Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Guoping Wang, Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne (Eng)

University Fort WayneAbstractVHDL has become an industrial standard language in digital system design. This paper discussesthe author’s experience of teaching VHDL to undergraduate engineering students at IPFW.Logic synthesis is focused in the educational activities instead of the complex features of VHDL.Projects which involved synthesis, simulation, implementation and verification using FPGAboard were assigned. The pits and falls of teaching and learning of VHDL were discussed. Theauthor’s teaching methodology of VHDL is presented, which is followed by some of theproblems that students faced when they were trying to design digital systems using VHDL.1. Introduction The VHSIC (Very High Speed Integrated Circuits) Hardware Description Language

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ismail Jouny, Lafayette College

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

outsourcing of ECE expertise. The intent is to offer suggestions on howto revise the ECE curriculum to; 1) help future graduating ECE engineers work in aglobal environment, and 2) strengthen areas of ECE that are not likely to be outsourced,and to minimize focus of areas of the ECE discipline that are most likely to beoutsourced. These recommendations will in no way weaken the fundamental requirementfor understanding basic ECE principles, but are merely an attempt to structure the ECEcurriculum to be more resilient to outsourcing, so that ECE graduates in the United Stateshave expertise that are not easily outsourced and can compete in a global environment.Research of what’s being currently outsourced clearly identifies the need for USengineering

Conference Session

Intersdisciplinary Courses and Environmental Undergraduate Research

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Helene Hilger, University of North Carolina-Charlotte; Francis De Los Reyes, North Carolina State University; Warren DiBiase, University of North Carolina-Charlotte; Len Holmes, University of North Carolina - Pembroke; Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University; Siva Mandjiny, University of North Carolina - Pembroke; Todd Steck, University of North Carolina-Charlotte; Keith Schimmel, North Carolina A&T State University; Chuang Wang, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

methods typically involve student group informationgathering and problem solving and have been shown to promote improved investigatory and criticalthinking skills and to prepare students for the more team-based interdisciplinary nature of the workenvironment2,3,4.Upon obtaining support from the federal Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE),a three-year research program was mapped out. The specific research objectives, the results from Year 1and some lessons learned are described below.Research ObjectivesThe research objectives were to: 1. Use the combined expertise of education, biology, and engineering faculty and graduate students to implement open-ended inquiry through problem-based learning (PBL) as the

Conference Session

Emerging Technologies in Manufacturing Education II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Wells, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

forefoot of an enormous wave of application. Verysmall transportable energy devices are beginning to proliferate. The list is both broad and deep.Frequently, these products are more amenable to manufacture by extrapolation of machiningtechnologies, than by adaptation of lithographic techniques. [1,2,3] The terms ‘nano’, ‘micro’ and ‘meso’ are frequently employed to describe the small world ofmanufacture. These terms are rather imprecise, and there is no universal agreement as to whereone realm stops and another begins. Some writers also employ the term ‘miniature’ in thespectrum.[3] We describe our work at North Dakota State as being with products generally in theminiature and meso realms according to the spectrum suggested in Figure 1. Part

Conference Session

Our Future in Manufacturing

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Wells, North Dakota State University; Ronald Bennett, University of St. Thomas; Casey Radtke, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

; * creation of competitive advantage through manufacturing planning, strategy and control; * analysis, synthesis and control of manufacturing operations using statistical and calculus-based methods, simulation and information technology; * measurement of manufacturing variables and extraction of technical inferences about the process. Figure 1: Proficiencies Required from Undergraduate Manufacturing Engineering and Similarly-named Programs [11]Manufacturing Education and Research Community: The most recent redirection of SMEhas been the alignment of technical interests into ‘communities’. These are mostly recognizableas the previous ‘association’ structure

