Conference Session

TC2K Methods and Models

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Neff, Purdue University-Calumet; Susan Scachitti, Purdue University-Calumet; Lash Mapa, Purdue University-Calumet; James Higley, Purdue University-Calumet; Mohammad Zahraee, Purdue University-Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

teams, student response from question 6 above.Criterion 4. ProgramCharacteristics Mathematics The level and focus 17. My mathematical skills for solving technical problems 4.50 4.00 4.55 4.33 4.40 4.31 4.30 4.29 4.41of the mathematics content must provide students with the skills to can be rated as:solve technical problems appropriate to the discipline and the programobjectives.Criterion 4. Program Characteristics Technical Content b. Laboratory 18. My competence in the use of analytical and 4.83 4.60 4.27 4.50 5.00 4.38 4.10 4.57 4.48activities must develop student competence in the use of analytical and measurement equipment common to the discipline can bemeasurement equipment common to the discipline and appropriate to rated

Conference Session

BME Curriculum Development

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Harris, Vanderbilt University; Sean Brophy, Purdue University; Robert Linsenmeier, Northwestern University; Alene Harris, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

, andprioritizing them appropriately.ExperimentalBiomechanics "Virtual Laboratory" Modules The primaryuse of this module is in an undergraduate Biomechanics class.The student level can be anywhere from sophomore throughsenior, provided that the students know basic aspects of staticand dynamics, as well as the use of spreadsheets and simpledata analysis tools.Free Body Diagram AssistantA web-based free body diagram assistant was developed toassist students with the construction of free body diagrams inbiomechanics. This is an interactive tool that allows students toplace vectors and couples on a 2-D drawing of an isolated body.Human Knee Joint Mechanics The primary learning objectiveof the module is to describe both the anatomy and functionalanatomy

Conference Session

Global Engineering in an Interconnected World

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kurt Rosentrater, USDA-ARS; Radha Balamuralikrishna, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

International

as a Renewable Energy Source. 2004. Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. www.rcep.org.uk/bioreport.htm Biomass Program. 2006. U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/ Biomass Program: Biomass Publications. 2005. US Department of Energy. http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/publications.html#feed Biomass Program: Feedstock Composition Glossary. 2005. US Department of Energy. http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/feedstock_glossary.html Biomass Program Multi-Year Technical Plan. 2003. US Department of Energy. http://www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/pdfs/MYTP%20FY%202002%20v13.pdf Biomass Research. What is a Biorefinery? National Renewable Energy Laboratory. www.nrel.gov/biomass

Conference Session

Capstone Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Burkhardt, U.S. Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

semestercourse is structured to have two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Coursecredit is split evenly between computer aided design content (CAD) and the capstone designproject. The CAD portion of the course is project driven covering topics in solid modeling,drafting, finite element analysis, assembly modeling and rapid prototyping. Approximately athird of this time is spent on design projects using finite element analysis. The specific analysesrequired include rods and beams, frames, linear elastic solids and heat transfer. The last threeprojects are team assignments. The finite element lecture content has changed from year to yearranging from a miniature finite element course to a just-in-time delivery model. The

Conference Session

Climate Issues for Women Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Litzler, University of Washington; Sheila Edwards Lange, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

implications of these findings?Conceptual FrameworkThe conceptual framework utilized to guide the research is built off previous research. Theexpectation is that multiple factors affect ones overall perception of climate. Classroomexperiences, laboratory experiences, relationships with faculty, degree of professionaldevelopment, and work/family balance are all factors which impact climate. Climate then has Page 11.480.3effects on the retention of students, but especially women students. This paper focuses in onclassroom experiences and faculty relationships since those are the most obvious way in whichthe context of education is different for

Conference Session

ChE: Innovation in Existing Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Zollars, Washington State University; Jim Henry, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

2006-1686: LEARNING-BY-DOING AND COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN APROCESS CONTROL CLASSJim Henry, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga JIM HENRY (e-mail jim-henry@utc.edu) Dr. Henry is a professor in the area of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He has been teaching engineering for 37 years. He is interested in laboratory development for improved learning.Richard Zollars, Washington State University DICK ZOLLARS (e-mail rzollars@che.wsu.edu) Dr. Zollars is a professor in, and director of, the School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at Washington State University. He

