Conference Session

"Modular" Learning

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qinghua He, Tuskegee University; Rong Zhang, Auburn University; Jin Wang, Auburn University; Frank Leonard Armstead III, Tuskegee University; Rong Zhu Walburn; Donald Ray Johnson Jr; Julius Lenard Taylor II, Tuskegee University Research Assistant

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

large research centers funded by DOE, USDA and other agenciesCenter/Laboratory name Institution / DepartmentEngines & Energy Conversion Laboratory Colorado State Univ. Depart. of Mech. Eng.(EECL)Center for BioEnergy Research and Dev. South Dakota School of Mines and Tech. (lead) Multi-Univ. /(CBERD) multidiscip.Biomass Energy Center Pennsylvania State Univ. / Multidiscip. (incl. Chem. Eng.)Office of Biobased Technologies (OBT) Michigan State Univ. / Multidiscip., (incl. Chem. Eng.)The Institute for Massachusetts Biofuel Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst / Multidiscip. (incl. Chem. Eng.)ResearchBiofuel Research Laboratory (BRL

Conference Session

Capstone Projects, Design Projects, and Teamwork

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tomas Enrique Estrada, Elizabethtown College

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

focus onmultidisciplinary work and hands-on learning.1 The topics of student interest have evolved aswell. Studies show that an increasing percentage of students are drawn towards topics related tosustainability.2 Regardless of these changes, one thing that remains true is that small engineeringdepartments, particularly departments housed in small liberal arts colleges, are faced withadditional challenges. These challenges include working with limited resources (budget,laboratory space, equipment) and the necessity for the instructor to supervise projects outside ofhis or her area of expertise. Thus, it can be difficult to develop capstone project ideas that arerealizable in this setting. We believe the Hybrid Solar Tracker project was an

Conference Session

NSF Grantees' Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan W. Klingbeil, Wright State University; Anthony Bourne, Wright State University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

attrition in engineeringprograms across the country. As such, there is a drastic need for a proven model whicheliminates the first-year mathematics bottleneck in the traditional engineering curriculum, yetcan be readily adopted by engineering programs across the country. Such is the focus of thiswork.The Wright State model begins with the development of a novel first-year engineering mathcourse, EGR 101 Introductory Mathematics for Engineering Applications. Taught byengineering faculty, the course includes lecture, laboratory and recitation components. Using anapplication-oriented, hands-on approach, the course addresses only the salient math topicsactually used in core engineering courses. These include the traditional physics

Conference Session

Beyond BS: Issues Affecting Graduate Education

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cole C McDaniel, California Polytechnic State University; Allen C Estes, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

courses that were not offered in their undergraduatecurriculum such as structural dynamics, seismic analysis and design, as well as concrete,steel or timber/masonry design laboratories. The curriculum advances student knowledgeand understanding of mechanics and nonlinear analysis and provides project basedlearning opportunities in the Structural Systems Laboratory and the Architecture DesignStudios. Students also have the opportunity to advance their education through electivestaught throughout the university based on approval from their graduate advisor. Page 23.106.4Master’s student Joey Williamstests a fiber reinforced concretemasonry wall on the shake

Conference Session

Implementing Transfer, Exchange, Research Programs and Professional Development; in Asia and Far East

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James M Widmann, California Polytechnic State University; Binaya K.C., Kathmandu University

Tagged Divisions

International

is placed on laboratory andhands-on learning. Many classes contain a laboratory portion and efforts continue to developmore “hands-on” instruction. Outside the laboratory, most content is delivered in a standardlecture form with most classes taught in English.Cultural values have a profound impact on how teaching and learning occur and set theexpectations about the various roles of teachers and learners. Fadhronc and Lauridsen2 give adescription of the cultural impact on education and the difficulty of teaching in a culture that isnot one’s own. Nepal culture differs greatly from most western cultures and shares manyattributes common with other South Asian cultures. In Nepali culture, the professor (teacher) is

