Conference Session

FPD11 -- Multidisciplinary Experiences

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi; Lifford McLauchlan, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

the increased retention of concepts using thedeveloped cooperative learning model.1. IntroductionIntroduction to Electrical Engineering and Introduction to Engineering Technology are two veryimportant freshman courses in the electrical engineering and engineering technology curricula.These two courses expose the students to topics in their related fields and help them understandprospects and expectations in these fields. In addition to engineering and technology relatedtopics, these courses cover methods and skills necessary for the students to be successful in theirchosen area of study. The skills emphasized in these courses range from simple math skills to useof software, internet, as well as engineering problem solving techniques. Besides

Conference Session

Design Methodolgy

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jose Salinas, United States Military Academy; Bobby Crawford, USMA; Tony Jones, USMA

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

comprehensive, integrated engineeringexperience to students enrolled in humanities, social sciences, life science and other non-engineering degree programs. Lessons learned through the development and implementation ofthis course may be applicable to programs seeking to expand or develop minors in engineering orprovide challenging and rewarding experiences in design-based courses to students who mightotherwise be reluctant to explore this potentially demanding and work-intensive field.Introduction“All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mindwake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, forthey may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.”1

Conference Session

Implementing the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge into Courses and Curricula

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Sutterer, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; James Hanson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; John Aidoo, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

client, • a report of the design to the client, • a one day trip to a major city to visit “big” civil engineering projects, and • professional development training.The fourth component is the subject of this paper, but a brief summary of the other three isappropriate to put the work reported in this paper into context.Through friends in the community and open solicitation in the region, the department is able toarrange for a different project for each group of four freshmen taking the course. A freshmanclass of about 40 students thus requires 10 different projects. Students preference their project atthe end of the winter quarter and are given their project assignments in week 1 of the springquarter. Upon assignment of the project, the

Conference Session

Teams and Teamwork in Design II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mario Blanco, California Institute of Technology; Kenneth Pickar, California Institute of Technology; Luz Marina Delgado, GEMA; Oscar Arce, Universidad Rafael Landivar; Jeff Kranski, California Institute of Technology; Francoise Herrera, Universidad Rafael Landivar; Charles MacVean, Universidad Rafael Landivar

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

consider the availability of local materials as well as the lack of manufacturingand product standards. It also raises awareness among privilege university student in developingnations to consider their own country context and needs.1.2 Product Design Engineering RationaleA pressing ethical question must be addressed: Do global economies need clients from the ThirdWorld? The majority of the world’s design engineers are currently employed creating productsfor the wealthiest third. This opens an opportunity for the creation of viable businesses whichcreate products that are more affordable and appropriate for use in the developing world.However, such business designs must avoid 1) Products which require a high initial investment and several

Conference Session

Mechanical Design and Projects

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jyhwen Wang, Texas A&M University; Richard Harris, Sandia National Laboratories

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Laboratories (SNL), theManufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) program at Texas A&MUniversity (TAMU) has embarked on a critical review of its mechanical design curriculum. Thispaper presents the collaboration between TAMU and SNL on the education development project,the on-going curriculum review of mechanical design courses, and the initial findings andrecommendations for the MMET program at TAMU. The methodology in this study can be usedas a continuous improvement process for engineering technology education.1. IntroductionThe typical mechanical engineering technology curriculum consists of a mechanical designcourse or sequence. Taken during the junior and/or senior years, these courses carry titles such asMechanical Design

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati; Ali Asgar Bhagat, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

” behavior in that factors such as surface tension, energy dissipation, andelectrokinetics begin to dominate. Integrating microfluidics with sensors, actuators, or otherelectronics provides for new applications.1-3 Even more importantly, the new fluid manipulationprinciples have enabled manipulation and detection of nanoliter fluid samples. The behavior ofsuch systems has been extensively investigated and explored in so-called lab-on-a-chip (LOC)systems.4,5Recently, expanding interest in scaling down to nanometer dimensions of the channels for fluidtransport opened a new window for fundamental and applied studies of nanofluidics—studies ofthe characteristics of flow in nanoscale systems. From the applications point of view,nanofluidics represents an

Conference Session

Emerging Technologies in Manufacturing Education II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

jack danziger, Rochester Institute of Technology; David Street, Rochester Institute of Technology; William Leonard, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

this system, using statistical process control charts, will lead to betterunderstanding of part accuracy. Typical problems experienced and the techniques used toovercome these problems will be addressed. Issues such as costs, feasibility of use, and benefitswithin the academic environment and industrial outreach will be explored.introductionIn the past twenty years RP has seen an increase in use amongst product design disciplines. In anevolving global market a paradigm shift has facilitated the need for rapid product development(RPD). RPD can be defined as an interdisciplinary methodology to combine all influences ofengineering to an iterative product development process.1 RP machines offer the ability toquickly build physical models from

