions will be investigated, such as:  What types of and how much energy is available in the oceans?  Who is responsible for overseeing the design and functioning of ocean energy

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Simon, University of Nevada, Reno; Ted Batchman, University of Nevada-Reno; Christine Taylor, Lewis and Clark University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

interdisciplinary course impacts in the way done here isintended to inform future programmatic and curricular development and inform similarinstitutional efforts elsewhere in higher education.Pedagogical ModelCurrently, the introductory renewable energy course is the only course in which engineering andnon-engineering students are required to enroll in a joint course offering. The course is designedto inform students of four major dimensions of renewable energy development (See Figure 1),with particular emphasis being placed on ―bottom up‖ community-based energy production anddemand-related choices. The four major actors studied are: a) citizens; b) political andadministrative institutions; c) private businesses; and d) researchers. In a bottom up

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Justin Reed, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Daniel Ludois, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Maria Hamlin, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

) Page 15.965.2Figure 1: Solid state Tesla coil. (a) Actual Tesla coil used in this paper, (b-c) examples of plasma effects seenduring operation (photography by Tim Obermann).This paper first discusses the educational aspects of the proposed course structure in theEducational Theory section, which motivates the general integration of power converter sampleapplications in suggested curricula. Motivation for choosing the SSTC specifically, from studentinterest and instructor perspectives, is provided by the survey-based research discussed in theApplication Influence and Choice section. The inner workings of the SSTC are then outlined inthe SSTC Circuits and Curriculum section. The lecture content and proposed 16-week SSTC-based curriculum complete

Conference Session

Energy Education and Industry Needs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Faruk Yildiz, Sam Houston State University; Recayi 'Reg' Pecen; Soner Tarim

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

energy frontier through unique projects. The mission ofI-SWEEEP is to create a collaborative yet competitive environment in which students canpresent their innovative ideas/projects to solve today’s challenges in energy, engineering, andenvironment, which will ensure a sustainable world for tomorrow. All the judges for the projectevaluations are selected from academia and industrial professionals. The judging process gives agood opportunity to engineering professionals and academicians to review and evaluate whatprospective engineers have developed for a sustainable future. The I-SWEEEP promotesengineering inventions and energy efficiency/management discoveries, which nurture eco-friendly technology concepts in K-12 STEM education.1

Conference Session

Experiences in Teaching Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Riddell, Baker College Of Flint; Anca Sala, Baker College Of Flint

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

inquiry.1. IntroductionAlternative energy (AE) has continued to be a hot-button topic for a number of years. Manycolleges and universities have consequently introduced courses on this topic, having a variety offormats: with1,2 or without3 experimental laboratories, project based4, or based on amultidisciplinary approach5. One issue when covering such a broad field is that many studentsnever get a complete picture on all that is involved or related to a given technology. To that end,with the support of our institution’s curriculum committee, it was decided to develop and offeran overview or introductory class for Mechanical Engineering students. The course must be insupport of the Program Outcomes adopted by our program (included in the Appendix

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua Goldade, University of North Dakota; Tessa Haagenson, University of North Dakota; Hossein Salehfar, University of North Dakota; Mike Mann, University of North Dakota

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

curriculum. Page 15.357.14Bibliography[1] Bacharach, Inc. 2009. [Online]. Available: http://www.bacharach-inc.com/leakator-10.htm.[2] Barbir, Frano. PEM Fuel Cells. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press. 2005.[3] Chroma Ate Inc. 2010. [Online]. Available: http://www.chromaate.com/product/63200_series_High_Power_DC_Electronic_Load.htm.[4] EG&G Technical Services, Inc., Fuel Cell Handbook (Seventh Edition). Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy. 2004. [Online] Available: http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/fuelcells/seca/refshelf.html.[5] Engineering Accreditation Commission. (Accreditation Board of Engineering Technology