Conference Session

Electrical Energy Courses, Labs, and Projects I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Faruk Yildiz, Sam Houston State University; Keith L. Coogler, Sam Houston State University; Bill Crockford, Sam Houston State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

projects background compared solar panelswith TEGs. The comparison study dealt with efficiency, power generation capability andcapacity, cost, size, potential consumer applications, and system installation complexity togenerate power. The balance of the system included the number of the components that go intothe system. For both devices, two separate laboratory environments were created to measure thepower outputs and efficiencies. Both devices were tested at different locations due to operatingenvironments were not similar. A solar PV module was tested under sun light whereas TEGmodule was tested inside an air conditioner condenser unit on same days. This paper documentstest results of the comparison of two energy generating systems and lists

Conference Session

Aerospace Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

George Havener

a time, in all courses inthe curriculum. Near the end of the program, the capstone design and senior laboratory-courses(AE 481, AE 482, and AE 471) are used to put all pieces of the thread into a single product. Communications Thread - The educational objective of the Communications Thread is:Graduates will use professional writing and speaking skills necessary to communicate effectively.We believe the process of developing effective communicators involves consistent and continuousdevelopment across the curriculum. Thus, instead of teaching technical report writing in a singlecourse, the pieces of a technical report along with efforts to develop good writing skills are taughtin several courses. One course may teach writing an abstract

Conference Session

Student Interaction

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Paul Ranky

, including rapid prototyping, computernetworking and the Internet, computer aided manufacturing, requirements analysis andprocess failure risk analysis in several volumes, automotive telematics and the digital car,quality control and total quality management, concurrent engineering, flexible, leanmanufacturing, service robotics, biomedical engineering and 3D low back pain analysis,factory business process re-engineering, and many others.As one example, the developed and validated computer networking case-based curriculumused NJIT’s new wireless Internet networking laboratory, partially sponsored by the NJ I-TOWER R&D project and our state-of-the-art web-based methodology for multi-mediacourse development. This means, that besides traditional

Conference Session

Using IT to Enhance Design Education

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Paul Ranky

laboratories and factories. § Design an integrated system, based on what you have analyzed in this case. § Work in a multi-disciplinary team and exchange ideas openly, and in an ethical fashion. (Note, that our students receive an eLearning pack, that typically includes four companies they have to collaborate with to learn about team- oriented problem solving on a global basis.) § Understand the boundaries as well as the tremendous potential of new ideas and developments by working on this case. (Realize that in order to survive and win, you must add value, that customers appreciate).At various levels of this virtual product/ process demonstration we stop and trigger thelearners’ thoughts. We focus on

Conference Session

Issues in Multidisciplinary Programs

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Benjamin Sill; Elizabeth Stephan; Matthew Ohland

generally discarded and not assigned again.Students need to be able to exercise their interests and creativity in successful problem solutionand ALSO need to learn that usually there are numerous ways to accomplish most engineeringtasks.Lab activitiesAn important part of Engineering Problem Solving and Design is time spent in “laboratory”activities. These are not always laboratories in the classical sense of the word, but the term is usedto embrace hands-on activities of many types. One of the most promising is discussed below.Students often have a difficult time relating a physical process to its graphical depiction. This iseasily seen by requiring students to construct a graph of a time-dependent process such asblowing up a balloon, a bungee

Conference Session

Program Delivery Methods & Technology

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Kenneth Ragsdell; Halvard Nystrom

their MS program.Typically, UMR classes are delivered in person by senior faculty at Fort Leonard Wood. Anormal class involves the instructor lecturing for most, if not all, of the class period. Studentsask questions in class, but have little time for small group discussion, or one-on-one discussionswith the instructor. Students work on homework, read the book and other assigned material, andwork on laboratory assignments and the semester project in small groups (learning teams), orindividually. We do not have space to discuss the learning team concept here, but interestedreaders can learn more at the course webpage. Ragsdell decided to ask the class to consider arather radical experiment in delivery style at the first class meeting. The

Conference Session

Quality & Accreditation: Outcome Assessment

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Steve Hefley; James Lookadoo; Randy Winzer

, review curriculum issues, analyze the datagathered and set future plans. Performing these functions in a venue away from offices and classesseemed to be the only mechanism that would allow us a chance to adequately address our TC2Kchallenge.One additional outcome in our program’s way of doing business involved planning a significantupgrade in our senior laboratory. TC2K’s Criterion 4 addresses facility issues. With the additionof a new member to the EET program, we had an excellent opportunity to upgrade one of ourlabs. Our college dean was presented with a general proposal for the upgrade and this wasaccepted. This proposal differed from usual practices in that details of an exact equipmentmanifest were absent. The proposal outlined the goals

