Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Kongar, University of Bridgeport; Mahesh Baral, University of Bridgeport; Tarek Sobh, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

2004 semester.Keywords: Graduate Enrollment, Engineering, Decision Making, Engineering Education, DataEnvelopment Analysis.1. IntroductionEvaluating candidates for graduate degree programs has always been a concern of both academicand administrative personnel at Universities. The difficulty of this task has increased over time dueto growing complexity and size of the pool of applicants as educational programs extend to theglobal arena. Many Universities are facing a significant increase in the number of internationalstudent applications to graduate degree programs.With this being the motivation, this study aims at determining the key criteria for applicants to thegraduate programs at the University of Bridgeport, School of Engineering. In this

Conference Session

Design for Society and the Environment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Pappas; Ronald Kander, James Madison University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

design courses and programs to better reflect the needs of society and theenvironment, perhaps one of the first academicians to note the interdependence amongtechnical engineering skills and the arts and social sciences is Duke University Professorof Civil Engineering Henry Petroski. Although much of his work has addressed the roleof failure in design, Petroski was one of the first to consider engineering an integrateddiscipline. In what many consider his seminal work, To Engineer is Human, Petroskirefers to engineering practice as a human endeavor, a practice of both science and art, onethat is “part of our human understanding and experience.”1 Petroski is particularly referring to working in an interdisciplinary manner,especially

Conference Session

Preparing Engineering Students for International Practice

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Stanton, United States Military Academy; Eugene Ressler, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

International

Dependencies Organizational Maturity Technical Knowledge Start Figure 1 Axes with synchronizing tasks Third, an assessment of the organizational maturity prevents overextending a single axis.As new technologies are added to the environment, the benefits and rules of use need to beexplained to all parties so that they understand the effects and impact on their role in theenterprise. It is a

Conference Session

Engineering Education in the Mid-East / Asia

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Stanton, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

International

. Although their work addresses IT infrastructure ina different, non-education specific context, Brewer et al stressed the requirement for developingperspective so heavily that they incorporated social scientists into their research to study theregion6. Establishing perspective requires understanding the capabilities of the faculty, thephysical resource limitations of the institution, and the academic capabilities of entering students.Each of these areas is addressed in turn.Faculty Effective teachers are essential in any educational setting; “the faculty is the heart of anyeducational program”1. To be effective, teachers must have a deep understanding of the subjectmatter and the ability to convey it to the student population. Developing

Conference Session

Institutional and Curricular Reform

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pierre Lafleur, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; Yves Boudreault, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; Richard Prégent, École Polytechnique de Montréal

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

the actual context ofthe market place; such as independence, communications and teamwork skills, managing peopleand tasks, and mobilizing innovation and change. (1)It was time for a good and thorough analysis of our educational model and a consequent reviewof all undergraduate programs, according to a contemporary vision of the engineering professionand a corresponding philosophy of teaching engineering.But time mattered! After many thoughts, our president mandated the Dean of studies to proposea process of review of our programs that would involve the profound changes needed. Becauseof the competition with other universities, and more importantly because of the long period ofimplementation of these changes (during the following four years of

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raghu Echempati, Kettering University; Enayat Mahajerin, Saginaw Valley State University; Anca Sala, Baker College

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

processes. Math software tools such as MATLAB®, MathCAD® andExcel® in recent years have achieved wide spread acceptance throughout the educational andindustrial communities. Moreover, CAE tools such as Solid Edge, Unigraphics®, I-DEAS®,ANSYS®, etc., are used to perform parametric design and finite element analysis of individualcomponents and simple mechanical assemblies. Integration of such tools into the engineeringcurriculum enhances students understanding of, and appreciation for the iterative and open-endedness nature of design problems. This paper describes the teaching and learning experiencesof including such tools in few example courses in mechanical engineering. One of them is aComputational and Experimental course (“Course 1” taught at

Conference Session

Micro-/Nano-Technology Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Santosh Kurinec, Rochester Institute of Technology; Michael Jackson, Rochester Institute of Technology; Thomas Schulte, Rochester Institute of Technology; Nathaniel Kane, Rochester Institute of Technology; Elaine Lewis, Rochester Institute of Technology; Surendra Gupta, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Materials

could, today’s high school curriculum preparestudents for these hi-tech careers?Academic programs and research, discussion with undergraduate and graduate students.Forum between faculty and teachers; opportunities, gaps, challenges, actionsFigure 1 shows K-12 course attendees conducting photolithography in a cleanroom andassembling an electronic circuit. Fig.1. K-12 Forum on Microelectronics and Nanotechnology participants conducting laboratory in the RIT microelectronics cleanroom (left); Participants trying electronic device test kit prepared by RIT faculty (right). Page 13.893.5Upon completion of the K-12 Forum on Microelectronics and