Conference Session

Topics in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Marshall, North Carolina State University; Mohamed Bourham, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Nuclear and Radiological

representatives during thedinner meetings of the American Nuclear Society – Eastern Carolina Section. Opportunities tointeract with industry representatives at career sessions occur in conjunction with the MinorityCareer Fair and the College of Engineering Career Fair. Due to our location and relationship withutilities, major vendors and national laboratories, representatives also visit the departmentdirectly to recruit for summer internships and full-time positions. Service activities assist with retention as well. For example, student ambassadors assistthe Director of Outreach Programs with school visits, departmental tours, science fairs,Engineers’ Week programming and university/engineering open houses. It provides anopportunity for students

Conference Session

Mechanical ET Design & Projects

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alok Verma, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

2006-64: TEACHING LEAN MANUFACTURING CONCEPTS USING PHYSICALSIMULATIONS WITHIN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMAlok Verma, Old Dominion University Alok K. Verma is Ray Ferrari Professor and, Director of the Automated Manufacturing Laboratory at Old Dominion University. He also serves as the Chief Technologist of the Lean Institute and MET Program Director at ODU. Alok received his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering, MS in Engineering Mechanics and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Alok is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Virginia, a certified manufacturing engineer and has certification in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. His publications are in the areas of Lean Manufacturing

Conference Session

Outreach and Recruitment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rafic Bachnak, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Korinne Caruso, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Jack Esparza, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Marc Mendez, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

science and engineering.The program includes presentations at high schools, invited speakers, field trips, hands-on laboratory activities, and science and technology exhibits1 [7]. Specifically, theprogram involves attracting 11th grade students to attend a two-week Science andTechnology workshop. At this level, students are ready to make decisions that affectthem for the rest of their lives; selecting the college they wish to attend and choosing thefield of study they wish to pursue.The workshop is designed to introduce students to job opportunities in the food industryand agriculture, expose them to college life, involve them in hands-on activities, andencourage them to pursue science and engineering careers. One of our goals is to makethe

Conference Session

Learning from Entrepreneurship Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Nelson, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

successfulenterprises on the campus. Although, this would not necessarily be an undesirable outcome, thegoal of the program is more in the realm of building a firm foundation. That being said, start-upsprovide the laboratory for a variety of learning experiences, which is difficult to simulate in theclassroom. We will discuss the aspect of nurturing start-ups later in the body of this paper.The Marketing Plan for the Certificate Program to the StudentsThe Certificate Program was marketed initially by writing and printing a brochure that succinctlydescribed the requirements and benefits of the program. The program was then presented througha variety of means. The program was primarily marketed by “word of mouth”. Briefpresentations were given to students

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Industrial Technology

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ranjeet Agarwala, East Carolina University; Tarek Abdel-Salam, East Carolina University; Craig Sanders, East Caroilina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

sophomoreor junior students with a background in electricity and electronics fundamentals.The course consists of three semester hours with two hours of lecture and one ofhour lab per week. ITEC 2090 includes the fundamentals of mechanical systems,programmable controllers as well as practical applications of interfacing mechanical,electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems. ITEC 2091 is a team-oriented and active-learning based laboratory component. Students are given general instructions andguidelines to assemble and conduct experiments through self and group learning.The New Electromechanical Course StructureThis course is designed to help students apply technology to meet business andcustomer goals. The objectives of this course are to give

Conference Session

Electrical ET Projects and Applications

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Perry, Bloomsburg University; Michael Williams, Bloomsburg University; Scott Eckert, Bloomsburg University; Biswajit Ray, Bloomsburg University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

, control logic implementation inLabVIEW software, and wood/metal work in departmental shop. These projects were carriedout during the final four weeks of the semester after eleven weeks of lecture/laboratory sessions.IntroductionThe ability to conduct and design experiments is rated as one of the most desirable technicalskills of engineering and engineering technology graduates1. Specifically, the referenced surveyindicates that employers want graduates with a working knowledge of data acquisition, analysisand interpretation; and an ability to formulate a range of alternative problem solutions.Additionally, potential employers of our EET graduates are in the automated manufacturing andtesting sector of the industry; and that motivated the creation

