15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)
Boston, Massachusetts
July 28, 2024
July 28, 2024
July 30, 2024
3
10.18260/1-2--48583
https://peer.asee.org/48583
32
Dr. Shazib (Shaz) Vijlee is an Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Portland's Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering. He has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas (Austin). He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington (Seattle). He has held various research and development positions in industry (Boeing Phantom Works) and government (Sandia National Labs and Air Force Research Labs).
Dr. Vijlee has been at the University of Portland since 2014. He was an Assistant Professor of Engineering from 2014 to 2020, the coordinator for the First Year Engineering Experience from 2016 to 2020, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2020 to 2024.
We present an example of a first-year introduction to engineering project that incorporates elements of design, systems integration, standard requirements, creativity, and impact. The students design and build a table-top wind turbine via two levels of ‘challenges.’ In Level 1, we scaffold the students through learning, designing, and building four wind turbine subsystems (Mechanical, Electrical, Software, and Subsystems). Each subsystem has specific standardized requirements, so after Level 1, the wind turbines are all relatively similar and complete the same functions. Level 2 challenges the students to improve their turbine in any way, allowing them to diagnose problems and be creative with solutions. During these challenges, the students also complete research assignments to help familiarize them with the energy problem in our developed and developing societies.
Vijlee, S. Z. (2024, July), A Multi-Disciplinary First-Year Design Project with Systems Integration, Standard Requirements, Creativity, and Impact (GIFTS) Paper presented at 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts. 10.18260/1-2--48583
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