Conference Session

Innovations in the ChE Laboratory

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine Taconi, University of Alabama, Huntsville; R. Michael Banish, University of Alabama, Huntsville

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

oil is the most common oil used for biodiesel production in the U.S. Although soybeanoil is a mixture of triglycerides, it can be assumed that soybean oil primarily consists of triolein.Triolein is a triglyceride in which all three fatty acid chains are oleic acid. Similarly, biodieselproduced from soybean oil primarily consists of methyl oleate, which is the methyl ester of oleicacid. The simplified mass-based chemical reaction for biodiesel production is given in Equation1[22]. NaOH 100 lbs soybean oil + 10 lbs methanol 100 lbs biodiesel + 10 lbs glycerol (Eq. 1)In order to produce fuel grade biodiesel, at least 99.7% of the soybean oil must be converted intoproducts. However, adding

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K12 Teachers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shannon Davis, University of Arkansas; Bryan Hill, University of Arkansas; Carol Gattis, University of Arkansas; Bradley Dearing, Illinois State University; Edgar Clausen, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

surveyresponses of the participating science teachers.12 Participating schools and teachers committedto full participation in the three-year program. 13, 14Follow-up activities during the academic year, including observations by UA mentors andparticipating science teachers, were designed to provide additional time for inquiry, reflection,and mentoring and to sustain the long-term practice of including hands-on laboratory activitiesaligned with the Science Frameworks.Year One Workshop ActivitiesThe year one Summer Institute was focused on providing engineering hands-on activitiesteachers could subsequently conduct in their classrooms. For each activity, the Instituteprovided: 1) a presentation and discussion of the topic background; 2) time to perform

Conference Session

Graduate Education in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bimal Nepal, Indiana University Purdue University, Fort Wayne (Eng); Jihad Albayyari, Indiana-Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

. Therefore, it is important that our MS Tech curriculum (Industrial/Manufacturing Track)should also be augmented with a suitable course on quality engineering. However, in order totrain the students in terms of long term solution to reduce the variability in product and processdesign, knowing just acceptance sampling and statistical process control is not enough. Figure 1shows the various approaches of quality control and their scope in terms of reducing thevariability in the product.Figure 1: Potential levels of systematic variability reductions by using quality control techniques9The above figure reveals that an advanced quality engineering techniques based on experimentaldesign is the most effective approach for the maximum reduction of product

Conference Session

Manufacturing Engineering Technology Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Akbar Eslami, Elizabeth City State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

problems. Flexibility, ease of operation, and speed Page 13.1057.2are the recommending factors for the use of robots in the handling, moving, sorting, andpalletizing of goods and materials4. Robot palletizing is widely accepted in the manufacturingand material handling industry. Many companies that have added robot palletizing work cell totheir production line are pleased with the robot’s capability to handle heavy load items.II. Robot Palletizing ProcessFigure 1 shows the different components of the robot palletizing work cell. It consists of: a robotwith an I/O controller5, a conveyor6, a Programmable Logic Controller7 (PLC) that controls

Conference Session

Multinational and International Design

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Somerton, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Conference Session

FPD5 - Teaming and Peer Performance

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Frank, Queen's University; James Mason, Queen's University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Conference Session

CAD/CAM in Manufacturing Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Nutter, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

. Page 13.437.2Time and expense have been reduced by reducing the number of physical prototypes that must becreated in order to validate a product design in the physical world.” 3Simulation is one of the growing applications within the DM realm. The Society ofManufacturing Engineers (SME) has created a technical group to provide reference informationand networking opportunities within this field. This group has designated four areas of simulationrelated to manufacturing operations: 4 1. Virtual product design 2. Physical prototype validation 3. Production/operations analysis 4. Enterprise analysisThe principle applications used in our curriculum fall within the production/operations domain.Curriculum Background at Ohio Northern

Conference Session

FPD1 - Early Success and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jale Tezcan, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; John Nicklow, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; James Mathias, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; Lalit Gupta, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; Rhonda Kowalchuk, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, including students’perceptions of the course and their academic performance strongly indicate that the course willimprove retention and graduation rates in the COE.Introduction:Retention of engineering students is critical to ensuring the adequacy of engineers to meet thedemands of the industry. Recent statistics indicate a concerning decrease in the graduation rates,accelerating the research into engineering persistence 1.Several researchers have attempted to identify early indicators of engineering persistence 1-4.Daempfle 5 and Pascarella et al. 6 propose a variety of interdependent factors relating to thelevel of preparation of the incoming student, academic environment, and expectations aboutwork and family. Many studies stress the importance