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University; Dennis Gouran, Pennsylvania State University; Laura L. Pauley, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. Page 12.273.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Assessing Students' Oral Communication SkillsIntroductionMany reports have indicated that engineering graduates have poor communication skills.1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6 However, communication skills are often not the focus of those who teach engineering courses.Since the introduction of the new ABET criteria, many engineering programs have tried invarious ways to incorporate communication skills in their curricula.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Engineering students at The Pennsylvania State University are required to take a SpeechCommunication course as part of their general education requirements. Co-op and internshipevaluation and alumni survey data suggest that the current Speech

Conference Session

Special programs and activities for minorities in engineering

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University; Dana Newell, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

leader, but works closely with many other organizationsto achieve their aim.1 NACME is widely known as the nation’s largest private source ofscholarships for underrepresented minority women and men in engineering. Over 15% of allminority engineering graduates since 1974 have received scholarship support from NACME andare now leaders in government, industry and academics.2In 2003 NACME embarked on a new NACME Success Strategy. Although NACME hadworked with certain universities over the years, in an effort to dramatically increase therepresentation of African American, American Indians, and Latinos (underrepresentedminorities) in the critical field of engineering, NACME selected key institution to participate in anew scholarship program. This

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Tufenkjian, California State University-Los Angeles; Ethan Lipton, California State University-Los Angeles

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

utilizing an instructional desk-top shake table to model the building behaviorduring an earthquake. Each teacher received a shake table, and comprehensive documentationcovering earthquake engineering basics, shake table instructional manual, and the designchallenge scenario. The engineering design challenge is organized so it can be expanded or Page 12.98.3contracted based on the needs of the teachers.This professional development model was structured to accommodate the varied backgroundsand capabilities of the participating math, science, and technology teachers. Figure 1 illustratesthe range in ethnicities, teaching areas, and gender distribution

Conference Session

Computer Tools for Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frank Kowalski, Colorado School of Mines; Susan Kowalski, Colorado School of Mines; Erich Hoover, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

) techniques.In order to use the InkSurvey tool, Tablet PCs must have internet connectivity and have theFirefox browser installed. There is no additional software required and there is no cost to otherinstitutions for the use of this tool.IntroductionThe past three or four decades have seen unparalleled advances in our understanding of the mindand learning.1 These new theoretical insights are now guiding significant changes in the wayteachers teach, at engineering institutions as well as elsewhere. Many contemporary efforts toenhance learning are based on the constructivist theory of knowledge, that one builds newknowledge and understanding based on previously learned concepts and facts, within the contextof social interaction and agreement.At this same

Conference Session

Practice/Partnership/Program Issues

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rosemary Kilmer, Purdue University; Lisa Kilmer, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

that accommodates human needs without diminishing the health andproductivity of natural systems.” 1 Additionally, sustainability can be defined as “…providingequitably for the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the needs of futuregenerations.” 2 In order to accomplish the above tasks, we must redesign the way human natureexists with the natural earth and redesign our processes and automated, thoughtless actions.Therefore, sustainable design can be defined as a “strategic approach to the design of the builtenvironment which does not diminish the health and productivity of natural systems.” 3 Althoughthese definitions do not give specific items, “…they do offer an approach which recognizes theimperative that we must redesign

Conference Session

Laboratories and Computer Simulation in BME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lanny Griffin, California Polytechnic State University; Robert Crockett, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

, having projects that are based onbioengineering problems is necessary. Fortunately, there are numerous problems that can beaddressed which are well-posed. Finding a textbook can be somewhat challenging since most numerical analysis books arewritten for MATLAB or C. Most of the Excel textbooks are not well-suited to a formalnumerical analysis class because they are written to address typical spreadsheet usage rather thancustomization by macros [1]. We ultimately settled on using a newly published book entitled,Numerical Analysis for Biomedical Engineers [2] even though it was written for MATLAB. Inthis case, MATLAB script could be treated as pseudo-code and easily ported to Visual BASIC inExcel.II. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Conference Session

IE Curriculum Design

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sophia Scott, Southeast Missouri State University

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

perform betterin classrooms where multiple technologies are used. Table 1 defines the current course formats. Type of Course Definition Portion in classroom/online Traditional face-to-face Course with no online components All classroom meetings, no online Web-enhanced Course that is face-to-face with Meets in the some Web components for grades, classroom with some assignments, and materials Web components Blended (sometimes

Conference Session

ABET Accreditation of Multidisciplinary Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fred DePiero, California Polytechnic State University; Lynne Slivovsky, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

with “an ability to function onmultidisciplinary teams”1. It is further required that specific skills be identified andassessed via direct measures9. Programs also need to demonstrate that their students havea chance to practice skills associated with each Outcome. Hence a curricular mapping ofsome kind is needed for students to learn and practice their MD skills4.Consistent with ABET requirements we have defined specific skills associated with theABET MD Outcome. Rogers9 recommends establishing 3-5 skills for each ABETOutcome. These help answer the question: “How will you know good MD abilities whenyou see them”? Also see4. The following is an amalgamation of the skills defined byvarious programs across the College:Students will

