Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Helen McNally, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2009-899: CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN NANOTECHNOLOGYHelen McNally, Purdue University Page 14.395.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Curriculum Development in NanotechnologyAbstract The field of nanotechnology crosses multiple disciplinary boundaries and requiresa unique approach for curriculum development. The very nature of nanotechnologyallows for courses in most colleges and departments and thus requires the material to beemphasized to align with the department offering the courses. The instructor andstudents must have basic understandings in math, physics, chemistry, biology andengineering. These can be required as prerequisites; however a

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana; Paul Kuban, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

, modeling dynamics systems, machine design, and several freshmen engineering courses, and has been involved in curriculum development. He is a member of ASEE, where he serves as the campus representative, the Acoustical Society of America, and the Institute for Noise Control Engineering. He continues to conduct research in acoustics and mechanics. He has been married for 18 years to his personal and professional partner, Laura, who is also an engineering faculty member at USI and member of ASEE.Paul Kuban, University of Southern Indiana Paul is an Associate Professor in the Engineering Department at the University of Southern Indiana. He is the coordinator for the electrical engineering

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Ciaraldi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Eben Cobb, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Fred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Robert Norton, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2009-1161: DESIGNING AN UNDERGRADUATE ROBOTICS ENGINEERINGCURRICULUM: UNIFIED ROBOTICS I AND IIMichael Ciaraldi, Worcester Polytechnic InstituteEben Cobb, Worcester Polytechnic InstituteFred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic InstituteRobert Norton, Worcester Polytechnic InstituteTaskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Dr. Taskin Padir is a visiting assistant professor in the robotics engineering program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Prior to WPI, he was an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Lake Superior State University where he taught undergraduate courses in robotics, machine vision and systems integration, circuit analysis, electronics, and introduction to

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Salah Badjou, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Loutfallah Georges Chedid, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

(one three-credit junior design and two four-credit senior design courses,all five hours long).Finally, at Boston University, students graduate with a bachelor of science in a single discipline,biomedical engineering, while at Wentworth they will major in two disciplines as at TuftsUniversity, though at a more integrated and a broader level.Worcester Polytechnic Institute:Worcester Polytechnic Institute6 offers an accredited undergraduate program in biomedicalengineering. This program, like Boston University’s, suffers from being a specialized biomedicalengineering program, which limits student career opportunities in other areas of engineering. Inaddition, only one quarter of a four-credit capstone senior design course is required and there

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Ciaraldi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Eben Cobb, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; David Cyganski, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Michael Demetriou; Greg Fischer; Michael Gennert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Fred Looft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bradley Miller, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Yiming Rong, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Kenneth Stafford, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gretar Tryggvason, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; James Van de Ven, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

, involving faculty from the departments ofComputer Science (CS), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and MechanicalEngineering (ME) and was designed top-down, starting with goals and objectives. Recognizingthat it is impossible to include a comprehensive course of study equivalent to a BS in CS, ECE,and ME in a 4-year degree, the new RBE program provides a solid foundation in each, withapplications drawn from Robotics. In keeping with WPI’s educational approach, the curriculumengages students early and often in creative hands-on projects.The core of the program consists of five new courses: an entry-level course and four “unifiedrobotics” courses based on a “spiral curriculum” philosophy, where the students are engaged inincreasingly complex

Conference Session

Engineering and Other Disciplines

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Chang, United States Military Academy; Peter Hanlon, United States Military Academy; Kirk Ingold, United States Military Academy; Robert Rabb, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

munitions, detect and disable ordnance in hazardous environments, maneuver inrelatively small areas, be used as a decoy or be sent to draw out opponent fires without riskingthe life of the operator. There have also been various universities that have integrated roboticsinto their curriculum or developed new courses that use robotic platforms as the center piece.Weingarten, et. al. used robotics as a vehicle to engineering education and to propel the studentsinto research and life-long learning5. Chung and Anneberg6 summarized how to use contests tostimulate learning in computer science and engineering education. Mehrl et. al.7 used anautonomous robotics capstone design project to enable students to used their preferred learningstyle to learn how to

