Collection

2012 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

M. Nazrul Islam

security technology program would be very attractive to themilitary, federal agencies as well as private industries.Curriculum GoalsThe proposed security technology curriculum will prepare the students with knowledge and skillin state-of-the-art technologies and related social and legal aspects that are applicable to thesecurity and forensic fields. Graduates of this program are expected to design, install andmaintain technical systems for security and forensic applications. The goals of the securitytechnology curriculum can be outlined as below. (1) Introduce the students to the fundamental concepts of digital technology. (2) Introduce the students to the advanced technologies for security applications. (3) Train the students on

Collection

2012 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Raenita A. Fenner; Suzanne Keilson

Collection

2012 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Jumoke Ladeji-Osias; Gbekeloluwa Oguntimein; John Wheatland; Craig Scott; Yacob Astatke

United States, our retention and graduate rates are below those ofinstitutions in our state and around the nation. The most widely provided reason by our non-returning students is financial, and includes inability to pay, inadequate aid and level of debtaccumulation.This scholarship program creates a supportive community of undergraduate and graduatescholars in electrical, civil and industrial engineering that is focused on academic achievement.The goals of the Scholars in Engineering program are to 1) cultivate a focus on academicexcellence in early-stage bachelor’s and master’s students, 2) improve student retention anddegree completion, 3) enhance student retention and support programs in the school ofengineering, 4) improve graduate school

Collection

2012 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Orla LoPiccolo

Testing Jigsaw Learning In a Freshman Laboratory CourseAbstract:In Jigsaw Learning,1 a peer-to-peer teaching method developed by Elliot Aronson and hiscolleagues, every student in the class is placed in 2 sequential groups – an “expert” group tolearn a section of a course topic (a jigsaw puzzle piece) and a jigsaw puzzle group where theyjoin with different course topic “experts” to share and learn from each other,– thus completingthe course topic as a whole in a group (the completed jigsaw puzzle). The class is then tested onthe complete course topic. In prior research2, which was part of a Students First grant to improvestudent retention, the author tested Jigsaw Learning against traditional individual studenttraditional

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Nicole C. Corbiere; Laurel Kuxhaus

discussions improvedknowledge and critical appraisal skills.1 The present study examines results from a structuredJournal Club that has been implemented for three years in a biomechanics course ofapproximately 31 students per year. Typically 36% were Chemical Engineering majors, 45%were Mechanical Engineering majors, and 19% were other engineering/science majors. Onaverage, 6% were graduate students. Each group of students chose and read an article from thepeer-reviewed biomechanics literature and evaluated its scientific merit and interpretation ofresults in a guided discussion. This process was repeated approximately weekly. Studentsconsistently recognized Journal Club as a significant learning experience, with annual averagesof 3.8, 3.3, and 3.7

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Johanna Comanzo; Chris Normile

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Navarun Gupta; Manan Joshi; Bhushan Dharmadhikari; Lawrence V. Hmurcik

are small – of the order ofmilliamps to start with and gradually increasing to as much as 7 amps. Since the smallest fuse orcircuit breaker generally trips at 15 amps, the proper fusing of an aquarium will be of no use inpreventing an electric fire. The process for the ignition of an aquarium fire happens according tothe following sequence of events. (1) Water vapor condenses between line and ground, forming athin film. A small current flows (maybe milliamps) through this film. This is hardly noticeablesince the average large aquarium my draw 10 or more amps safely. (2) The water film will dryup but leave behind salts and dirt that can conduct. (3) New water droplets will condense on inthe same spot between the ground and line voltages. The

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Junichi Kanai; Mark Anderson

project objective. An open sourceweb-based bulletin board system was introduced for enhancing the design program in the springof 2005 and made significant impact on the outcome of the project results2. Although the systemprovided many benefits to our program, better collaboration tools have been developed. Hence,we migrated from the bulletin board system to an open source bug tracking system calledRedmine5 in the fall of 2010.Learning to use the system and manage a design project effectively also contributes to thefollowing ABET student outcomes1:1. (k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.2. (g) an ability to communicate effectively3. (d) an ability to

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

R. John Milne

notes on the board is helpful for these situations. For instance, I may write on the boardthe following steps to conduct a (single) sensitivity analysis immediately prior to using thespreadsheet GUI: Parametric Sensitivity Analysis 1. Click New Cell to vary Parameter 2. [click] Risk Solver Æ [click] Parameter Æ [click] Sensitivity 3. Link Old Cell to Varying Cell 4. Click on Output Cell 5. [click] Risk Solver Æ [click] Reports Æ [click] Sensitivity Î [click] Parameters (Use “>” twice)Although the students enter their model into spreadsheets, often the problems are too difficult forthem to proceed from word problem statement to spreadsheet

