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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Majura F. Selekwa

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0033 Teaching Mechatronics Effectively in a Mechanical Engineering Program Under Limited Time Majura F. Selekwa Department of Mechanical Engineering; North Dakota State University majura.selekwa@ndsu.eduAbstractMechatronics is a well defined multidisciplinary engineering design philosophy that draws knowl-edge from mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science, and control systems. Under-graduate mechanical engineering programs in many institutions often find it difficult to com-prehensively cover all principles of mechatronics because of its wide spectrum

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

J. E. Johnson; L. Stradins; S Springer; R. Asthana

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0006 Academic Endowments and Focused Learning: Initial Experiences within a Manufacturing Engineering Program J.E. Johnson, L. Stradins, S. Springer and R. Asthana Department of Engineering and Technology, University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI 54751 johnsonj@uwstout.eduAbstractIn the spring of 2012, the University of Wisconsin-Stout authorized the Department ofEngineering and Technology to establish the second of the two endowed chairs in manufacturingengineering. The creation of the chair was made possible by a generous endowment from

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Adam Kramschuster; Gregory Slupe

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0056 A Collaborative, Cross-Disciplinary Project between Engineering Courses and Programs Centered on Design for Manufacturability Adam Kramschuster and Gregory Slupe kramschustera@uwstout.edu; slupeg@uwstout.edu Department of Engineering and Technology, University of Wisconsin-Stout 807 3rd Street East, Menomonie, WI 54751, USAAbstractThis manuscript describes a collaborative, cross-disciplinary effort between the B.S. inManufacturing Engineering program and the B.S. in Plastics Engineering program at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Stout. In one course, plastics

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Naima Kaabouch; Deborah L. Worley; Jeremiah Neubert; Mohammad Khavanin

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0041 Retention in Engineering Programs: Integrating Real World Problems in Calculus Courses To Increase Student Learning and Interest in Engineering Naima Kaabouch1, Deborah L. Worley2, Jeremiah Neubert3, and Mohammad Khavanin4 1 Department of Electrical Engineering, 2Department of Educational Leadership, 3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, 4Department of Mathematics, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USAAbstractAttrition in U.S. engineering programs has been a major concern for more than two decades.Several studies have shown that the most significant

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Nannan He; Han-Way Huang

andautomation domains. Third, input programming languages of these selected tools are introducedto students to help them apply the tools in the laboratory assignments and class project.IntroductionKnowledge of computing and software programming is important to all engineering andtechnology students. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that computing will be one ofthe fastest-growing U.S. job markets in STEM through 2020: about 73% of all new STEM jobswill be computing related 1. More importantly, software development training could be avaluable experience for all engineer students, as it can cultivate student’ problem solving andprocess development capability.However, software programming is often considered to be difficult for engineering

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Audrey LaVallie; Eakalak Khan; G. Padmanabhan

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0004 Impact of a Research Experience Program on North Dakota Tribal College STEM Student Retention Audrey LaVallie1, Eakalak Khan2, and G. Padmanabhan2 1 Faculty, Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt, North Dakota (e-mail: alavallie@tm.edu) 2 Professor of Civil Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota (e-mails: Eakalak.khan@ndsu.edu and g.padmanabhan@ndsu.edu respectively)Abstract Recent educational research shows that students who engage in research projects aremore likely to

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Bob Fourney; Jason Sternhagen; George Hamer; Cory Mettler

dramatically improved and students appear to be better motivated. Thispaper discusses the motivation for the freshman experience, the design and implementation ofthe freshman experience, the increased retention numbers, the results of student surveys (afterthe freshman year and at the conclusion of the sophomore year), as well as future plans for thissequence.Background and Motivation:The Electrical Engineering (EE) program (in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science(EECS) Department) at South Dakota State University (SDSU) has been concerned about lowretention rates for several years. When interviewing qualified students who the faculty feel arecapable of succeeding in electrical engineering and who are either changing out of the major

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Reza Fazel-Rezai; Sima Noghanian; Ahmed Rabbi

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0030 MATLAB, Mathematics, and Engineering (MAT-ME) Summer Camp for Preparing Students for Engineering Subjects Reza Fazel-Rezai, Sima Noghanian, and Ahmed Rabbi Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Dakota reza.fazel-rezai@engr.und.edu, sima.noghanian@engr.und.edu, ahmed.rabbi@my.und.edu  AbstractProfessors in the engineering programs see many freshmen engineering students strugglewith the intensive math contents of the courses. This is mainly because the materials aremore difficult and different than the math they learned in high school. While

