Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies and Curricula in ECE I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chen Jia, Kansas State University; Andrew G. Bennett, Kansas State University; Dong-Hai Nguyen, Kansas State University; N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University; Steve Warren, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

. Follow-on exams andinterviews will determine whether these updates were successful.AcknowledgementsThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science FoundationResearch and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE)Program under grant DRL–0816207. Opinions, findings, conclusions, orrecommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do notnecessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Studies involving human subjects wereconducted with KSU Human Studies Board oversight under protocol #4691.References[1] Warren, Steve, "Optimizing Student Learning and Retention of Time- and Frequency-Domain Concepts Through Numerical Computation Projects," 2005 Annual Conference and Exposition

Conference Session

Teaching Strategies for Solid Modeling

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Derek M. Yip-Hoi, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

lowest scores with highest variability. This is typical of team-based projects where some teams when members are chosen by association tend to be dysfunctional. This leads to a bad project experience that is reflected in their responses to these questions. Mean Standard Deviation 2010 2008 Both 2010 2008 Both 1 Become more skilled at using a 3D parametric CAD system. 4.526 4.529 4.528 0.612 0.514 0.560 2 Use techniques for 3D parametric CAD

Conference Session

Teaching Strategies for Solid Modeling

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Derek M. Yip-Hoi, Western Washington University; Jeffrey L. Newcomer, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

consistency and the level of detail in custom blocks and the overall final assembly. Include Independently Graded Individual Activities in the Project: Team projects are often carried by one or two individuals who do the majority of the work. While this may be a true reflection of what happens in the real world, it is important that students are taught the importance of full participation and contribution to a project’s success. To achieve this goal several deliverables of the team project will require individual effort that will be graded for each student. These are: o Concept Generation and Sketching: Each student will be required to generate three concepts of his or her own based on the theme agreed upon by the group

Conference Session

Tools of the Trade

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas H. Timmer, University of Texas, Pan American; Miguel Gonzalez, University of Texas, Pan American; Connie M. Borror, Arizona State University, West

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

reflective of the UTPA student demographics. Thirteen of the 15 studentsidentified themselves as Hispanic and two students identified themselves in the Other category.One of the students who selected the other category specified Latino. Thus 14 out of 15 or 93%of the students were Hispanic. Male students comprised 60% of the course. Two-thirds of thestudents reported a family income of $60,000 or less. An interesting statistic is that only 6.7% ofthe students responding had English as a first language.Table 2 contains the evaluation of student performance for the first DOE laboratory. Studentperformance was classified as either exceptional, effective, acceptable or unsatisfactory. Theselevels of performance correspond to approximately A-level, B

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jim Fischer, Oregon Institute of Technology; Claude Kansaku, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

are inherited from Computer Engineering Technologyrather than Computer Science. However, it is interesting and necessary to reflect upon theSoftware Engineering 2004 Curriculum Guidelines6 put forth by the Joint Task Force onComputing Curricula of the IEEE Computer Society and the ACM (Association for ComputingMachinery) simply because “software engineering” is the focus of the curriculum. It isinteresting to note that the IEEE/ACM Software Engineering Curriculum Guidelines do notconsider calculus as “core” as it does discrete mathematics and statistics. The guidelines statethat calculus is “not essential for a software engineering program.” The implication is thatgraduates in software engineering will work with domain experts in the

Conference Session

Recruiting, Retention, and Diversity in Engineering Technology

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald C. Richter, Eastern Washington University; William R. Loendorf, Eastern Washington University; Romel W. Mackelprang, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

methods of instruction used. The pre and post training data collected will be reviewed by theproject staff to determine the extent that the faculty member has changed what they are doing inthe classroom as a result of the Access For All training received. Page 22.1657.10Conclusions, Reflection, and the FutureThis enrichment project will increase participation and success of students with disabilities atEastern Washington University (EWU) in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering andMathematics (STEM) by focusing on recruiting high school and community college studentswith disabilities to enroll in STEM at EWU and at other institutions of

