Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Williams, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

retention2. In support of these goals, several criteria were developed:• Introduce the EE field with the intent of career choice affirmation3. A possible outcome is thatthe student may decide to change programs. However, it is believed that the majority of studentsfind their decision to be the correct one, and have added enthusiasm for the program.• Acquaint the students with key EE faculty. The course is team-taught by the four EE facultywho are the academic advisors.• Provide a sense of community within the EE program. The new students meet the other EEfreshmen, making them feel more welcome, comfortable, and part of a team during their firstquarter on campus.• Reduce first-quarter stress. The pass/fail type grading system reduces the pressure of

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 Resources, Efficiency, and Conservation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeri-Anne McKeon

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

quickly.The professional engineers’ licensing examination tests the candidate’s ability to findinformation reliably and quickly by asking questions about many subjects that the studentprobably has not studied. The successful candidate knows the maxim that an engineer is definedby his bookshelf. The candidate will enter the test, as well as his professional career, knowingwhere to find information within the references of his field.Engineering education has not reflected this aspect of engineering practice. Students typicallygain only a passing familiarity with the references that will become their prime professionaltools, and typically acquire their own professional bookshelves only after leaving school. Theheft and high cost of engineering

Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenn Ellis, Smith College; Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, Smith College; Israel Koren, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Baaba Andam, Smith College; C. Mani Krishna, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; C. Andras Moritz, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

trend is observed anddocumented in the book Talking About Leaving. “Both male students of color and all womentend, more often than white males, to enter S.M.E. [Science, Math, Engineering] majors withaltruistic career motivations…[they] reject job opportunities they had already been offered infavor of work which incorporated preferred lifestyles, values and social goals.”11. The studydescribed in the paper “Deconstructing Engineering Education Programs to Foster Diversity”was conducted to determine the motivations behind the selection of majors for women andminorities. They conclude that most students chose majors with which they can personallyidentify. The sciences and engineering are designed for a white male audience. One examplefrom their

Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Somerton, Michigan State University; Andre Benard, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Developing a Design Based Alternative Energy CourseIntroductionWith the rising cost of oil, the depletion of domestic natural gas supplies, and the documentedimpact of increased CO2 production on global warming, engineering students have developed arenewed interest in alternative energy technologies and careers. This renewed interest, coupledwith the initiation of state and federal sponsored programs to enhance alterative energy educationsuch as the Michigan NextEnergy program, has led to the establishment of a design basedalternative energy course in the mechanical engineering department at Michigan StateUniversity. This paper presents the development of the course, its evolution through

Conference Session

Trends in Energy Conversion and Conservation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Giri Venkataramanan, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Annette Muetze, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

awarded the NSF-Career Award for leading research in the area of electric machine design optimization. Page 11.101.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 A Project Experience in Power Engineering Design AspectsI. IntroductionWhile electrical energy conversion systems and power supply systems form an integralcomponent of modern electrical and electronic systems, student engineers graduating frommodern electrical engineering curricula are rarely aware of real-world design concerns that stemfrom power and energy issues1. Furthermore, within the larger context of university education, amajor concern is the

Conference Session

Design Projects in Wind and Solar Energy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samuel Lakeou, University of the District of Columbia; Esther Ososanya, University of the District of Columbia; Ben Latigo, University of the District of Columbia; George Karanja, University of the District of Columbia; Wagdy Mahmoud, University of the District of Columbia; Wilfried Oshumare, University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

, University of the District of Columbia Dr. Esther T. Ososanya is a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of the District of Columbia. During her career, Dr. Ososanya has worked for private industry as a circuit development engineer and as a software engineer, in addition to her academic activities. She received her education in the United Kingdom, where she achieved her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bradford in 1985. She was also a Visiting Professor at Michigan Technological University for five years, and a faculty member at Tennessee Technological University for 7 years prior to arriving at the University of the District of