Conference Session

Who Should Teach the BOK

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Maccariella, Urban Engineers, Inc. / Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

faculty must consider the skills of the individual, and the needs of thedepartment. Sputo5 suggests that adjuncts: 1. Teach courses in applied areas of engineering design. That is, areas with low potential for research funding, thus little faculty interest. 2. Teach courses in specialized areas where no full time faculty have expertise, but where the adjunct has developed expertise over years of practice in that area. 3. Teach broad based design courses, particularly Capstone Design courses, where the adjunct’s breadth of knowledge and expertise is exactly what is needed. 4. Teach business oriented courses, such as ethics, engineering construction, and professional practice courses, where the

Conference Session

Undergraduate Spacecraft Design II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Bittle, University of North Texas; Mitty Plummer, University of North Texas

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

launch of themissile. An iterative solution is developed to calculate each time and eccentric anomaly for eachnew azimuth and elevation on the trajectory. The trajectory of the missile as seen by theobservation site is plotted.TrajectoryFrom a military point of view, a ballistic missile has the sole objective of carrying an explosivewarhead from the launch point to the impact point or target. Both points are on the trajectoryplane and surface of the Earth. A typical trajectory of a ballistic missile is shown in Figure 1.The trajectory is divided into powered, ballistic, and re-entry flights. During powered flight, themissile goes from a static position to dynamic flight and is propelled beyond the appreciableatmosphere. A propulsion system

Conference Session

Service-Learning in Developing Communities

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Soerens, University of Arkansas; Charles Adams, University of Arkansas; Kevin Hall, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, 2006, “Service Learning in Engineering and Science for Sustainable Development”, InternationalJournal for Service Learning in Engineering, Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring 2006, pp. 1 – 4.4. Sachs, J.D. 2005, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, Penguin Press.5. Thomson, P.A.B., 2005, Belize: A Concise History, MacMillan Caribbean.6. United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2006. Human Development Report 2006: Beyond scarcity:Power, poverty and the global water crisis, Report and related materials accessed 1/12/07 athttp://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/report.cfm Page 12.378.6

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Hossein Mousavinezhad, Western Michigan University; Liang Dong, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

term projects as part of the course requirements.TheorySignal processing is an important subject area in engineering. A signal can be defined asa function of one or several variables. For example, f(t) is a one-dimensional signal of thevariable “t” which can represent time. f(x,y) is a two-dimensional signal (e.g., image) ofvariables x and y. In digital signal processing we study discrete-time or digital signalswhich can be obtained by sampling a continuous-time signal. For the purpose ofdiscussion in this paper we will follow the notation in reference 1 and use x[n] torepresent a digital signal x(nT) where T = 1/Fs is the sampling period (interval) and Fs isthe sampling frequency. It is important to distinguish the difference between a

Conference Session

FPD12 -- Novel Approaches to First Year Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Rowe, Vanderbilt University; Stacy Klein-Gardner

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Vanderbilt-Northwestern-Harvard-MIT Engineering Research Center for BioengineeringEducational Technologies (VaNTH ERC) is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSFEEC 9876363) as one of the several engineering research centers. Much of the work done inVaNTH has been based upon the text, How People Learn (HPL)1.HPL learning theory incorporates four “centerednesses” that work synergistically to optimizelearning. When these four are in place, studies show that students increase both their contentknowledge and their ability to apply that knowledge in new situations – i.e., their adaptiveexpertise2-6. First, the learning environment must be knowledge-centered -- appropriateinformation should be presented in an appropriately sequenced and organized

Conference Session

Optical and Wireless Communication Systems

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mustafa Guvench, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Electronicslaboratory can be adapted to establish a laboratory resource to do optoelectronic device and optical fiber linkcharacterization measurements and SPICE modeling work to augment Optoelectronics courses. It is shownthat with minimal additional investment in an Optical Spectrum Analyzer and a ThermoStream temperaturecontroller, light sources, such as LASER diodes, LEDs, Incandescent and Discharge Lamps, and detectorssuch as Photodiodes and Solar Cells, and optoelectronic combinations of them like Optical Isolators andOptical Fiber Links can be characterized for their electrical, opto-electrical and spectral characteristics.Examples of experimental results are given with descriptions of circuits, experimental setups andmeasurement methodology.1