Conference Session

Assessment Methods and Learning Pedagogy II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jyhwen Wang, Texas A&M University; Alex Fang, Texas A&M University; Michael Ryan Golla, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

majority of thestudents (97%) identify themselves as a hands-on learner, which is typical forengineering technology students. This is also reflected in the response to Q6. The dataindicate that students are interested in having concepts reinforced by experimentation.Majority of the students in Non-metallic Materials course believe that lab exercise cancontribute to their learning of the class material, while many students in the Strength of Page 22.1686.10Materials course did not feel their learning experience is enhanced by lab activities (Q7)As the two courses surveyed are different in nature (knowledge vs skill), the studentresponse can be used to

Conference Session

ELOS Best Paper Nominations

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Ridgely, California Polytechnic State University; Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

. Page 22.1072.9The first statement was intended to test whether the students felt that the MEA was a less valu-able assignment than a more traditional assignment without the simulated client. 52% of therespondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the first statement and 20% agreed; because thestatement is written so as to reflect negatively on the MEA, this response suggests a preferenceby the students for the MEA rather than a more traditional cookbook approach. 65% of therespondents agreed or strongly agreed with the second statement, while 23% disagreed, nonestrongly. Taken together, the results of the two survey questions indicate that most studentsrecognized the need for the use of good communication skills in the MEA assignment

Conference Session

FPD VIII: Crossing Bridges and Easing Transitions into the First Year

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Danny King, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Laura Masterson, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

development of each cohort and a chance for students to reflect on their collegeexperience with each other.The Engineering Bridge Survey To gauge the importance of the different activities during the Engineering section of theSB program, students that attended this section in 2008, 2009, and 2010 were given a survey toshow which activities during the Bridge program were the most important to them. The fullsurvey is included in Appendix B. Students were asked to rate the importance of 22 differentactivities. In each case the students were asked these questions at least several months after theprogram itself, once they had some distance and perspective. The 2008 students were asked tocomplete the survey during the fall semester of 2009. The 2009

Conference Session

FPD VI: Presenting "All the Best" of the First-Year Programs Division

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Smaill, University of Auckland; Gerard Rowe, University of Auckland; Lawrence J. Carter, University of Auckland

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

-used:“I wouldn't do peer marking any more often, as you'd start to affect attendance as peoplebecome complacent with peer marking. There also has to be time for the students to getfeedback and help with their other work.”Lecturer feedbackIn their Course Audit (a compulsory post-course teaching-team reflection document) thecourse lecturers observed that tutorial attendance in 2009 and 2010 hit an all-time high, upfrom the all-time low experienced in 2008. They speculated that this was most likely a directresult of the peer-marking exercises, or at least the associated 1% course credit! The lecturers Page 22.1146.9(both of whom consider tutorial

Conference Session

Research on Engineering Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lora Oehlberg, University of California, Berkeley; Alice Merner Agogino, University of California, Berkeley

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

students= 2%; p = 0.00006), “Identifying Constraints” (practicing engineers = 68%; engineeringstudents = 20%; p = 0.00017), and “Goal Setting” (practicing engineers = 11%; engineeringstudents = 43%; p=0.0017) were statistically significant.It could be that the nature of the students’ work is still different from practicing engineers’experiences in industry. Practicing engineers may use sketching as an everyday communicationtool more than the students do. This could also be a reflection of age differences as well, withpracticing engineers more likely to have had more emphasis in hand sketching in theirundergraduate curricula in contrast to curricula today. Also, the engineering students in the classwere challenged to find their problems in addition

Conference Session

Factors Affecting Student Performance

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maddumage Karunaratne, University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

sequential circuit design and thenuse Verilog to describe them rather than directly coding from the problem specifications.However they are introduced to the RTL coding style of finite state machines which follows theswitch-case statements in C language. For Section D, the sequential circuit blocks such ascounters, shift registers, and linear feedback shift register (LFSR) modules are taught alongwith Verilog RTL coding styles.Part III: class projects and laboratory experimentsLab assignments typically reflect on the material covered in the lecture class. Students useModelSim[9] for simulation and validation of their design work. They develop testbenches forverification of their designs. As the table 1 shows, lab assignment 7 introduces