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Josef Rojter, Victoria University of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

the secondsemester. In PBL organization the subject was compressed into one semester with anallocation of 2 hours of lectures and three hours of seminars and laboratory sessions perweek. Effectively, this represented a 16.7 percent reduction in total contact time and 50percent reduction in lectures. This paper is focusing on the way the chemical sciencecurriculum was developed and organized for a traditional mode of delivery and then and thenits evolution into an integrated PBL subject in a challenging educational environment.SUBJECT DEVELOPMENT- INTRODUCTION OF CHEMICAL SCIENCES INTOENGINEERING CURRICULUMThe philosophy of this subject development was guided by the knowledge constraints ofstudents enrolled in the course. The incoming students

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Michalson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gregory Fischer, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Taskin Padir, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Gary Pollice, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

sufficient foundation in three different engineering andscience disciplines. Further, attempts to do so would virtually ensure that we would not engagestudents quickly in their chosen area of robotics engineering. This paper describes the approachtaken to balance conflicting goals and show how future generations of robotics engineers mightbe educated.IntroductionThe Robotics Engineering (RBE) program at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is anattempt to integrate electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer scienceconcepts into a series of unified courses in robotics at the undergraduate level. Two Sophomore-level courses, RBE 2001 and RBE 2002, introduce students to many of the basic concepts ofrobotics at an introductory

Conference Session

Engineering and Other Disciplines

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carlotta Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Matthew Boutell, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Steve Chenoweth, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; David Fisher, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

) Modern Control Systems (grad) Mechanical Engineering Physics and Optical Engineering Kinematics of Machinery Microsensors Control Systems Image Processing Robotics Engineering Advanced Image Processing (graduate level) Advanced Control Sys (grad) Advanced Kinematics (grad)Selected Required CoursesCollaborationThe principal investigators for the MERI program teach four of the courses that are integral tomost of the tracks of the curriculum: Introduction to Robotics Programming, Mechatronics,Robotics Engineering and Introduction to Mobile Robotics. In an effort to insure adequatecontent coverage of the core topics of the curriculum

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Redekopp, University of Southern California; Cauligi Raghavendra, University of Southern California; Allan Weber, University of Southern California; Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Therese Wilbur, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

. This requires an interdisciplinaryapproach to engineering education. Simply adding marketing and business courses to theengineering curriculum often results in compartmentalized knowledge that does not provideexperience and intuition into the complex relationships between the business and engineeringaspects of product development.Currently, the capstone experience in the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering atthe University of Southern California is similar in style and content to most other universities.Using a one semester (15-week) course, students receive loosely-defined design or productobjectives either from faculty or industry sponsors, perform trade-off and other design analysis,complete a prototype, and prepare a written

Conference Session

Engineering and Other Disciplines

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Anderson, University of Alabama; Beth Todd, University of Alabama; Susan Burkett, University of Alabama; Garry Warren, University of Alabama; Marcus Brown, University of Alabama; David Cordes, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

focuses on theengagement of students in a wide range of activities. Creative Campus is an organization forstudents, faculty and staff to support the arts and creative activity on campus.These activities are similar to other initiatives and ventures that are taking place across thecountry. Several institutions1,2 have investigated formal linkages between an engineering degreeand the liberal arts, developing a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering. Other initiatives providecourse experiences that introduce the field of engineering to non-majors 3,4,5. Still other effortslook at incorporating fundamental issues of other disciplines, such as leadership, into theengineering curriculum 6,7. Finally, several examples exist where interdisciplinary courses

Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Belle Wei, San Jose State University; Patricia Backer, San Jose State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

courses in Environmental Engineering; and technologycourses in Green Manufacturing. We also offer an interdisciplinary curriculum path, a greenengineering minor degree.2.1 Green Engineering Minor DegreeOver the past decade, several green and sustainable engineering programs have been established Page 14.1277.3in the United States. These include the University of Texas at El Paso4 5, Rowan University6 7,Carnegie Mellon University8, Virginia Tech9, and Rochester Institute of Technology10. In ourcurriculum development at SJSU, we reviewed these programs and adapted portions of them forour own new multidisciplinary green engineering minor program