Conference Session

Service-Learning in Developing Communities

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frank Giannelli, Lafayette College; Sharon Jones, Lafayette College

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

revised basic functions (addedin bold) that student-led service-learning groups should follow. We included the challenges thatremain.1. Ensure that one person, and one person only, is responsible for the project scope, budget, and schedule. Decision Making Challenge: Organizational and planning skills vary among members and are not “taught.” Rotating members and changing budgets make this difficult.2. Don’t begin work without a signed contract, regardless of the pressure to start. Communication Challenge: Preliminary site assessments must be done without an agreement to start the process prior to a community agreement with the club.3. Confirm that there is an approved scope, budget, and schedule for the project. Quality Control

Conference Session

Computer and Information Technology-Related Issues

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ghassan Ibrahim, Bloomsburg University; Owen Wesstrom, Keystone Communications; Chris Root, PSU/Harrisburg; Kyle Noss, Benatec Associates, PA

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

’ laptops see Figure 1. Figure 1, proposed wide area wireless networkThe proposed design has many inherent difficulties that can significantly reduce data rate leadingto loss of transmitted information. As a prelude, the team was tasked with developing a pilotsystem to analyze and determine the technical and economical feasibility of implementing theproposed wireless network using low cost off-the-shelf components and parts. Students ownedthe project; in that they had to generate specifications, establish project plans, procure resources,monitor development costs, and write progress reports. The Project team was comprised of threestudents, which is typical of team size (where? Here or in industry or both). Team spirit

Conference Session

IE Program Design I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Batson, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

program, and certainly feasible for any engineering program.IntroductionThe Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has adopted as its motto“Quality Assurance in Engineering, Computing, and Technology Education.” ABET’s Page 12.102.2Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC 2000)1 was used voluntarily in accreditation visits starting withthe Fall 1998 visit cycle, with full implementation in Fall 2001. The Department of IndustrialEngineering (IE) at The University of Alabama (UA) was one of the programs visited in Fall2001, though curriculum and assessment changes here literally began immediately after theprevious ABET visit in October 1995

Conference Session

ChE: Innovations in Student Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brent Young, University of Auckland; Robert Kirkpatrick, University of Auckland; William Svrcek, University of Calgary

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

occurred more thenfifteen years ago where many process simulators had considerable difficulty in managing waterand hydrocarbons 1. More modern simulators may provide warnings about this type of situatione.g. VMGSim 2. However the more important observation is not whether the simulator provideswarnings but whether junior engineers construct a detailed computer model of the apparentproblem area prior to actually reviewing the first principles operating data to see if a fundamentalunderstanding of the changed conditions can be developed without simulation.The tendency of modern students in chemical engineering to rush into developing a detailed Page

Conference Session

Computer Tools for Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeff Frolik, University of Vermont

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

enhance both individual and team learning in these settings from both student andfaculty perspectives. The working premise was that Tablets have added benefit, in comparisonto laptops, since much engineering content consists of equations and diagrams, entry of which iscumbersome at best with a keyboard and/or mouse. A secondary objective was to ascertain howstudents would adopt and adapt to this new computing platform. Three distinct studies arediscussed in the following pages.Study 1: A First-Year Engineering Design LaboratorySince Spring 2005, Tablets have been utilized in the laboratory section of a first-year engineeringdesign course. This course is a requirement of our electrical and mechanical engineering majors.To date, ~250 students have

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Management

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Abel, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

and their relationship to theProgram Objectives and ABET criterion 3. Thus, this section should list the EngineeringProgram’s outcomes and how these program outcomes relate to the program’s objectivesand ABET’s a-k. See Tables 1 and 2 for examples of partial tables.Table 1: School of Engineering (SoE) Curriculum Outcomes, Engineering ManagementProgram Outcomes and their relationship to ABET Criterion a-k Engineering Management SoE Curriculum Outcomes ABET Program Outcomes By the time of graduation, Crit 3