Conference Session

Contextual Competencies

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christel Heylen, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven; Jos Vander Sloten, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

students’ grades.Reference list1 Heylen C., Smet M., Buelens H. and Vander Sloten, J., 2007, Problem Solving and Engineering Design, introducing bachelor students to engineering practice at K.U.Leuven. European Journal of Engineering Education, 2007, 32 (4), pages 375 – 386.2 Kuder, K. and Gnanapragasam, N., 2011, Implementing peer-reviews in civil engineering laboratories, Proceedings 118th ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 26th - 29th June 2011, Vancouver, Canada.3 Heylen, C., 2010, Problem Solving and Engineering Design: introducing bachelor students to engineering practice. 2010, Diss. Doct., ISBN 978-94-6018-237-2. (Available online: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/270889/1

Conference Session

New Research and Trends for Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ajit D. Kelkar, North Carolina A&T State University; Ram V. Mohan, North Carolina A&T State University; Vinaya Kelkar, North Carolina A&T State University; Keith A. Schimmel, North Carolina A&T State University; Earl Hilton Martin

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

AC 2012-3718: EXPERIENCES LEARNED IN CONDUCTING A SUM-MER WORKSHOP ENTITLED ”INTEGRATING NASA SCIENCE, TECH-NOLOGY, AND RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM ANDTRAINING (INSTRUCT)” FOR HBCU/MI INSTITUTIONSDr. Ajit D. Kelkar, North Carolina A&T State University Ajit D. Kelkar is a professor and Chair of Nanoengineering Department at Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. He also serves as an Associate Director for the Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures. For the past 25 years, he has been working in the area of performance evaluation and modeling of polymeric composites and ceramic matrix composites. He has worked with several federal laboratories in the area of fatigue, impact, and finite

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering, Part II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ivan Lopez Hurtado, Northern New Mexico College; Jorge Crichigno, Northern New Mexico College

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

the college population, respectively.The paper presents the social and academic background of the students attending this College aswell as some statistics from the main factors that have contributed to low historical retention. Itdescribes later the strategies adopted for the last three years to improve recruitment, retentionand graduation rates for engineering degrees: (1) prepare high school students for college-levelconceptual analysis, problem solving and the value of experimental replication through a STEMSummer Camp using problem-based learning; (2) supplement college STEM curricula withprograms aimed at tutoring college and dual credit students who are at risk with engineeringrelated courses; (3) curriculum and laboratory development

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Onursal Onen, University of South Florida; Rasim Guldiken, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2012-3059: INTRODUCTION OF ”MICROFLUIDICS” TO UNDER-GRADUATE FLUID MECHANICS COURSESMr. Onursal Onen, University of South Florida Onursal Onen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Acoustic Transducers Laboratory at the Department of Mechan- ical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla. His research interests are acoustic transducers, ultrasound applications, bio/chem sensors, and engineering education. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, both in mechanical engineering.Dr. Rasim Guldiken, University of South Florida Page 25.850.1

Conference Session

CoED General Technical Session I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan M. Hill, University of Hartford; Devdas Shetty, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

. Page 25.904.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Low Cost Educational Laser Based Vibration Measurement System with Improved Signal Conditioning, Python and MATLABAbstractThis project involves a laser based vibration measurement system that has educational value andcan be used in a student laboratory. The system must be small, inexpensive, and convenient touse, without extensive programming. The LabJack U3 acquisition system was used with a laptopand a netbook computer. Our use of Python and MATLAB are suitable software choices for thissystem. The vibration measurement system provides cross-disciplinary educational opportunitieswith hands

Conference Session

Aerospace Technical Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edwin Alexander Peraza Hernandez, Texas A&M University; Kaushik Das, Texas A&M University, College Station; Dimitris C. Lagoudas P.E., Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

experience, which took place during the summer of 2011.The first author, who was the undergraduate student, was supported by a summer research grant.One of the goals of this grant was to prepare students for graduate study and research. Thestudent participated in an inclusive learning community of graduate students, postdoctoralassociates, university faculty, and undergraduate researchers from the host university and fromother universities. Student activities included preparation of research plans, weekly presentationsto multidisciplinary research groups, preparation of progress reports and research papers, andresearch poster presentation. The student learned to operate state of the art laboratory equipment,such as scanning electron microscopes

Conference Session

The Role of Engineering in Integrated STEM--uh STEAM--uh Education!