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Josef Rojter, Victoria University of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

notions of whether a single PBL model toengineering education produces desirable educational outcomes that meet the needs of theprofession. It suggests that PBL educational approaches cannot be based on definitiveeducational theories, and that there are many multi-variant models that define PBL pedagogy.Implementation of PBL into an engineering curriculum needs to be placed in a context andmust be developed with careful consideration of the social, economic and ethnic diversity ofthe student population and the university academic culture. It is argued that the PBL model inengineering education ought to evolve, with a gradual and well considered introduction.IndexTerms – Problem Based Learning, constructivism, engineering curriculumIntroductionThe

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dugan Um, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi; Bahram Asiabanpour, Texas State University; Jesus Jimenez, Texas State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

an REU Site project because potentialapplications are exciting and research topics encompass a variety of disciplines, making theresearch naturally interdisciplinary. Key areas of research in which students can participateinclude mechanics, micro sensor/actuator design, electronics/control system design, designoptimization, and advanced micro-manufacturing. The integration of such research activity willresult in development of new technologies for automatic microassembly systems. A polymerbased electro-active grippers have been utilized for micro-parts gripping and assemblyoperations. An infrared vision system, as a position sensor, identifies and calculates the preciselocation and orientation of a microcomponent before manipulating it to

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Wankat, Purdue University; Kamyar Haghighi, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

programs. Since opportunities for student choice in courses increased motivation3, it isprobable that choice in curriculum will also increase motivation. In spring 2009, 2/3 of thestudents in IDE 301 had transferred into IDES/MDE from another program at the university.Some of these students, particularly those who developed broad interests3, would probably nothave stayed in engineering. Because adding a few students to an existing lecture course hasalmost no additional cost, the major costs are for the two core courses required for the MDEprogram, for the academic advisor, and for the program director – who also teaches in theprogram. By retaining students, these two programs earn much more in tuition than they cost

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Rabb, United States Military Academy; Andrew Biaglow, United States Military Academy; David Chang, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

engineering curriculum necessitated incorporation of controls engineeringcoursework in their program of study. An existing dynamic modeling and controls courseexisted between two departments: electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. With theintroduction of chemical engineers in the course, the chemical engineering specific lessons aretaught by a chemical engineering instructor. This organizational structure is important, allowingthe multidisciplinary faculty team to synchronize their efforts, bringing their individual strengthsand resources together for the course to promote student learning. The instructors engage inmeaningful dialogue concerning their assignments, lesson preparations, laboratory exercises, andtheir results. The

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Projects

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarel Lavy, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Page 14.1136.4level courses, and presents a case study that demonstrates how facility management isimplemented in one healthcare facility building.BackgroundMany definitions exist for the term “facility management” (FM.) The International FacilityManagement Association defines FM as: “a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines toensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process andtechnology”3. The British Institute of Facilities Management adds that: “facilities management isthe integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed serviceswhich support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities”4. Other definitionsinclude: “The primary function of facility

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claudio Talarico, Eastern Washington University; Esteban Rodriguez-Marek, Eastern Washington University; Min-Sung Koh, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2009-237: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY UNDERGRADUATE PROJECTIMPLEMENTING A ROBOTIC ARM FOR THE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATIONOF ENDANGERED AMPHIBIAN SPECIESClaudio Talarico, Eastern Washington University Claudio Talarico is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Eastern Washington University. Before joining Eastern Washington University, he worked at University of Arizona, University of Hawaii and in industry, where he held both engineering and management positions at Infineon Technologies, IKOS Systems (now Mentor Graphics), and Marconi Communications. His research interests include design methodologies for integrated circuits and systems with emphasis on system-level design, embedded

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Kongar; Jani Pallis; Tarek Sobh

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

compares similar entities, i.e.,decision making units (DMUs), against the “best virtual decision making unit”. Due to variousadvantages and ease in its use, DEA has been employed extensively in various areas, such as healthcare, education, banking, manufacturing, and management.One of the relevant studies is published by Johnson and Zhu1. In their work, the authors employedDEA to select the most promising candidates to fill an open faculty position. DEA has also beenutilized extensively in the environmental arena. To this extent, Sarkis2 proposed a two-stagemethodology to integrate managerial preferences and environmentally conscious manufacturing(ECM) programs. Subsequently, Sarkis and Cordeiro3 investigated the relationship betweenenvironmental