Conference Session

Research Related to Learning and Teaching Engineering in Elementary Classrooms

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Rivale, University of Colorado, Boulder; Janet Yowell, University of Colorado, Boulder; Jayne Aiken, University of Colorado, Boulder; Sweta Adhikary, University of Colorado, Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder; Jacquelyn F. Sullivan, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

with additional factors. Future longitudinal studies are necessary toultimately answer the question as to whether or not explicit CTC messaging at a young age ismaking the desired impact of increasing diversity in college engineering enrollment.AcknowledgementsThe authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation for Track 2GK-12 grant no. 0338326 and Track 3 GK-12 grant no. 1133773. Any opinions, findings, andconclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do notnecessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. We also acknowledgeadditional support provided by the University of Colorado Undergraduate ResearchOpportunities Program. Alexander Archuleta and Linda

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jianyu Dong, California State University, Los Angeles; Huiping Guo, California State University, Los Angeles

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees

problems and get them prepared for the design ofnew network components or system. Since our work is still on the early stage, the paper onlypresents very preliminary assessment results at this point. In the future, more comprehensiveassessment data will be collected and analyzed, and the findings will be used to further improvethe course redesign.AcknowledgmentThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.0941839. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this materialare those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National ScienceFoundation (NSF).References[1] The network simulator NS-2, http://www.isi.edu/nsnam/ns/[2] Opnet Network Simulator

Conference Session

SE Capstone Design Projects, Part II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radu F. Babiceanu, University of Arkansas, Little Rock; Daniel Rucker, University of Arkansas, Little Rock; Hussain M Al-Rizzo, University of Arkansas, Little Rock; Seshadri Mohan, University of Arkansas, Little Rock

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering, Systems Engineering

the Arena® simulation environment, reflects both thesemodels of operations to provide a means of comparison for futurechanges and improvements. The difference between the two models liesin the use of the ticket counter scheduling. The number of ticket countersin the current system model is fixed at two ticket counters per air carrier.Each ticket counter has two physical positions and is able to serve twocustomers at any one time.The per-use model was found to scale very well during the simulationexperiments. The ability to reassign a ticket counter to a different aircarrier in order to meet the passenger input demands greatly reduces high Fig. 2. DTCIS

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wenshen Pong, San Francisco State University; Amelito G. Enriquez, Canada College; Hamid Shahnasser, San Francisco State University; Cheng Chen, San Francisco State University; Nilgun Melek Ozer, San Francisco State University; S. (Ed) Cheng, San Francisco State University; Hao Jiang, San Francisco State University; Hamid Mahmoodi, San Francisco State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

3 11.5% 5 19.2% Other (Non-engineering) 2 7.7% 5 19.2% Undecided (Non-engineering) 2 7.7% 2 7.7% Total 26 26The failure of the SEI program to achieve its primary goal of recruiting students into engineeringis also reflected in Table 3. Although student enthusiasm for the program increasedsignificantly, there was a statistically significant decrease in student confidence that the Institutewill help them select an appropriate engineering major. The slight increase in student level ofconfidence that they have the necessary skills and preparation

Conference Session

IE Technical Session I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth A. Cudney, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Steven Michael Corns, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Jennifer A. Farris, Texas Tech University; Stephen Gent, South Dakota State University; Scott E. Grasman, Rochester Institute of Technology (COE); Ivan G. Guardiola, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

graphical models were imported into VE-Xplorer, the Page 22.628.7graphical engine of VE-Suite. A layout was then arranged to simulate a manufacturing line [Fig.2], and the models used to represent the stations were then assigned properties to reflect theirphysical appearance. The next step was to write the programming code for the mathematicalmodels used to simulate the production line, such as Little’s Law. C++ language was used tocreate these models to allow for the creation of a computational unit for use in VE-Suite. Agraphical user interface was then designed to allow the students to provide input to thesimulation. This was written using an open

Conference Session

Descriptions of Curricular and Model Development

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Keeshan Williams, Polytechnic Institute of New York University; Vikram Kapila, Polytechnic Institute of New York University; Magued G. Iskander, Polytechnic Institute of New York University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