Conference Session

Mobile Robotics in Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Parten, Texas Tech University; Michael Giesselmann, Texas Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, students learn that their basic knowledge can be carried over to other devices andsystems. This paper describes a second semester sophomore laboratory project todesign and build an autonomous robot vehicle capable of navigating an outsidearea the size of a small parking lot by guidance from a GPS sensor. The roboticvehicles normally use the frame of remote controlled cars. The students aredivided into teams of 3 to 4 members. The teams compete at the end of thesemester. The winner is the vehicle and completes the parking lot drive in theshortest time.II. Project Laboratories The laboratory structure in the ECE department at Texas Tech University issomewhat different than most university laboratories.1-8 There are five, three hour

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Eduaction - Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Colin Campbell, TechnicalMastery.com Corp.; Steve Lambert, University of Waterloo

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

faced by an engineer, and uses real data. The following criteria are alsoused in evaluating a case study for use in a course: 1. Contains incomplete/extraneous data 2. Requires judgment and evaluation as well as analysis 3. Requires problem formulation and refinement 4. Involves an element of Design 5. There is no single correct solution 6. The company’s actual solution is available for comparison with student workCases must map well onto the curriculum, and are most effective if they can be used in morethan one course. The group’s first case studies were presented in the Fall of 2006, and are thesubject of this paper. The purpose of the case studies was to introduce the engineering designprocess to first year

Conference Session

Developing New Instrumentation

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sean Brennan, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

instrumentation platform, agraduate Mechatronics course, and a controls laboratory suitable for undergraduate systemtheory and control. Nearly all new faculty are faced with a similar challenge and situation, albeitwith different subject material. It is therefore it is hoped that the insights offered in this articleprovide some guidance for long-term integrative planning of research and teaching acrossdisciplines.To summarize and illustrate the synergistic integration of this article, the uses of the hardwareand software involved are generalized at each of the levels education in Fig. 1. This figure alsoprovides a quick reference for the remainder of the article on how the same core equipment, inthis case a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) is reconfigured

Conference Session

Manufacturing Education Curriculum I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Anderson, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

in August 2005, leading to a revised proposal whichwas funded for 3 years beginning in 2006. Page 12.183.2Estimates of current employment in the aerospace sector, including its supply chain, range ashigh as 790,000 production workers 1. It is also important to note that the production jobs inaerospace are compensated well. Aerospace production workers earn approximately 1.3 timesthe average hourly earnings for all manufacturing workers and 2.2 times that of hourly earningsfor retail workers 2. Total payroll for the US aerospace industry is in excess of $98 billiondollars. The aerospace industry is nationwide, with California, Texas, and

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati; Erik Peterson, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

topics from many fields ofscience and engineering.Teaching MEMS at the University of CincinnatiAs we enter the 21st century, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have had a revolutionaryimpact on many areas of science and engineering. The application of MEMS technologies inresearch has already increased the performance of conventional methods in microorganismdetection in environmental monitoring, drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry, andclinical diagnostics. More importantly, it is enabling access to new information and applicationson the molecular level.1 The conceptual paper by Manz et al.2 triggered an avalanche ofdevelopments and discoveries, which led to an exponential growth of the field.3,4MEMS technologies are now being applied

Conference Session

FPD9 -- Teaching Methods & Technology

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margot Vigeant, Bucknell University; Karen Marosi, Bucknell University; Ronald Ziemian, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Page 12.698.2problems and in design of systems to meet specific needs; developing team skills; Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2007, American Society for Engineering Educationdeveloping technical communication skills; and providing the requisite background forstudents to make an informed choice about an engineering major. This course is taught by eight engineering faculty representing all majors in theEngineering College. In the 2002-03 academic year, the course underwent a majorrevision [1]. Previous course implementations (called “single-class” here) used smalllaboratory sections that met weekly in addition to three 52-minute

Conference Session

Research Infrastructure in STEM Disciplines

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carlotta Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Cordelia Brown, Purdue University; Ingrid St. Omer, University of Kentucky; Stephanie Adams, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Michael Smith, National Society of Black Engineers

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

learning preferences of AfricanAmerican graduate and undergraduate students in engineering. The motivation for this workstems from the fact that there is much published literature on the importance of recruiting andretaining underrepresented populations in engineering, but not much on the learning preferencesof these populations in the engineering classroom. There have been books written on whystudents leave engineering or switch majors but none of it focuses solely on the classroomexperience of African American students. Figure 1 demonstrates that there is a serious decline inthe enrollment of African American students in undergraduate engineering1. The importance ofthis study is based upon the hypothesis that if the learning preferences and