Conference Session

Design Communications

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Jonassen, University of Missouri; Tamara Knott, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Richard Goff, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

design: writing software programs; designing a building; designing a newcar or any of its 10,000 components, writing a manual, designing a data collectionsystem, and so on. Design problems are among the most complex and ill-structured of allproblem[1]. Despite the apparent goal of finding an optimal solution within pre-determined constraints, design problems usually have vaguely defined or unclear goalswith unstated constraints. Multiple solutions from various different solution paths arepossible. Perhaps the most vexing aspect of design problems is that they possess multiplecriteria for evaluating solutions, and these criteria are often unclear. Ultimately, thedesigner must please the client, however the criteria for an acceptable design are

Conference Session

Electrical ET Curriculum and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Dutko, Bloomsburg University; Cathy Auburger, Bloomsburg University; Patrick Anderson, Bloomsburg University; Biswajit Ray, Bloomsburg University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

channels, 12 bit resolution, 10 kHz update rate ‚ 8 digital I/O channels with TTL/CMOS compatibility; and Timing I/OGPIB controller board: ‚ IEEE 488.2 compatible architecture (eight-bit parallel, byte-serial, asynchronous data transfer) ‚ Maximum data transfer rate of 1 MB/sec within the worst-case transmission line specificationsSignal conditioning accessory: Page 13.322.3 ‚ Model SC-2075 from National Instruments ‚ Desktop signal breakout board with built-in power supplies, connects directly to 6024E DAQ boardSample Project: Automated street parking systemThe objective of the automated street parking system was to

Conference Session

Instructional Innovations in AEC Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Cowan, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

modelwas to be a presentation model of a wall assembly and it had to be professionallycrafted (see Figures 1 and 2).Figure 1- Wall Assembly Model 1 Figure 2- Wall Assembly Model 2All of the students in this small class participated in the questionnaire. Responseswere anonymous and the instructor was not aware of the author of each paper.The questionnaire was also not a required responsibility of the students, nor didthey receive a grade. They were told that the instructor simply wanted feedbackon the value of this teaching tool. They were all given 10 minutes to complete theassignment.There were four questions on the survey in order to keep the data focused uponthe research questions and as this project was solely being used to

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Teaching Part Two

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tanya Kunberger, Florida Gulf Coast University; Diane Bondehagen, Florida Gulf Coast University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

, Page 13.851.2which allows for experimentation, trial and error, and independent testing, is more effective insolidifying the concept over the more traditional lecture presentation approach. Therefore, theUniversity’s mission of integrated lab-lecture teaching is a perfect fit for this more challengingclass and will affect better student learning. The challenge arises in determining classroomactivities that address these novel topics in a manner that is simple to comprehend, yet not sosimplistic as to be ignored by the students.Materials and MethodsThe idea for this lab was based on a video available from the online resources associated with thebook used in the course, A Brief Introduction to Fluid Mechanics (1). The video, available toboth

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kendrick Aung, Lamar University; Jiang Zhou, Lamar University; X. Chang Li, Lamar University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Farison, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

B.S. in Engineering and 1 B.S.in General Engineering) are still operating and accredited. In 2005, ASEE became the leadsociety for the ABET evaluation of multidisciplinary engineering programs (B.S. in Engineeringand three other related titles). At last count, there were 32 accredited B.S.E. programs in theU.S. (plus 3 General Engineering, 17 B.S. in Engineering Physics and 11 B.S. in EngineeringScience programs also under ASEE purview). This paper provides a case study of a currentB.S.E. program, the shortest and most generic of the multidisciplinary engineering programtitles. The B.S.E. program at Baylor University was first accredited in 1988-89 and has servedand continues to serve effectively in multiple roles for our institution since

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Controls Laboratories

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Philip Brach, University of the District of Columbia; Ahmet Zeytinci, University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

engineering disciplines. There is a bit of nostalgia in the paper, but most important there is the identification of key skills that once were the prerogative of the surveying lab and suggestions for how these skills might be brought into the CE curriculum again and perhaps serve a useful role in other engineering disciplines as well. A few of the topics that will be explored in this paper include: (1) the relationship between the precision of instruments used in measurement and the nature of the methods used to adjust values that are the result of random errors; (2) how methods have changed over time due to technological advances in equipment; and (3) how techniques used for long distance surveys such as triangulation, trilateration

Conference Session

Educating for Results: Tools used in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Steffen, Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

engineering mistakes have been numerous. Some mistakes have been huge oversightsmissing complete concepts like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge,known as Galloping Gertie, collapsed on November 7, 1940. The collapse brought engineersworld-wide to the realization that aerodynamic phenomena in suspension bridges were notadequately understood in the profession nor had they been addressed in this design. This resultedin wind tunnel testing of all existing and future bridges across the country. New mathematicaltheories of vibration, aerodynamics, wave phenomena, and harmonics as they apply to bridgedesign arose from these studies. [1