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Naima Kaabouch; Deborah L. Worley; Jeremiah Neubert; Mohammad Khavanin

, 7]. Thedropout rate is even higher for underrepresented groups, such as Native Americans, where itreaches nearly 70% [7, 8].Several research studies show that the significant factors of attrition in engineering programs arequantitative skill level, student study habits, commitment to the program, involvement inextracurricular activities, and connections to peers [5-11]. One of the most cited and influentialfactors in students’ decisions has been shown to be related to their experiences studying math,specifically calculus [9]. Additionally, those who do not complete calculus in their first semestersee ahead of them three more semesters of study that they perceive to be simply useless,unexciting mathematics. Even when successful, many

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Bakr M. Aly Ahmed; Khaled Nassar; Mike Christenson

on situation and context.IntroductionEffective communication skills are required in all aspects of contemporary life.1 Inarchitecture/engineering/construction (AEC) fields, effective communication is not limited to theways in which constituents communicate face-to-face with others, which necessarily involvesaspects such as body and facial gestures; it also includes distance communications of work-related details and spatial relationships requiring a high degree of accuracy and clarity.Therefore, developing strong technical and practical communication skills is important for AECstudents, particularly to prepare for the professional requirements of distance communicationwith clients, government officials, managers, supervisors, and

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Byron Garry; Suzette Burckhard

defined5 in relation to three types of knowledge that teachers may possess: (1)content knowledge - knowledge of the facts, principles and methods in the discipline that isbeing taught, (2) pedagogical knowledge - understanding of the learning process and theconditions that facilitate and hinder it, independent of the discipline in which the learning takesplace, and (3) pedagogical content knowledge. This last term was coined by Shulman8 to denoteknowledge and understanding of the learning process in the context of a particular discipline.SoTL encompasses studies intended to advance pedagogical content knowledge that are madeavailable for peer evaluation in the professional community.5Borrego has traced the change in engineering education research

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Zhiyuan Yang; Hope L. Weiss; Matthew J. Traum

Engineering (MSOE). EELMs facilitate spiral insertion of energy engineeringexperiments into college and high school STEM courses. By making innovative use ofinexpensive equipment, EELMs facilitate near-ubiquitous accessibility to energy curricula, evenfor instructors with limited resources.Gas turbines are paramount to modern energy production and transportation, and this criticaltechnology will continue its prominence as we pursue a renewable energy future. Exposure togas turbines through hands-on experiments could provide meaningful content for a range ofSTEM courses. However, prohibitively expensive commercially available educational test standspreclude gas turbine experiments from all but specialized engineering programs. Moreover, evenif gas

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Andy S. Peng; Robert Nelson; Cheng Liu; Ahmet Turkmen; Wei Shi; Jia-Ling Lin

applying a hybrid instructional model to a newlydeveloped computer engineering course at UW–Stout, which includes the delivery of onlinelectures through streaming videos combined with bi-weekly in-class lectures as well as hands-onlaboratory exercises related to the course material. The design of this curriculum follows aframework that was developed to fulfill the course requirements. In addition to traditional classsettings, the course also implements a team project which has several reporting components tomonitor students’ learning progress. Multiple in-class surveys were conducted throughout thesemester to obtain course feedback from the students. The instructor also constantly solicitedand collected student comments about the course during the

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Cristinel Ababei; Anca M. Miron

editions of the camp.IntroductionAccording to the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW), women constitute45% of the workforce in the U.S., but hold only 12% of science and engineering jobs inbusiness and industry 1 . This situation is expected to get worse because, according to theU.S. Labor Statistics, more than 75% of tomorrow’s jobs will require use of computers,while fewer than 33% of participants in computer courses and related activities are women 2 .Even though undergraduate enrollment rose by 19% from 2000 to 2007 and there wererelatively larger gains in female enrollment (8.9 million female vs. 6.7 million male in 2007),the percentage of bachelor’s degrees in engineering and engineering technologies awarded towomen is only 17% 3

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Aurenice M. Oliveira

hasthe strongest impact on students’ academic performance and their attitudes towards engineeringprofession 3. Despite of the fact that many students may have been academically prepared andmotivated to study engineering, 50% of students who enter engineering programs as freshman donot earn an engineering degree 1, 2. The gap between engineers needed annually and the numberof graduates available to fill positions is still wide 4, 5. Instructors are confronted by the task ofconveying a general knowledge base to non-majors while simultaneously laying the foundationfor continued study by majors. Teaching electrical engineering (EE) and electrical engineeringtechnology (EET) hands-on courses to non-majors has been recognized by a number

