Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Achintya Bezbaruah, North Dakota State University; Wei Lin, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

engineers and scientists is becoming increasingly importantand popular throughout the world. There is a need to develop courses which introduce students tointerdisciplinary environmental management principles and tools, and expose them to variousreal world problems. To promote interdisciplinary environmental education and research, NorthDakota State University (NDSU) has introduced a graduate program in Environmental andConservation Sciences (ECS) in 2003. As part of this interdisciplinary program, a course inenvironmental management for ECS and civil engineering students was introduced. The coursewas designed as a graduate level course and was made available to civil engineeringundergraduates as a technical elective. The challenge was to address a

Conference Session

Experiential and Service Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jim Chamberlain, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2008-161: MULTIDISCIPLINARY DESIGN OF STUDENT PROJECTS INDEVELOPING COUNTRIESJim Chamberlain, Clemson University Jim F. Chamberlain is a Ph.D. student at Clemson University in Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. He received his M.S. in Environmental Systems Engineering from Clemson in 1994 and has worked as an environmental consultant for 12 years. His research interests are in the environmental impacts of growing monocultural switchgrass as a biofuel. Jim is a registered professional engineer and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education. Page 13.913.1© American

Conference Session

Research in Multidisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Barry, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Jacqueline Isaacs, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

of an REU Summer ProgramAbstractAn NSF-funded Center, a three-university partnership with research focused onnanomanufacturing, has held a Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)Program for undergraduate students over the past three years. Over 70 students have participatedin the program, in which each student is guided in a project to learn more about research relatedto nanomanufacturing. In our laboratories, students with diverse technical backgrounds gainskills in electron and atomic force microscopy; chemical synthesis; MEMS and NEMSfabrication; dip pen nanolithography; template-guided assembly and transfer of polymers andnanoparticles; high rate polymer processing; assessing the impact of nanoparticles on theenvironment

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Willis, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; James Conrad, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

intended to stimulate studentinterest. No significant conclusions can be made regarding the impact of these materials on studentproficiencies on course outcomes. Yet, positive student feedback on the historical course materialsindicate that there may be a link between these materials and achieving course outcomes. Hence,teaching this course provided new insights regarding the inclusion of historical topics in engineer-ing courses. In addition, this paper presents effective rubrics for oral presentations and effectivetechniques for designing projects that may be completed by both undergraduate and graduate, i.e.,students with different enrollment status. The large enrollment for the course (15) relative to thattypically observed in other

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Rabb; David Chang, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

13.788.4how each system is physically controlled in practice. Laboratory exercises include feedbackdesign and system identification. Computer design exercises include dynamic modeling andcontrol of various engineering systems. The course learning objectives are: 1. Model the dynamics of various physical systems that include mechanical and electrical components. 2. Analyze a physical system that utilizes a control system and determine its ability to meet performance specifications for stability, steady-state error, and transient response. 3. Design a controller for a physical system to meet a set of performance specifications using Root Locus, Frequency Response, and State-Space methods. 4

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Teams

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dong, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

students.Three years ago an idea was hatched to start a multi-disciplinary design studio involvingarchitecture and architectural engineering students from two different campuses. One waslocated on the west coast and the other in the Midwest. The premise was to collaborate on adesign competition and form teams of structural and architectural design majors. Thepartnership for the lead instructors was formed years earlier as each worked together on abuilding project when one practiced architecture and the other structures. As both individualsmoved into academia there was an impetus to create a class that emulated the real world designprocess. To help transition this relationship into academia, the two instructors would sit ondesign review juries together

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Waidley, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Jason Bittner, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

interdisciplinary transportationeducation program seeks to develop.The University of South Florida (USF) houses the Graduate Interdisciplinary TransportationProgram, or GITP, for graduate students of Civil Engineering, Economics, and PublicAdministration. 12 Here, graduate students enrolled in one of the three departments, take acommon set of core courses that emphasize urban transportation issues (as this is the theme ofthe National Center for Transit Research, or NCTR, which has a close tie to the GITP), whilepursuing either a Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Master in Civil Engineering (directedtowards professional engineering practice), Master of Arts in Economics, or a Master of PublicAdministration. Regardless in which of the three departments

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

leadership roles in the industry. Thus,the program objectives are to educate men and women to: • Have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Systems Engineering. • Apply these abstract concepts and practical skills to design and construct robots and robotic systems for diverse applications. • Have the imagination to see how robotics can be used to improve society and the entrepreneurial background and spirit to make their ideas become reality. • Demonstrate the ethical behavior and standards expected of responsible professionals functioning in a diverse society.Thus, the program tackles head-on the challenges of providing