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Connie Gomez, University of Texas at El Paso; Heidi Taboada, University of Texas at El Paso; Jose Espiritu, University of Texas at El Paso; Noe Vargas Hernandez, The University of Texas at El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

. Moreover,increasing numbers of manufacturers are beginning to evaluate their products and even theirproduct packaging for sustainability, whether to meet mandatory retail initiatives or to reap someof the rewards associated with greater environmental stewardship. This shift in product designmeans that engineering education needs to produce engineers that can provide technologicalinnovation while protecting the environment. These demands also mean that universities acrossthe nation need to build bridges between undergraduate engineering education and sustainabilityengineering in both research and industry.1 This paper describes an approach to includesustainability engineering within an existing engineering program through 1) curriculumdevelopment

Conference Session

Energy Education and Industry Needs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Darrell Wallace, Youngstown State University; Brian Vuksanovich, Youngstown State University; Michael Costarell, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

were made and the magnitude of theirimpact on overall system performance.A significant cost of operation for this manufacturing facility is related to cooling finishedproduct. Hot jars of pasta sauce pass through a cooling tunnel where they are showered withcool water. Heat from the jars is transferred to the cooling water and subsequently extractedfrom the water through a heat exchanger and mechanical chilling system. A conventional systemconfiguration is shown in Figure 1. Major energy consumers in the process are the pumpingrequired to shower the jars with thousands of gallons of water per minute and the refrigerationsystem required to chill the cooling water

Conference Session

Experiences in Teaching Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Narayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2010-2263: MICRO RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS AS A VEHICLE FORINTERNATIONAL AWARENESSNarayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology Page 15.870.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 MICRO RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS AS A VEHICLE FOR INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS 1. ABSTRACT The subject of Micro Renewable Energy Systems is explored as a medium for learning across disciplines, and for global knowledge exchange. Experience from 3 years of course offerings is distilled. Students in these courses came with their own strong motivation to help solve major global problems. Individual assignments

Conference Session

Project-based Education in Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mario Gomes, Rochester Institute of Technology (COE)

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

circular swept area of 1 m diameter or less. The rotors were designedusing the traditional blade-element-momentum method. The performance of the blade waspredicted and then the blades and hub were constructed and tested at the given windspeedfor several loads. These tests provided data which allowed for a comparison between thepredicted turbine design performance to its actual performance. Previous manufacturingtechniques which formed each blade by removing material from a single rough block ofmaterial proved unsatisfactory since they were either too costly, required large amounts ofmachining time, or were too inaccurate due to hand construction. These problems led tothe development a new technique using recyclable molds to quickly and accurately

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Herbert Hess, University of Idaho

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

promises to support a greatly expanded effort in natural resource research andmanagement plus a teaching and research effort in renewable energy.Incumbent systemThe site’s first electrical energy system, installed in the 1970s, was a 200-Watt solar panel. Itpowered a short wave radio and a handful of light bulbs, not all at the same time. In 1998, ateam of senior three senior undergraduatesdetermined that about 1kW of hydroelectricgeneration original system would be feasible.They then created and installed the system asdiagrammed in Figure 1. This power systemprovided about 800 Watts continuously and hada four kilowatt peak production. Its storagecapacity is three kilowatthours, enough for an

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Blekhman, California State University Los Angeles; Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; Ahmad Sleiti, University of Central Florida; Eileen Cashman, Humboldt State University; Peter Lehman, Humboldt State University; Richard Engel, Schatz Energy Research Center; Michael Mann, University of North Dakota; Hossein Salehfar, University of North Dakota

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

the next generation workforceneeded for research, development, and demonstration activities in government, industry, andacademia."1 The program is offered through awards to California State University Los Angeles,Humboldt State University, Michigan Technological University, University of North CarolinaCharlotte and the University of North Dakota.The first year of executing the educational program has overlapped with interestingdevelopments in the government and industry. The 2010 FY DOE budget proposal significantlyreduced the funding for the DOE’s hydrogen programs following Secretary Chu’s skepticism inthe readiness of HFCTs to reach the mass market in the near future. The DOE website2 cites “Dr

