Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Main Menu

Session: 2002 Document: 2002-698 Division: Multimedia

A MODEL FOR INTEGRATING MECHATRONICS INTO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Ahmad Smaili

Mechanical Engineering Department American University of Beirut Beirut, Lebanon Email: asmaili@aub.edu.lb

Abstract

In today’s competitive markets, engineers face ongoing challenges to produce complex engineering systems with a high-level of performance, reliability, value and price. The ability of engineers to persevere in this highly competitive atmosphere hinges on their ability to integrate a number of technologies. Mechatronics provides the answer to this challenge and serve to best accomplish this integration from the earliest stages of the design process. As entrepreneurial ventures play important role in economic growth in the era of globalization, mechanical engineers equipped with skills in mechatronics and embedded systems are more likely to engage in such ventures. This paper presents a model for integrating mechatronics education into Mechanical Engineering curriculum. A strong component of the model is the hands-on teamwork experience in which students realize mechatronics devices, possibly of their own choosing, using various laboratory tools including microcontroller technologies.

Introduction

The breathtaking speed at which technology is advancing is influencing to a large extent the future and spirit of the world in which we live. “Properly harnessed and liberally distributed, technology has the power to erase not just geographical borders but also human ones 1.” Economies of this technical era are being transformed from being dependent on energy and natural resources to ones that are based on knowledge and technology. The success of an economy and the ability for products to compete in today's global market of increasing number

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002. American Society for Engineering Education

Main Menu

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Smaili, A. (2002, June), A Model For Integrating Mechatronics Into Mechanical Engineering Education Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--11178