Conference Session

Internet Delivery of Mechanics Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Boyle, Saint Mary's University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

student’s convenience,with the professor adding enrichment in class. A commercial software served as the workhorsefor most of the symbol and number manipulation required for the solution of textbook problems.The courses that are the subject of this paper were delivered using an electronic course packagewith the following components: 1) The framework was a commercial course management system (CMS). 2) Two recently published e-texts were employed, allied with evolving, and somewhat problematic, solution manuals. 3) Online tests were used with automatic marking of tests and assignments. What was gained and what was lost with synchronous marking is discussed. 4) The instructor’s e-lecture notes amplified, simplified and

Conference Session

Graduate Education and Undergraduate Research in ET

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mean-Shang Chen, Central Michigan University; Michael Chan, China Travel Ship Management Limited; Dru Wilson, Central Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

study shows the integration of these technologies could besuccessfully achieved.IntroductionAn Independent Research course (IET 791) in the Department of Engineering & Technology atCentral Michigan University provides a venue for graduate students to showcase theircomprehensive knowledge and skills. It serves as an important tool in evaluating their abilities inhandling real world problems. This paper discusses the research experience of a student whointegrated design and manufacturing functions to significantly improve a product.A braking shoe used on a band saw was first selected for the project. This defective part, whichwas made of cast iron, was broken near the larger hole as depicted in Figure 1. The primaryfocus of this project was

Conference Session

Engineering and Poverty

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York-Binghamton

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

the plight and the future of polar bears. IntroductionA new approach to engineering ethics, one based on the notion of a morally deep world,has been developed and reported.1 The morally deep world was first developed within thecontext of environmental ethics. A key element in its development in environmentalethics is the identification of an integral community. The present work makes the case forextending the identified integral community to include not only the environment but alsoother segments of society which have not been included in engineering ethics cases in thepast. Prior to examining a case study in which the morally deep code will be utilized, abrief review of the philosophical underpinnings of

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Technology Curriculum

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Edwards, Pennsylvania State University-Erie

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

:• Desktop computer power supply. (Figure 1)• Power supply fan from the above power supply. (Figure 2)• Fixtures for mounting the fan and the case to the air flow bench. (Figures 1 and 2)• Air flow bench. (Figure 3) Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3Figure 1 shows the power supply attached to a mounting plate. The mounting plate isused to attach the power supply to the air flow bench. This is done twice during theexperiment, once without the fan to create a flow impedance curve for the supply andonce with the fan to determine the actual operating point.Figure 2 shows the fan from the power supply attached to a separate mounting plate.This is used to create a fan curve.Figure 3 shows the key piece of

Conference Session

Effective Learning Innovations in Civil Engineering Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Akhter Hossain, University of South Alabama; Kevin White, University of South Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

build the10 ft. x 10 ft. x 12 ft. chamber. The framework of the chamber was constructed with treatedlumber frames as shown in Fig. 1(a). The chamber was carefully wired for the operation of thelighting, temperature control, humidity control, and auxiliary outlets. After the wiring wascompleted, the chamber was fully insulated as shown in Fig. 1(b). The exterior of the chamberwas finished with fiber cement siding. To finalize the chamber, a 6000 BTU room air conditionerwith digital control was installed in one of the walls to control the temperature within thechamber. In addition, a humidifier and a dehumidifier were installed inside the chamber tocontrol the humidity within the chamber. The completed environmental chamber cost around$1500

Conference Session

Computer and Information Technology-Related Issues

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Merwan Mehta, East Carolina University; Andrew Jackson, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Figure 1. Four people are involved in theprocess: a clerk, a loan officer, a manager, and an underwriter. These four people complete tendistinct operations in the process. The process begins when an applicant puts in a loanapplication and ends when the application is either approved or disapproved, and the result ismade known to the applicant. The times in minutes consumed by the four people involved in theprocess are also shown in Figure 1. As can be seen, the clerk takes a total of 53 minutes, the loanofficer takes 22 minutes, the manager takes 15 minutes, and the underwriter takes a total of 15minutes per application processed. The total processing time in the process adds up to 105minutes. However, only 30% of the loan applications reach a