Conference Session

Blurring the Boundary between Content Knowledge and Professional Knowledge

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Verna Fitzsimmons, Kent State University - Kent; Stephane Booth, Kent State University - Kent

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

might be to integrate the learning objectives of generaleducation and professional education and not see them or treat them as separate entities.We began this discussion by comparing the student learning objectives of thebaccalaureate degree in technology and the learning objectives of university’s LiberalEducation Requirements (LERs). (Table 1) Through this comparison it became evidentthat several objectives from both lists overlap. Because there is such an overlap, theimmediate question was one of redundancy and differentiation. Based on conversationswith members of our Liberal Education faculty as well as out Technology faculty, itbecame apparent that the learning outcomes form each of their perspective more alignedthan different. However

Conference Session

Sustainability and Environmental Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

P. Paxton Marshall, University of Virginia; Farhad Omar, University of Virginia; Alexander Hydrogen Martin, University of Virginia; James Durand, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

barge will not be operated in the winter. In designing an electrical system that relies on intermittent sources such as solarand wind it is essential to understand the load requirements of the barge. Any appliancethat is connected to an electrical circuit and consumes power is defined as a load. Todetermine the maximum power consumption on the barge we can add the total wattageconsumed by each individual load. The following table shows a summary of the loadsonboard the barge and their respective wattage. Components Watt / item Instantaneous Power (Loads) Quantity (Watt) (Quantity * Watt/item) (Watts) Navigation Light 1

Conference Session

Faculty Attitudes and Perceptions

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University; Natalia Kapli, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

faculty development seminar in the College of Engineering on any campus andyou are likely to hear a similar mantra. If an instructor wants to improve his or her teaching andsubsequently increase student learning, he or she should use active learning techniques. Activelearning is arguably the most prescribed solution to easing educational problems and enhancingstudent learning for faculty within any discipline. In fact, research has generally supported thatactive learning strategies are likely to result in higher student engagement and greater learninggains than traditional instructor-centered methods.1 However, what is missing from the literatureis a balanced perspective regarding the use of active learning including empirical research onwhy

Conference Session

Professional Engineering Management Initiatives

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald Merino, Stevens Institute of Technology; S. Jimmy Gandhi, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

analyzedundergraduate and graduate EM programs and provided their definitions of EM. 1, 2Development of ASEM EM BoKThe ASEM, as the lead professional society in Engineering Management developed acertification program for Masters in Engineering Management. This helped provide curriculumstandards for EM Masters level programs4. Over the last few years the number of undergraduateEM programs achieving accreditation form the Accrediting Board for Engineering andTechnology (ABET) have increased from three to six5.The ASEM certified MS EM programs and the ABET accredited BS/BE programs formed thebasis for ASEM to establish an EM BoK. Both ASEM and ABET require programs to be basedon outcomes developed with industrial advisory boards. Curricula are developed by

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Craig, North Carolina State University; Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Jeff Joines, North Carolina State University; Tom Miller, North Carolina State University; Carolyn Miller, North Carolina State University; Dianne Raubenheimer; George Rouskas, North Carolina State University; Larry Silverberg, North Carolina State University; Eric Wiebe, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

computing in their education. This premise served as the basis for a projectfunded by the National Science Foundation CISE Pathways to Revitalized UndergraduateComputing Education (CPATH) initiative in 2007. The project is being carried out by theauthors comprised of a multidisciplinary team of faculty from six departments in the College ofEngineering and one from the College of Education at NC State University.The project has two overarching goals: (1) create a computational thinking thread in theengineering curriculum that spans from the freshman to senior years and bridges the dividebetween freshman year computing and computing in upper-level classes, and (2) enable studentsto take computing competency to the next level, where they are able to

Conference Session

Mechanics and the Internet

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Holdhusen, University of Wisconsin - Marathon County; Christa James-Byrnes, University of Wisconsin - Barboo/Sauk County; Luis Rodriguez, University of Wisconsin - Waukesha

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Engineering Laboratories

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chiu Choi, University of North Florida

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

for these three semesters. Spring 2006was the first semester that this tool was used. The raw data of these evaluations are shown in theAppendix. A summary of the data for these three semesters is shown in Table 1. For comparisonpurposes, the evaluations of the same course taught in summer 2003, spring 2004, and fall 2004semesters before the adaptation of the Freescale kits are also shown in Table 1. The tools used inthese three semesters were Axiom’s CME-12BC evaluation boards, DBUG12 Monitor, AXIDE,and ImageCraft C compiler. These tools were used as the means for the facilitation of learningfor the course. Much of the materials delivered to the students in the lectures were done throughthese tools. Further the students used them extensively