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Patrick H. Oosthuizen

its environmental impact1-4. The industry is also dealing with limitations based onenvironmental considerations imposed by various governmental organizations. The majorenvironmental effects of civil aviation are related mainly to: 1. The generation of noise particularly near airports: The type of noise produced by an aircraft can be aerodynamic noise arising from the flow over and near the aircraft or noise arising from the engines and other mechanical devices. Both the noise level produced and the distribution of the noise over the ground (the noise footprint) are important considerations.5 2. Local air and ground pollution around and downwind of airports: Such pollution arises mainly as the result of

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

J. A. Rozzi-Ochs; C. J. Egelhoff; H.V. Jackson; S. Zelmanowitz

Coast Guard Academy and correspond to ABET-student outcomes a-k. In years past, the ME faculty embarked on the use of Barometric Assignments (BAs) as ameans to assess student outcomes (Appendix A shows the process). The relevant BAs used toassess the outcomes related to IL are listed in Table 1. These BAs were selected “near the end”of the program of study and therefore each BA focused on a single outcome. The OutcomeAchievement Levels (OALs) are deliberately considered to be summaries of the effectiveness ofthe program as a whole (and not as a report card for the effectiveness of a single course in whichthe BA is used). Table 1: Mechanical Engineering Program Barometric Assignments Outcome

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Brian Surgenor

the mechatronics course has left the instructors with oneoft repeated question: “can we continue to afford such courses, given that they are expensive interms of both time and money ?” This paper reviews the offering of the course in Mechatronicsand discusses the underlying resource issues and future implications.IntroductionA recent article in ASEE Prism extolled the virtues of courses with the “wow factor”1. These arethe courses that are oversubscribed and sustain their popularity from year to year through wordof mouth. It’s no surprise that the majority of such courses are hands-on and project based. TheASEE Prism article wasn’t the first appearance of the phrase. For example, Simcock talkedabout the need to reintroduce the “wow factor” to

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Bridgette Valencia; Shouling He

, developing intelligent walkers2, adding an easy-used basket andembedding a braking device in a walker3,4 and controlling the level of a four-legged walker usinghand-controlled levers5. As a result, these improvements have enhanced the safety andindependent life style of elderly persons.In this paper, we will present an approach to design an adjustable four-legged walker. Theessential idea of the design is to install two inclinometers along the level bars on two sides of thewalker (see Fig.1 for detail). When the walker is placed in ascending/descending stair or unevenwalking ground, the sensors, i.e. inclinometers, will send a measured angle signal to themicrocontroller which is installed at the front frame of the walker. The microcontroller

Collection

2012 St.Lawrence Section Meeting

Authors

Erin Zeqja; Rachael Ashton

chosen fromSyracuse University CIE Department.Additionally, four male students werechosen from Lebanese AmericanUniversity (LAU) and one malestudent from the American Universityof Sharjah. The most notable changefrom the first internship was theaddition of two students from the2008 DSIP internship who served as Figure 1: DSIP 2008 student interns on a construction site visitteaching assistants. The addition oftwo teaching assistants from Syracuse University served to enhance the overall learningexperience for the 2009 interns. The 2009 curriculum was revised extensively. All lectures wereprovided from DCC staff members. Lecture topics in contracts and change orders, mechanical,electrical and plumbing management, and finance were added to the

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Gonca Altuger-Genc

learning, computer-based education, social networks 1 University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1 University Avenue Lowell MA, 01854,gonca_altugergenc@uml.edu2012 ASEE Northeast Section Conference University of Massachusetts LowellExtended Abstract April 27-28, 2012

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Yakov Cherner; Gary Mullett

Simulation-based Customizable Virtual Laboratories for Teaching Alternative Energy, Smart Grid and Energy Conservation in Engineering & Technology Programs Yakov Cherner 1 and Gary Mullett 2Abstract – The paper presents multilayered, highly interactive, simulation-based, integrated, and adjustablevirtual laboratories for engineering and technology education in the areas of renewable energy, sensors, smart grid,and energy conservation. These labs are designed to enhance the understanding of technical concepts and underlyingfundamental principles, as well as to help students master certain performance-based skills online. The virtual labscan be

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Jani Pallis; Neal Lewis; Ravi Mishra; Navarun Gupta; Arthur McAdams; Richard Yelle

Strategy for Student Inclusion within a University- Based Business Incubator Jani Pallis, Ph.D.1, Neal Lewis, Ph.D.2, Ravi Mishra, M.S.3, Navarun Gupta, Ph.D.4, Arthur McAdams, Ph.D.5, Richard Yelle6Abstract - The University of Bridgeport is the home of the CTech IncUBator, a joint initiative of the universityand Connecticut Innovations, Inc. Inaugurated in 2010, the CTech IncUBator@University of Bridgeport assists newtechnology-based startups by providing a variety of benefits such as pro-bono and discounted professional servicesand shared support services and facilities. Through a grant from the National Collegiate Innovators and InventorsAlliance (NCIIA), a strategy and plan has been