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alyssa M. Batula, Drexel University; Brandon Gregory Morton, Drexel University; Raymond Migneco, Drexel University; Matthew Prockup, Drexel University; Erik M. Schmidt, Drexel University; David Kurt Grunberg, Drexel University; Youngmoo Kim, Drexel University; Adam K. Fontecchio, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

audio-centric activities to facilitate learning of STEM concepts.Matthew Prockup, Drexel University Matthew Prockup received both B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Drexel University in 2011, as well as a minor in music theory/composition. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D as a member of the Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory. His research deals with topics related to human computer interaction in music performance and production.Erik M. Schmidt, Drexel University Erik M. Schmidt received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Temple University in Philadel- phia, Penn., in 2007 and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Drexel University in 2009. He is currently a Ph.D

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emad Habib, University of Louisiana, Lafayette; Carloina Cruz-Neira, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Yuxin Ma, University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Douglas Williams, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

hydrologic field and modeling experiences into engineeringhydrology curricula requires innovative approaches (Ramasundaram et al.6; Becker andSchuetz9). A recent report on NSF-CCLI funded activities (Cunningham10) presented successfulapplications of visualization in geosciences education. Ramasundaram et al.6 used VirtualReality Modeling Language (VRML) technology to develop an environmental virtual field soil-topography laboratory as a tool to study environmental properties and processes. Becker andSchuetz11 used VRML to introduce concepts of numerical ground-water modeling intoundergraduate hydrogeology courses. Gallus et al.12 developed an innovative fully immersivevirtual reality system to simulate a tornadic thunderstorm to be used in

Conference Session

Creativity and Innovation in Engineering Design

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Niall Seery, University of Limerick; Donal Canty, University of Limerick; Ronan Dunbar, University of Limerick

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

when using the phone as a data exchange device for audiofiles, figure 7 shows the lack of use of this functionality. Figure 7 – Audio functionalityContemporary mobile phones have significant capacity and the usage trends suggestthe students are not using them to the full potential (Figure 8). Possibly the context oropportunity for meaningful usage has yet to be afforded to them. Figure 8 – Data conversion infrastructure Page 15.857.11Levels of EngagementThe module resulted in unprecedented lecture and laboratory attendance. The averagelecture attendance was recorded at 88% (this is not accounting

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Dinehart, Villanova University; Joseph Yost, Villanova University; Shawn Gross, Villanova University; Aleksandra Radlinska, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

impedance beam, use of Ohm and Volt meters (ECE) matching (ECE)SS 9 Review of experimental results of root beam Destructive testing of cylinders and beams and SMARTBEAM® ( openings) (CEE) reinforced with steel and GRFP (CEE)SS 10 Laboratory basics, identification of testing Data measurement and processing (ECE)SS equipment, measurements of beam (CEE) 11 Experimental testing of a SMARTBEAM® Ultrasonic and vibration testing of cracked ( openings) (CEE) and uncracked concrete beams (ECE) 12 Technical presentations

Conference Session

DELOS Best Paper Nominations

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelly Crittenden, Louisiana Tech University; David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Patricia Brackin, Southeast Missouri State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

TechUniversity, we began our own engineering curriculum reform in 1995. Through the support ofthe College and the National Science Foundation we have implemented and revised multipleIntegrated Engineering Curricula.One obstacle to implementing an active-learning, laboratory experience at the freshman level isthe required infrastructure and setup time. These barriers can lead to either poorly implementedprojects with no connection to the curricula or to time-intensive preparations by the faculty andstaff. Through multiple iterations of our freshman curriculum, we have developed an active,hands-on lab-type experience at the freshman level that is both tightly integrated to the coursecontent and does not require extensive set up and tear down time by the

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashok Kumar Manoharan, Auburn University; P.K. Raju, Auburn University; Chetan Sankar, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. He received his Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and has worked at Temple University and AT&T Bell Laboratories. His research interests focus on researching innovative practices to integrate teaching, research, and outreach both locally and globally (www.litee.org). He has published more than 150 papers in journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. He has won awards for research and teaching from the Society for Information Management, iNEER, Decision Sciences Institute, American Society for Engineering Education, Frontiers in Education, and the Project Management Institute. He is the editor of the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2005 Annual Conference