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Blekhman; Jason Keith; Ahmad Sleiti; Eileen Cashman; Peter Lehman; Richard Engel; Michael Mann; Hossein Salehfar

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

for small projects integration as shown in CSULA experiences. Thecompany also provides custom built fuel cells as in CSULA unmanned aerial vehicle built in Dr. Page 15.908.2Chivey Wu’s laboratory under separate funding.US Didactic and Hampden on the other hand provide full spectrum of engineering laboratoryequipment and fuel cell products are a few items on a long list. Their flagship units for fuel celltesting are EHY1 Fuel Cell Trainer and Model H-FCTT-1 Fuel Cell Technology Trainer,respectively. Both units are made from the components supplied by Heliocentris for its TheInstructor training system. Thus, purchase of these units is justified

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ilya Grinberg, Buffalo State College; Mohammed Safiuddin, State University of New York, Buffalo; Chilukuri Mohan, Syracuse University; Steve Macho, Buffalo State College

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

, includingdecisions and implementations of: 1. Course outcomes 2. Course content 3. Instructional materials 4. Delivery methodology 5. Assessment and evaluation 6. Mentoring of students.Mentoring is the unique cornerstone of the learning process that requires individualizedinteractions between instructors and students. However, the remaining five steps can utilize theservices and expertise of individuals in other locations, thereby increasing the effective use ofresources at multiple educational institutions.Course outcomes and content are often based on the expectations of multiple stakeholders(including instructors of other courses), although sometimes not explicitly stated, or modifiedduring the course delivery, or ignored. Accreditation

Conference Session

Experiences in Teaching Energy Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Chanley, Northern Essex Community College; Michael Pelletier, Northern Essex Community College; Linda Desjardins, Northern Essex Community College; Lori Heymans, Northern Essex Community College

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

they arerelated and interchanged. Terms such as peak voltage, rms voltage (Vrms = 0.707*Vp), period (T)and frequency (f =1/T) are covered. At this point in the AC activity, the relationship betweenvoltage, current, resistance, and power are re-introduced with a discussion about how therelationships relate to AC circuits. The DC battery source can be replaced with an AC source inthe previous series circuits. As a result, parallel resistive circuits and all the calculations wouldbe the same except that the source is a sine wave. Additionally, sinusoidal terminology wouldhave to be used in the calculation and reporting of data. This is a key connection to the previousDC activities

Conference Session

Energy Education and Industry Needs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David McDonald, Lake Superior State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

addition, Volkswagen expects to be the E-mobility leader and have electric vehicles represent three percent of its product sales by 2018.15The Chevrolet Volt will have a range of 40 miles and the Ford Focus 100 miles. These rangesare consistent with a survey by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics that indicated thatmore than 75% of people commute 40 miles a day or less.1 The onboard battery charger will becapable of plugging into 110 or 220-volt outlets, and charge times will vary from about 6 to 12hours depending on the outlet type used.The electric vehicle will help provide energy storage in the emerging Smart Grid through the useof Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. The batteries in millions of vehicles could be used tostore excess

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua Baumgartner, LeTourneau University; Timothy Hewitt, LeTourneau University; Edgar Licea, LeTourneau University; Nolan Willis, LeTourneau University; Matthew Green, LeTourneau University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

aspirations.1 Introduction and BackgroundMany engineering schools are now employing a service-learning approach to globally-basedhumanitarian projects3,4,5. The importance of integrating both globalization and social needs intothe engineering curriculum is acknowledged by the ABET criteria6, and human need is a clearpriority of the engineering profession, as indicated in the NSPE creed*,7. However, the majorityof North American engineering students are not familiar with the contexts in which vast needsexist, such as those among the physically disabled or the estimated 4 billion people living on lessthan $2 a day (PPP)8. These conditions represent a formidable “frontier design environment”, orenvironments outside the experience and expertise of most