Conference Session

Computed Simulation and Animation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raymond Jacquot, University of Wyoming; Cameron Wright, University of Wyoming; Robert Kubichek, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

0 0 Figure 11. Line voltage as a function of distance and time for pulse propagation.ConclusionThe authors have discussed a series of MATLAB programs written to assist in the teaching ofelectrical transmission lines. Both sinusoidal steady-state and transient behaviors areexamined graphically with dynamic animations being the most instructive. The programs can beused in the classroom or in the computer laboratory, although some careful thought by theinstructor on how they will be used is required to get the maximum benefit. These and otherpartial differential equation animation programs are available at the University of WyomingMATLAB animation resource website at www.eng.uwyo.edu/classes/matlabanimateThese

Conference Session

FPD2 -- Highlighting First-Year Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Howard, East Carolina University; Joseph Musto, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

like Page 11.1140.2to take. Courses with hands-on experiments and laboratories were the least favored by thesestudents. Besterfield-Sacre et al5 found that students who left engineering in good academicstanding had lower confidence in their “engineering skills” than those who were retained. Whiledeveloping hands-on skills may be an important goal of a first-year course, faculty membersshould bear in mind that many students are intimidated by hands-on projects.Engineering Graphics, Solid Modeling, and DesignEngineering graphics is a subject that is normally taught in the freshman year, either as a part ofan introduction to engineering course or

Conference Session

Digital System Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sin Ming Loo, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

desiredmicroprocessor/microcontroller is used in the laboratory to introduce the hands-on experience. This well-thought-out course structure has been working really well, and students completing this course usuallyhave the skills to build a small-scale system.Things are starting to change in embedded system design due to field programmable devices. In the olddays, programmable devices were used as glue logic, but their use is no longer limited to this role.Programmable devices have also been benefited from the shrinking of transistors, allowing moreresources to be packed into a programmable device. With the continued increase of usable FPGA gatesand improvement of off-the-shelf soft processor core computer-aided design (CAD) tools, it is nowpossible to teach a

Conference Session

Moral Development, Engineering Pedagogy and Ethics Instruction

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christan Whysong, Virginia Tech; Jenny Lo, Virginia Tech; Kumar Mallikarjunan, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

andpolitical pressure.8 Within the last few years Japan made the labeling of genetically engineeredfoods mandatory.9The different labeling laws in each country also affect the trade of genetically modified crops. Ifthe United States is producing herbicide-resistant corn and wants to sell it to Spain, it probablywill not be allowed to because Europe has strict labeling laws, unlike the United States.BSE sophomore year: course implementationCurrently, BSE sophomores are required to enroll in a fall semester introductory course whichincludes an oil extraction laboratory. Students are presented with raw cottonseed andinstructions for grinding and extracting cottonseed oil. The procedure exposes students tovegetable oil production, yield calculations and

Conference Session

FPD5 -- Placement & Early Success

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mukul Shirvaikar, University of Texas-Tyler; Ron Pieper, University of Texas-Tyler; David Beams, University of Texas-Tyler

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Fr 1 1.25 Physics (mechanics) 3 EE M Fr 3 7.25 Calculus I, laboratory reports 4 Chem M Fr 2 1 Physics (mechanics) 5 EE F Jr 1 0.5 C programming 6 EE M Jr 2 2.0 C programming 7 EE M Jr 1 0.5 C programming 8 EE M Sr 1 1.0 Math–FE exam preparation 9 EE M Jr 1 1.0 Matrix mathematics Totals 33 33.75The majority of the students were juniors who were transfer students and not freshmen asenvisioned. It has to be noted that the students were seeking