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Authors

Francis Peloubet; Eakalak Khan; G. Padmanabhan

. 168Usage of CAD drawings, word-processors and PowerPoint software were required for preparingreports and presentations2.1996-2002 In this period, two more goals were added to the already developed goals of the course sinceits inception:1. To provide students with an opportunity to interact with the community and seek their feedback; and2. To provide an opportunity to develop life-long learning habits and skills to relate seemingly unrelated ideas and integrate them in the overall design. The Civil Engineering Department started using community-based projects in the capstonecourse to emphasize the importance of community integration in the civil engineering profession.Real-life projects for the course are carefully selected from the

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Sousada Chidthachack; Mark A. Schulte; Forster D. Ntow; Jia-Ling Lin; Tamara J. Moore

found on Table 2.DiscussionsFindings of this study show that engineering pedagogical context impacts learning ofprofessional and technical skills related to the engineering profession. Just as all teaching incollege, the fidelity and complexity of the curriculum influence students’ learning outcomes. Inparticular, the fidelity and complexity of curricular activities influences student learningoutcomes. Traditional and PBL programs offered students with different learning settings andopportunities. Therefore, students display various degrees of mastery of these skills.Shown in Figure 1 above is an adaptation of the Aalborg Model of PBL used in the Midwesternuniversity PBL program. PBL students spent 100% of learning in industrial project design

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Achintya N. Bezbaruah

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0047 WateRediscover: Promoting Scientific Research among Middle and High School Students across the Globe Achintya N. BezbaruahNanoenvirology Research Group, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108 a.bezbaruah@ndsu.eduAbstractWateRediscover is a program coordinated by Nanoenvirology Research Group ofCivil and Environmental Engineering Department at North Dakota StateUniversity to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM) research among middle and high school students from across the world.It is aimed at

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Authors

Achintya N. Bezbaruah; Rajani G. Pillai; Hannah Hood; Holly Erickson; Eric Dobervich; Jane Laux; Jamie Varholdt; Adam Gehlhar; Michelle Weber; Harjyoti Kalita; Talal Almeelbi; Mary Pate; Michael Quamme; Mohammad Enayet Hossain; Seydou Cisse; Amanda Grosz; Navaratnam Leelaruban

help in stimulating students’ interest in technologies. The authorsbelieve that these programs can be emulated by others in promoting engineeringeducation and research. The pre- and post-survey data also indicate that thestudents do not have enough information to decide their career paths and there is aneed for additional outreach activities on science, technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) education and careers among the students.IntroductionNanotechnology is said to the revolution of this century. Nanomaterials are usedin various consumer and specialized products and services. Some of theseproducts and services are cosmetics, sensors, electronics, biomedical tools,treatment of diseases, water purification, contaminant remediation

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Authors

Dilpreet S. Bajwa; Sreekala G. Bajwa

participated in this research. The companies included John Deere, Caterpillar,Bobcat, 3M, SpaceAge Synthetics, and Greenland Composites. All these companies have strongglobal presence and are heavily involved in manufacturing sector. They regularly hire NDSUmechanical engineering students and also help to review engineering program as advisory boardmembers. These companies also sponsor CSP’s with engineering schools and offer internshipsand cooperative opportunities for engineering students.Student’s perceptions about CSP’sTable 1 summarizes the student response to CSP’s evaluation questionnaire. Overall the surveyshowed students were highly satisfied with the structure of currently offered CSP’s byMechanical Engineering Department. They were excited

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Nannan He; Gale Allen; Cameron Johnson

courses.Capstone projects design is identified as the best way to integrated real-time system design andapplication development knowledge into the automation courses. The future work focuses ondeveloping new capstone projects related to real-time automation systems in the three directionsdiscussed above.References1. Gale Allen. “New Industrial Automation Laboratory & Courses, ECET Technology Program Advancement”. ASEE IL/IN Section Conference, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis Motor Speedway/Brickyard Crossing Hotel, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 30-31, 2007.2. Gale Allen. “Hands-On Component-level Automation Courses for Technology and Engineering Students”. Proceedings of the ASEE North Midwest Sectional

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Authors

Wendy R. Stary; John R. Schultz

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0007 Developing Long Term Student and Faculty Exchanges with a German University: Challenges and Successes By Wendy R. Stary John R. Schultz University of Wisconsin-Stout Program Director, Engineering TechnologyDepartment of Engineering and Technology University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751 Department of Engineering and Technology E-mail: staryw@uwstout.edu Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751 715-829-7121