-based experimental devices of the lessonsfacilitated students’ preferred methods of learning even as it fostered their creativity whilesimultaneously establishing boundaries and structure in accordance with the learning goals of thelesson. Moreover, as reflected in Figures 2d, 5d and 7d, in post-lesson assessment surveys alarger proportion of students acknowledged that the use of LEGO Mindstorms was helpful in thelesson. Finally, as evidenced from Tables III-V, VII-IX and XI-XIII, students’ response toevaluation questions in post-lesson assessment surveys suggests that LEGO-based activitiesproved effective in engaging them in the lesson. The descriptive responses to EPr/o1 were categorized into either a positive or negativeresponse to

Conference Session

ABET and Curriculum-Level Assessments

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph J. McCarthy, University of Pittsburgh; Robert S. Parker, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

. integrated. feedback loops may exist. Correctness – conforming The map is naive and contains The map has few subject matter The map integrates concepts to or agreeing with fact, misconceptions about the sub- inaccuracies; most links are cor- properly and reflects an accurate logic, or known truth ject area; inappropriate words or rect. There may be a few spelling understanding of subject matter terms are used. The map docu- and grammatical errors. meaning little or no misconcep- ments an inaccurate understand- tions, spelling/grammatical er- ing

Conference Session

Capstone Projects and Experiential Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian D Vuksanovich, Youngstown State University; Darrell R Wallace, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

mimimized.An ANOVA of the sample data shows that despite the small sample size, the grade relativeperformance of the Co-Lab group is statistically significant at power of p=0.304. With nearly70% confidence based on the small sample size, the statistical support for the effectiveness of the Page 22.653.8Co-Lab project is encouraging.An additional major benefit, it was discovered, was not reflected in the grades. Discussions witheach student were held and it was discovered that the students had the following importantoutcomes:1. interest in technology was increasedThe students were able to apply their skills to a problem in the way that they saw fit

Conference Session

Design Tools & Methodology II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bradley Adam Camburn, University of Texas, Austin; Kristin L. Wood, University of Texas, Austin; Daniel D. Jensen, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

at the U.S. Air ForceAcademy. Any opinions, findings, or recommendations are those of the authors and do notnecessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.Bibliography (by order of appearance)1. Camburn, B. Wood, K. "When to transform? Design context indicators for design evaluation"ASME IDETC Montreal, 20112. Singh, V., Skiles, S. M., Krager, J. E., Wood, K. L., Jensen, D., and Szmerekovsky, A.,“Innovations in Design Through Transformation: A Fundamental Study of TransformationPrinciples”, International Design Engineering Technical Conferences, Philadelphia, PA, 10 – 13Sept. 2006, DETC-2006-995753. Yanko Design – Modern Industrial Design News, 2008, http://www.yankodesign.com4. Otto, K. and Wood, K. L., 2001, Product Design: Techniques in

Conference Session

Computers in Education General Technical Session I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert P. Taylor, University of Alabama; Keith A. Woodbury, The University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

-ins, and other assistance is gratefully acknowledged.DisclaimerAll opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of theauthors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.Bibliography 1. Dent, T., Woodbury, K.A., and Taylor, R., 2008, “Microsoft Excel Heat Transfer Add-in for Engineering Courses,” AC 2008-933, 2008 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, June 22-25, Pittsburgh PA. 2. Chappell, J., Taylor, R., and Woodbury, K.A., 2008, “Introducing Excel Based Steam Table Calculations into Thermodynamics Curriculum,” AC 2008-1398, 2008 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, June

Conference Session

New Research & Trends for Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rigoberto Chinchilla, Eastern Illinois University; Harold Jay Harris, Eastern Illinois University School of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

reflective of the biometric verification process. 3 Phillips el al conclude that “demographic origin of face recognition algorithms and thedemographic composition of a test population interact to affect the accuracy of the algorithms.”This would indicate algorithm performance variations when deployed over dissimilar populationdemographics. To help detect some of the pitfalls associated with face recognition, certainbiometric best scientific practices have been established as guidelines for conducting technical 8performance testing. As Mansfield and Wayman explain in version-2 of Biometric TestingBest Practices, technical performance testing involves attempting to determine the