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Engineering and Business

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Chen, Keck Graduate Institute; Jeremy Bolton, Keck Graduate Institute; Erika Palmer, Harvey Mudd College; Stephanie Bohnert, Harvey Mudd College; Laura Moyer, Harvey Mudd College; Ekaterina Kniazeva, Harvey Mudd College; Alyssa Caridis, Harvey Mudd College; Colin Jemmott, UVP, Inc.; Darius Kelly, UVP, Inc.; Deb Chakravarti, Keck Graduate Institute; Qimin Yang, Harvey Mudd College; Patrick Little, Harvey Mudd College; Sean Gallagher, UVP, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

academic, clinical, medical and industrial laboratory. In his role as CTO, Sean oversees technical operations of UVP, including research, product and applications development, engineering, and technical support. Prior to UVP, Sean held leadership roles in instrumentation, fluidic packaging, and applications development with Hoefer Scientific Instruments, Pharmacia Biotech and Motorola Labs, where he established the microfluidcs laboratory and was a founding director of Motorola Life Sciences.Stephanie Bohnert, Harvey Mudd College Page 11.201.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006An

Conference Session

Assessment Methods

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Boser, Illinois State University; Kenneth Stier, Illinois State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

help to cover all sorts of overhead costs that an organization may incur with regard toproviding the standardized exam. One of these overhead costs is that the exam must becontinually updated to stay current with contemporary practice. Keeping the exam current is anessential criterion if the exam is to continue to have acceptance by employers. Graded course work is also a means to assess learning outcomes. Course work allows forcorrective feedback which is important for students with less prior familiarity with a topic. Itallows professors to accurately perceive their students’ understanding of the content being taught. Homework, student portfolios, capstone projects, laboratory activities, cooperative collaborativelearning through a

Conference Session

Integrative Projects in Aerospace Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; Madhumi Mitra, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; Carolyn Brooks, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; Tracie Earl, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; Gabriel Ladd, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; Geoffrey Bland, NASA Goddard Space Flignt Center's Wallops Flight Facility

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

University in 1981. Bland is a member of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes, Observational Science Branch, located at Wallops Island VA. Primary research activities are focused on the development and utilization of uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) and associated sensors for Earth science related measurements. Previous© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 assignments include mission management and engineering support of sub-orbital sounding rocket and aircraft borne experiments. Bland has also served on the UMES Engineering and Engineering Technology Advisory Committee since 1995

Conference Session

Leadership and Administration in ET

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tim Brower, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

department structure with two small programs than to have two small autonomous departments. 2. Sharing of resources between the programs. Both engineering and ET programs at OIT pride themselves on the hands-on nature of their curriculum which means lots of laboratories and laboratory equipment. With this much equipment, sharing of resources is a necessity. 3. Sharing of faculty between the programs. Faculty can specialize in the types of courses that they are experts in whether it is engineering or ET. Faculty is encouraged to associate with both programs. Enhanced interaction between engineering and ET students can lead to joint capstone projects which simulate real-life situations. 4. Sharing of common

Conference Session

Capstone Design I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Watkins, University of North Carolina-Charlotte; Michael Smith, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

respective program. Thesedesign courses and the respective student projects have traditionally been completelyindependent, even though university resources, such as machine shops and laboratory space, areshared between the programs.During the past academic year, a project team made up of both ME and MET students embarkedon a joint senior project to enter the Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Challenge, an annualcompetition sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Held eachspring, the HPV Challenge is a competition in which teams of students design and build avehicle powered solely by human power. Vehicle classes include single rider, multi-person, andpractical, each with their own design goals and constraints. The competition

Conference Session

Industrial Collaboration & Applications in ET

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Dobrowski, Purdue University-North Central

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

encouragingbonds between Universities and Industry: • Traditional funding for education from the government has decreased, or at best has fluctuated, over the past few years. Because of this, universities are looking for alternative ways to maintain research and development programs, laboratories, and even faculty so that they might attract the best and brightest students and retain the students that they currently have. Also, ways to stretch current budgets without diminishing the quality of the education must be explored. • Industry realizes that the universities are essential for training the workforce that they will someday employ. It is therefore essential that the education that they receive be

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Filsinger, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

better absorb those topics.Second, the initial run of this course proved to be too abstract. Not enough practical applicationwas provided. To the greatest extent possible, theory should be kept to a minimum, with greateremphasis on practical application. Virtually all of the standard classroom problems in AI are“toy problems,” which have little or no connection to what students would consider usefulapplications. Both classroom examples and laboratory experiments should focus on how toapply the techniques to real world problems.Finally, I was surprised that while the mathematics was difficult for the students, it was notactually beyond their reach, at least from a mechanical perspective. Technology students