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Charles McIntyre

70students, while spring semester enrollment ranges from 30 to 40 students. The four points belowoutline the intended outcomes and student impacts for the revised course. All four are longrange outcomes. That will take some time to collect the significant data. ¾ Enhance student interest in construction management and construction engineering. Both construction and non-construction majors take CM&E 111. An initial measure of interest would be course enrollment of majors and non-majors. ¾ Increase student retention in the Construction Management Program – The literature strongly suggests that a first-year “hands-on” course (in any discipline) that directly relates to real life work experiences can contribute to student

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Jon J. Smith; Sima Noghanian

separate simulation must be run and the simulationmust account for every other point’s contribution and the field quantity. Typically, whencalculations are performed using these types of simulation packages, there are large numbers ofspatial and time data points and the geometrical design of the elements has great deal ofcomplexity. The program might not be able to handle the large number of unknowns, or it mighttake a long simulation run time to run each case of feed arrangement.Ideally, in design of an antenna array system, the design consists of two phases • Antenna element design • Array geometry and signal processing algorithm designIn design of the individual elements, with each variation in the design, the engineers can runseparate

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Devin R. Berg

getting students to make the connectionbetween the classroom and the “real world”6. The initial pilot study presented here wasconducted in order to gage the base level of student participation in order to better inform andhelp shape the direction for the use of these methods in the future. 318MethodsThe application of this method of teaching was explored in an introductory mechanics coursetaken by students from both an engineering program and an engineering technology program. Asthis course is generally taken early in a student's undergraduate program, they often experiencedifficulty grasping the concepts presented and connecting them with real world experiences. Tohelp promote a deeper understanding

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Han-Way Huang; Nannan He

request Qsys to generate the HDL (Verilog or VHDL) description forthe resultant microcontroller. The user then creates a project and instantiate the generatedmicrocontroller in it. After that, the user compiles the project and generates the bit stream forconfiguring the FPGA chip. A screen of Qsys after adding several components but before addinginterconnections is shown in Figure 1.The next step is to invoke the Nios II Build Toos for Eclipse from the tools menu of Quartus II.The user then enters his/her assembly or C program, assemble/compile the program. To writeapplication programs in assembly or C, the user is required to read the related documentationsprovided by Altera. After eliminating syntax and semantics errors, the user invokes

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Bakr M. Aly Ahmed; Mike Christenson; David A. Crutchfield

priority. As with many fields, thisdevelopment has the potential of impacting the teaching models and content of architecturalcourses and related research endeavors. This paper offers a case study of how a variety ofenvironmental-analysis technologies have been integrated within specific technical coursework,student research, and how the resulting feedback has been made visible to the student body andgeneral public.IntroductionIn Winter 2010, a team of NDSU College of Engineering and Architecture faculty and staffdeveloped a proposal for an NDSU Student Technology Fee Grant.1 The proposal, titled“Technology for Feedback,” aimed to benefit students both within and outside of NDSU’sprofessional architecture and mechanical engineering degree programs

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Steven Buchhop; Tate Carlson; Evan Edwards; Prakash Ranganathan; Reza Fazel-Rezai

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0014 Household Energy Aware Real-Time System (HEARTS): A Capstone Project Design Steven Buchhop, Tate Carlson, Evan Edwards, Prakash Ranganathan, and Reza Fazel-Rezai University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202 prakash.ranganathan@engr.und.eduAbstract— This paper discusses a design framework and student experiences of a capstone project carried by students at theDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of North Dakota (UND). The goal of this capstone project was to provide a“Smart Home” that

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Navaratnam Leelaruban; G. Padmanabhan

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0011 An EXCEL Tool for Teaching Theis Method of Estimating Aquifer Parameters Navaratnam Leelaruban1, G. Padmanabhan2 1 Graduate student, Department of Civil Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota (e-mail: n.leelaruban@ndsu.edu) 2 Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota (e-mail: g.padmanabhan@ndsu.edu)Abstract Hydraulic conductivity and storage

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Authors

Nischal Adhikari; Sima Noghanian

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0031 Understanding Wireless Propagation Through Ray-Tracing Simulation Nischal Adhikari and Sima Noghanian Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Dakota niischal@gmail.com, sima.noghanian@engr.und.eduAbstractThe field of wireless communication has become an important part of electrical engineeringundergraduate program. Due to developments in this field there is an increasing need forgraduates with good understanding of wireless channels. However, the electromagnetic fieldsand radio propagation has been regarded as a dry and