Conference Session

Using Technology to Enhance Teaching and Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyu Yon Lim, Pennsylvania State University; John Wise, Pennsylvania State University; Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University; Roxanne Toto, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Conference Session

Optical and Wireless Communication Systems

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ernest Kim, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

of concepts introduced in each course.Curricular design of both courses as well as assessments of concurrent registration in the coursesis presented. Specific laboratory design, fabrication, and measurement experiments conducted inthe RF and microwave engineering course that helps emphasize concepts introduced in theengineering electromagnetics course are outlined.IntroductionRadio frequency (RF) and microwave engineering courses are commonly taught as an electricalengineering elective in the senior or graduate years of study.1 Concepts introduced in RF andmicrowave courses benefit from a solid understanding of passive and active circuits, and time-varying electromagnetic field theory.2 With regard to electromagnetic fields, wave

Conference Session

FPD7 -- Service Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Pagano, Western Michigan University; Amanda Rossman, Western Michigan University; Kendall Vasilnek, Western Michigan University; Betsy Aller, Western Michigan University; Edmund Tsang, Western Michigan University; Andrew Kline, Western Michigan University; Edward Brabandt, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

diffraction of single crystals. Working with a high school physicsteacher (their “customer”), teams of first-year engineering students used the engineering designprocess to create a device that effectively simulated the phenomenon of x-ray diffraction. X-raydiffraction is the scattering of x-rays by atoms of a crystal into a crystalline lattice pattern. Theteacher wanted his students to be able to see and understand how Bragg’s Law, a mathematicaldefinition explaining x-ray diffraction, works.In 1913, Sir W.H. Bragg and his son, W.L. Bragg, derived an equation that validated the fact that Page 12.750.2real particles exist at the atomic scale. 1, 2

Conference Session

Applied Mathematics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Johann Misterio, William Dickinson High School; Krshna Ravindra, Johns Hopkins University; Rene D Rivero, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Henry McCloud, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Levelle Burr-Alexander, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Nuggehalli Ravindra, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

of each leaf wasdetermined using the box-count method. Five trials were conducted using five plants. The meanfractal dimensions of each leaf was obtained and then analyzed by ANalysis Of VAriancebetween groups [ANOVA].I. IntroductionShapes have always been an important aspect in biological systems. Although usually ignored,shapes play a major role in description of functions of various organisms. Traditionally, theshapes of objects and organisms have been described using Euclidean geometry1. Euclideangeometry describes the basic, regular figures that are most familiar such as lines, squares, cubes,etc. Irrespective of the case, all these structures have dimensions that are positive integers (wholenumbers): 0 for a point, 1 for a line, 2 for

Conference Session

Marketing Engineering to Minority Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Lemons, NC A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Conference Session

Product Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Street, Rochester Institute of Technology; jack danziger, Rochester Institute of Technology; William Leonard, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

of thedesign errors before capital is invested in manufacturing. The new process allows for a shorteriterative cycle as compared to the old build-test-fix model. Figure 1 is an evaluation of the designcycle (Ullman, p 180) 1. Page 12.1219.2 Design Iterate Iterate Build Test Figure 1 Design evaluation cycleKnowing the strategic advantages of RP machines and seeing industrial growth, RIT’sMechanical Engineering Technology (MET

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Engineering Physics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Bougie, American University; Philip Johnson, American University; Nathan Harshman, American University; Teresa Larkin, American University; Michael Black, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

anyphysics program.b. State of the program at the time of evaluationWith these goals in mind, we began by evaluating the physics program as it was structured at thetime in order to identify changes that would be beneficial to the program. We began byexamining the course load and major requirements to determine whether the requirements for amajor at American University were appropriate to the skills and background expected of physicsmajors. Part of this assessment was comparing these requirements to those of comparableuniversities across the nation.Prior to the 2003-2004 agademic year, physics majors had the option of following one of twotracks: applied (chemical) physics or computational physics. Both tracks required six physicscourses (see Table 1

Conference Session

Improving ME Education: Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nidal Al-Masoud, Central Connecticut State University; Peter Baumann, Central Connecticut State University; Alfred Gates, Central Connecticut State University; Zdzislaw Kremens, Central Connecticut State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

it relates to curricular requirements. In addition, someaspects of the recruitment implementation plan are also discussed in the paper. Lessons learnedfrom the entire process conclude the paper.1. IntroductionCentral Connecticut State University’s School of Technology has recently faced anunprecedented challenge — but also a unique opportunity — in curriculum development. Theschool was charged with establishing a brand new (and the first) full engineering program in itsacademic offer. The faculty and administration started building an engineering program virtuallyfrom scratch. One must note, however, that implementing major components toward a futureengineering program had been underway for many years. The university already has in