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Sanjay R. Arwade; Vicki V. May; Benjamin W. Schafer; Stephen G. Buonopane; George Deodatis

. This presentation, however, focuses on the novelcontributions of the authors as they have adapted and transformed the core material offered at their own institutions,and also describes the authors’ attempts to modularize structural art content so that it can be offered at institutionswithout a dedicated course.Key themes of the authors’ work have been to: (1) introduce contemporary examples of structural art and structuralartists to curriculum; (2) enrich the course with in-class demonstrations and lab exercises related to structural formfinding; (3) develop the idea of environmental loading as a force to be responded to by the designer, therebyintroducing sustainability into the idea of structural art; (4) integrate computerized structural

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Olga Lepsky; Michael Werner

Teaching Algorithms by Tweaking Algorithms Olga Lepsky1 [Michael Werner2]Abstract This paper describes an approach to teaching algorithms that requires students to do experimentationand think about ways to improve/apply the algorithms. They program and benchmark the algorithms on inputs ofincreasing size and compare the results to the predicted complexity curve. They then attempt variations (tweaks) onthe algorithm to see if they can improve performance, or apply it to a different input. The approach was tested intwo computer science courses: Algorithm Design and Analysis, and Bioinformatics Algorithms.Keywords: Algorithms, Bioinformatics 1

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Ethan Danahy; Morgan Hynes; Leslie Schneider; Danielle Dowling

The Aggregation Tool: Toward Collaborative Inquiry in Design-Based Science and Engineering Projects Ethan Danahy, Ph.D.1 [Morgan Hynes, Ph.D.,2 Leslie Schneider, Ph.D., Danielle Dowling]Abstract – A growing body of research has shown two things: (1) collaborative design-based inquiry activitiesshow remarkable gains in students’ understanding of science and (2) such activities are largely absent in theclassroom because they can be challenging to implement. In order to rectify the current situation, the InteractiveLearning and Collaboration Environment, or InterLACE, project seeks to design a suite of technological tools thatfacilitates class-wide collaborative sense-making. To that end, we have created an idea aggregation tool that

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Jianyu Liang; Terri Camesano

microscopy, and bacterialculture. During class time students presented the results of their lab experiments so far and,with probing questions from faculty, discussed the findings, their implications, and successes 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester,MA 01520 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester,MA 01520 3 R.M. Feder and L.K. Silverman. Learning and teaching styles in engineering education, EngineeringEducation, 78 (1988), 674-681 (2002 preface).2012 ASEE Northeast Section Conference University of Massachusetts LowellExtended Abstract

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Lisa Shatz

to others by blogging, and by designing an experiment. To that end, the students’ final project is to design a lab activity that teaches about the science of sustainability which they instruct to students of another class. The 2.5 hour class meeting time contains not only lectures about sustainability issues and the science behind them but also a ~1 hour hands-on activity using Labview and Lego Robotics that teaches mainly about sustainabilityconcepts but also some robotics as well. The activities included building a car-robot and programming it to perform certain tasks to learn about concepts such distance, velocity, acceleration, as well as building and programming; amass-pulley activity to learn about Newton’s 2nd

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Keith M. Gardiner

hunger, safety, shelter, with future indications of conditions becoming sustainable then spare energiesmay be devoted to exploration, art, and development of greater survival skills and prosperity. In parallel with theorganizational evolution of families, tribes and social structures there will be training and transmission of customs.Learning and skills development would be accompanied by varieties of ‘rites of passage.’ There would behierarchies of priests, shaman and other levels of highly regarded instructors [1]. Learning was achieved byfollowing examples and likely repeated replication.In particular, whether we follow the examples illustrated by the discoveries in the tombs of Egypt, or in the librariesof the Vatican, the monasteries across

Collection

2012 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Jacob Cox; Jason Cody; Jesse Fleming; Matthew Miller

based on the determinants listed above. These students were placedin the center aisles of the room where they would be closest to the instructor and paired with high-performingstudents located in the center columns of three-desk rows situated on either side of the classroom. A diagram of thisarrangement is shown in Figure 1. Our research seeks to increase interaction of low-performing students with boththeir instructor and their high-performing peers seated next to them. The desired outcomes were two-fold. The firstis for low-performance students to always have the ability to obtain assistance from someone capable of providinguseful assistance quickly during in-class-exercises (ICEs). The second desired outcome was for these students tokeep