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics Issues Part One

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gretchen L. Hein, Michigan Technological University; Amber Kemppainen, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

andjustification.4 Another way to analyze ethical issues that has been used at Union College is tocreate an ethics matrix with the NSPE Canons along one axis and the situation alternatives alongthe other. Students fill in the matrix with “Yes, No, and Maybe”, along with a justification.5These studies indicate that faculty recognize the importance of engineering ethics incontemporary society and the need to update the teaching of ethics to reflect current studentlearning preferences. To investigate what students think about contemporary ethical issues, asurvey of first-year students was completed at Manhattan College. The issues did not just focuson engineering, but also included “philosophy, politics, economics, law, sociology, andpsychology”.6 This one

Conference Session

FPD XI: Assessing First-Year Programs, Experiences, and Communities

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia R. Backer, San Jose State University; Emily L. Allen, San Jose State University; Janet Sundrud, San Jose State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

campuses (see Figures 1 and 2). While six-year graduation rates at theUniversity are disappointing, the rates for African American (38.7%) and Latino (39.9%) malesare truly dismaying and unacceptable. The retention and six-year graduation rate in the Collegeof Engineering is even lower than the university overall, particularly for African American andLatino students.As a result of an examination and reflection on the causes of the low retention and graduationrates, the College established the 15x12 Initiative, with the goal of increasing our graduation rate15% by the year 2012. We decided to focus on improving the effectiveness of our first-yearexperience (FYE) programs, as well to complete a major overhaul of our advising systems andmethods. This

Conference Session

Assessing, Developing, and Enhancing the Engineering Experiential Education Experience

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mysore Narayanan, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

Synthesize Support What Data is from Exhibiting Literature Survey Generate Page 22.258.15 Informative Graphs Experimentation Modeling AnalysisHypothesis Scientific Inference Method Research Verification Observation Page 22.258.16 Metacognitive Learning Reflective Learning

Conference Session

Computers in Education General Technical Session II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Walter, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

to the first-time or non-experience student. A list of the most used “How-To” videos, their length, and a description of the information conveyed is described in Table 1.The number of hits is the number of times (since fall 2010) that the videos have been accessed;this reflects the relative popularity of the topic.Basic “How-To”Tutorials Video Description Number Length of hits (m:ss)How_to_Breadboard 1:45 Explains the connections in a standard breadboad 65How_to_measure_R_with_DMM 1:00 A digital multimeter is used to

Conference Session

Aerospace First-Year Project-Based Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristi J. Shryock, Texas A&M University; Kaushik Das, Texas A&M University, College Station; Stephen Oehler, Texas A&M University; Jacques C. Richard, Texas A&M University; Dimitris C. Lagoudas, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

% is earned through the portion of daily work completed as a team andcomponents of the projects, such as weekly technical memorandums and final reports. Thetechnical memorandums are quite useful in the course as they assist in guiding the teams throughthe design process and require them to reflect quite often on their progress with the design.New ProjectFor the final five weeks of the semester, the smart materials project is introduced to the classteams in the form of a "request for proposal." In summary, design requirements are outlined andspecified for each team to design and build a supporting structure and lifting crane arm that canlift its own weight, while actuating through an angle change of at least 45o. Each team usesLEGO Mindstorm

Conference Session

Design Education I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Louis Reifschneider, Illinois State University; RJ Linton, Illinois State University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

manufacturing with the flexibility of apure fabrication process.ConclusionAlthough injection molding appears to be the lowest cost process to make the housing, it is notnecessarily the best method for the product in question. The question of market sales has yet tobe answered. Further, the agile nature of the fabrication and forming methods to making slightproduct design changes throughout the product's history might prove valuable to the companydeveloping the product. The final decision will be made after the company's team of designersand marketing representatives have reviewed the summary of the design alternatives presented inFigure 40. This team will review again the unit cost data and reflect upon the pros and cons ofeach design option to arrive

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering, Part II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

G. Padmanabhan, North Dakota State University; Carol Davis, North Dakota EPSCoR

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

mentor student research. In 2009, the students examined mercury contamination inLake Sakakawea, a man-made lake on the reservation. The student research project identifiedimportant baseline data completed 10 years ago by the state of North Dakota and another by FortBerthold Tribe. This could be of great significance as FBCC prepares to participate as a researchpartner with National Ecological Observations Network (NEON), a climate change researchcenter funded by the National Science Foundation. These environment-based initiatives reflectthe deep interest that the FBCC community has for the environment and the close connection ithas to the culture. Students often reflect that in their choice of research projects