Authors

Andrew Sterian; Bruce Dunne; Andrew Blauch

courses.Mechanical Engineering CoursesTable 4 lists some of the mechanical engineering courses that incorporate programming. InEGR345, students develop C programs as part of the laboratory experience to control anembedded system10. In addition, they write C programs and use MATLAB to implementnumerical algorithms for solving non-linear systems of equations and simulating dynamicsystems. A foundation in structured C programming is essential to the successful and efficient Page 10.1265.3completion of these assignments. Some of the other mechanical engineering courses, such asEGR350, use MATLAB as an analysis tool. Proceedings of the 2005

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions - Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Goodarz Ahmadi, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

year graduate students inengineering through developing and offering of sequence of specialized courses. Anotherobjective was to integrate the simulation and experimentation into these courses, as wellattract industrial interactions. In these courses, the processes of particle transport,deposition and removal and re-entrainment were described. Computational simulationmethods as well laboratory experiments are integrated into the curriculum. In addition, acomprehensive website was developed for these courses, and the courses were taught attwo universities simultaneously on several occasions.Parallel to substantial scientific and technical advancements and massive public andprivate investments in the development of nanotechnology, the workforce

Conference Session

The New ABET CE Criteria - Program Development

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debra Larson, Northern Arizona University; Allen Estes, California Polytechnic State University; Norman Dennis, University of Arkansas; Ronald Welch, University of Texas, Tyler; Carol Considine, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

., is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Before joining the U of A faculty in 1996, he served in the US Army as an engineer officer for 24 years. During his military career Dennis had the unique opportunity to build roads, airfields and other facilities on six different continents and spend over 11 years as a member of the faculty at the US Military Academy. His current research interests include laboratory and field determination of geotechnical material properties for transportation systems and the use of remote sensing techniques to categorize geohazards. He has published over 85 peer reviewed articles relating to his research and

Conference Session

Computers and Software in Teaching Mathematics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cynthia Young, University of Central Florida; Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Tace Crouse, University of Central Florida; Alvaro Islas, University of Central Florida; Scott Hagen, University of Central Florida; Cherie Geiger, University of Central Florida; Melissa Dagley-Falls, University of Central Florida; Patricia Ramsey, University of Central Florida; Patrice Lancey, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

AC 2010-171: EXCEL IN MATHEMATICS: APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUSCynthia Young, University of Central Florida Cynthia Young is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics in the UCF College of Sciences and a Co-PI of the NSF-funded S-STEM program at UCF entitled the "Young Entrepreneur and Scholar(YES) Scholarship Program" as well as the NSF-funded STEP program entitled "EXCEL:UCF-STEP Pathways to STEM: From Promise to Prominence." Dr. Young's research interests are in the mathematical modeling of atmospheric effects on laser beams. She currently has projects with the Office of Naval Research and the Naval Research Laboratory investigating atmospheric propagation in the marine

Conference Session

Student Attitudes and Perceptions

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Atchison, Drexel University; Dorothea Holmes-Stanley, St. Cyprian's School; Adam Fontecchio, Drexel University; Eli Fromm, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

the Microdevices Laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Eli Fromm, Drexel University Dr. Eli Fromm is the Roy A. Brothers University Professor and Director of the Center for Educational Research in the College of Engineering of Drexel University. He has held a number of academic leadership positions and included among them are Vice President for Educational Research, Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies, and interim Dean of Engineering at Drexel. He has also held positions with the General Electric and DuPont companies, has been a staff member of the Science Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives as a Congressional Fellow, a Program Director at NSF, and a Visiting

Conference Session

Launching Successful Academic Careers

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Fleishman, Western Washington University; Janet Braun, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

/ supervisors as to program or projectexpectations. The requirements for tenure, while daunting, seem to be less definitive in natureand could use the structure of an SOP. Specific items such as a minimum acceptable level ortrend in teaching evaluation ratings, specification of quantity and level of publication andpresentation requirements, as well as quantification of service at the various university /community levels expected, could be included in a university or department-specific SOP.The areas where academic best practices could be developed include successful teachingpractices and laboratory activities in the various courses, effective approaches for researchactivities and projects, as well as successful independent study course methodologies