Conference Session

ECET Curriculum

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jerome Tapper, Northeastern University; Francis Dibella, Northeastern University; Walter Buchanan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Conference Session

Teaching Innovation in Architectural Engineering II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Betz, State University of New York

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

Circulation International StudentDesign Competition by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Association ofCollegiate Schools of Architecture. Team dynamics and potential pitfalls are discussed. Thispaper should have broad appeal for faculty looking to go beyond the traditional design studio andengage students in meaningful independent study.IntroductionNational design competitions always produce excitement and the chance for students to test theirdesign ability in a more worldly, although structured academic setting. There are two importantissues facing the mentoring faculty: (1) what exactly does one assess and, (2) how does oneassess it? The first question of what to assess, is related to the quality of the design process used.Since

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Curricula I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Audra Morse, Texas Tech University; Heyward Ramsey, Texas Tech University; W. Andrew Jackson, Texas Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

environmentalengineering community by improving graduate preparedness for their future profession byproviding the necessary knowledge to develop and apply new hybrid ideas to solve engineeringproblems.IntroductionAt Texas Tech University, students may obtain an environmental engineering degree in one oftwo tracks. One program, the 5-year Freshman to Master’s Degree Program in EnvironmentalEngineering, allows incoming freshman to obtain a Bachelor in Environmental (non-accredited)while also receiving a Master in Environmental Engineering (MEnvE) (accredited).1 The degreeprogram includes a variety of civil and environmental engineering courses, environmentalscience courses,2 physics, and general education requirements as specified by the Texas StateBoard of Higher

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ming Huang, University of San Diego; James Kohl, University of San Diego; Veronica Galvan, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

courses in dynamics and design of machinery (formally MENG375 Dynamics and MENG 380 Machine Design I in the ME curriculum at USD) by changingtheir sequence from serial to parallel; namely, the two courses were offered in the same semesterand taken by the same group of students. It was postulated that 1) through careful coordination,basic dynamics concepts and knowledge needed for the applied design of machinery coursecould be covered in a just-in-time manner, and 2) coupling a foundational course (e.g., dynamics)with a directly related applied course (e.g., design of machinery) would accentuate theassociations between materials and broaden understanding. In this experiment, a third course on

Conference Session

Curricular Innovations

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maura Borrego, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

collaboration. Page 12.714.2The purpose of this survey research was to better understand cross-disciplinary collaborationacross a wide range of disciplines with respect to disciplinary differences, common strategies,and reported difficulties. The research questions addressed are: 1. What, if any, are the correlations between disciplinary background and expectations for collaboration? 2. What strategies do successful researchers employ in cross-disciplinary collaboration? 3. What difficulties do successful researchers report from their experiences in cross- disciplinary collaboration? 4. What recommendations can be made to help

Conference Session

Writing and Communication I: Innovative Models for Curriculum and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

April Kedrowicz, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Intensive Capstone Experience and Incremental IntegrationIntroductionWith the advent of ABET’s EC 2000, much focus has been placed on equipping engineeringstudents with the necessary professional skills to be effective in the workplace.1-3 As such,research highlights various approaches to teaching students how to communicate (write, speak,and work in teams) effectively.4-5 One primary method through which to facilitatecommunication skill development includes an emphasis on integrating communication into anintroductory and/or capstone engineering course. 6-8 While this approach to teaching technicalcommunication to engineering students does in fact meet the objectives of EC 2000,concentrating the development of

Conference Session

Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Foley, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Transport Equation : the first law and then the second law as more of thesame. In a previous paper Foley (2005) describes a method of introducing the first law usingthe Reynolds Transport equation. Briefly a generic property B is considered with respectto a general ‘catch all’ control volume. (See Figure 1.)DB •B ? - Â B% net _ gen - Â (m% b) net _ in …….(1)Dt •tNote that the summation signs have been used instead of the integral sign to reflect thatmost of the problems in an introduction to thermodynamics course involve discreteinputs, outputs etc. While not to the ‘purists’ satisfaction it has worked well with studentswho later ‘ramp up’ to functional, continuous type inputs with little difficulty