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Applications

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sohail Anwar, Pennsylvania State University-Altoona College; Janice McClure, Pennsylvania State University-Altoona College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

component of the course introduces students to principles of engineeringdesign practice while developing design competencies in problem definition, idea generation,evaluation and decision making, implementation of teamwork, and process improvement.Introduction to Engineering Technology (ET 002) is a one credit-hour course which in the pasthas been used to teach basic computer skills to all the first-semester engineering technologystudents at Altoona College of the Pennsylvania State University. Traditionally, this course hasbeen a combined lecture and laboratory course focusing on topics such as microcomputerfundamentals, word processing, electronic spreadsheets, and basics of computer programming.Current state of Engineering Design at the Altoona

Conference Session

ECE Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

K Krishnamurthy, University of Missouri-Rolla (ENG); Keith Stanek, University of Missouri-Rolla; Vittal Rao, University of Missouri-Rolla

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

) attract talented undergraduatestudents from traditionally underrepresented groups to conduct research in emerging fields andmotivate them to attend a graduate school of their choice; and iv) provide a unique opportunityfor undergraduate students from schools outside the host institution to carryout research projectsspecially designed for the REU participants in state-of-the-art laboratories and motivate them toexplore opportunities available through graduate studies.The approach taken to accomplish the project objectives was to: i) develop an eight-weeksummer program that emphasized computer-aided design and hands-on laboratory experience;ii) develop team research projects combining electrical, mechanical and microsystem aspects ofmechatronics

Conference Session

Emerging EM Areas

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carmen Zafft, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Maria A. Perez, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Stephanie Adams, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

deficiencies are in order to improve those characteristicsthat an effective team player should have.Introduction The Effective Teaming Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln developed theTeam Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ) in 2001 to measure team effectiveness. It is composedof seven constructs considered to be necessary for effective performance of the team. The TEQhas three parts. The first part is used to collect demographic data and information on individualpreferences regarding teams and previous experience in teams. The second, where scoring is thefocus, is related to the seven constructs. Forty eight questions are asked in relation to theconstructs. The third section asks questions about teaming issues and the level of

Conference Session

Technical Issues in Architectural Engineering I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dong, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo; Thomas Leslie, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

objectivemethods.Collaboration and integration are both powerful buzzwords in design and engineering education,but the two instructors’ experience in practice—during which they worked together on the designof a large medical laboratory—suggested that the typical collaboration between their two fieldsin an academic setting didn’t adequately convey the commitment and interdependence betweenarchitect and engineer that practice demands. Desk crits or short-term consultations don’t offerthe level of shared responsibility or peer critique and learning that a multi-year collaborationdemands. We wanted our students to gain from the depth and rigor that would come from a full-semester project.Such full commitments between disciplines are rare in academic settings. While

Conference Session

ECE Curriculum Innovations

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Bunting, Oklahoma State University; Alan Cheville, Oklahoma State University; James West, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

) based upon provenpedagogical methods. The two course sequence is named VECTOR (Vitalizing ElectromagneticConcepts To Obtain Relevancy) and adapts existing teaching techniques and laboratories toaddress three inter-related objectives: A) Create an undergraduate curriculum in electromagnetics which is relevant to students and shows the impact of this field on emerging knowledge and technologies. B) Employ modern tools, skills, and techniques to emphasize fundamental concepts rather than teach legacy materials emphasizing rote, analytical solutions. C) Create an effective introductory EM course which will pipeline students into the electromagnetics-photonics curriculum at OSU, including graduate programs.These goals, described in

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Otieno, Northern Illinois University; Clifford Mirman, Northern Illinois University; Abul Azad, Northern Illinois University

ofManufacturing Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, and IndustrialTechnology. The Departmental laboratories are outfitted with modern experimental equipment inthe areas of Manufacturing and Electronics. Through collaboration with high schools and localindustry the Department constantly seeks to provide avenues for future workforce development.These collaborative efforts culminated into the development of a novel educational program withsecondary schools to promote entry into engineering and technology programs, especiallyamongst girls and minorities. Available literature6-11 shows that if students can be engaged in thetools of the trades and provided with information, then they will have a greater desire to applythemselves in the