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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

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

the project were shared with students and faculty in other architecture schools.5Participants in the Vital Signs project have gone on to develop similar projects at otherinstitutions, aimed at educating architecture students, faculty and teaching assistants, andpractitioners about the critical importance of building performance in architectural design andpractice.6Our project begins with the assumption that because all NDSU students are the end users ofcampus buildings, as such they can be expected to benefit from access to technology whichimproves their awareness of critical energy-efficiency issues.CourseworkAcquisition of interactive tools through the Technology for Feedback project continues tosupport the development and expansion of a

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Wen-Chen Hu; Naima Kaabouch; Hung-Jen Yang; Hongyu Guo

, traditional Web pages are distorted or become awkward to use whenthey are displayed on devices. Additionally, mobile features of handheld devices such asgeolocation information, which could be useful for engineering education, are usually ignored.The introduction of HTML5 and the newest CSS have greatly solved this problem. This paperintroduces the mobile features of HTML5 and CSS to engineering faculty for building adaptivemobile class Web pages.IntroductionUsing Web to deliver engineering education has been a trend. Many engineering students areused to do various things on the Web, e.g., printing class slides and assignments, checking theclass announcements, posting questions, interactively discussing issues with fellow students, etc.On the other

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Scott G. Gabert; Jeff C. Kaiser; Derek J. Snyder; Prakash Ranganathan; Reza Fazel-Rezai

in a real world application, where the switching would need to be completedover several miles or more. From the testing that was complete, the switching could only be completedover the range of approximately 100 feet. The Xbee pro that was used has a range of 300’ indoors, sowe believe that the limiting factor for the range is the Xstick. This particular component had nodatasheet, as the device is relatively new, so therefore the advertised range cannot be determined. For the software portion, initially the team wanted to be certain that this brand new technology ofXstick would work with the recommended software X-CTU and successfully switch the desiredMOSFETs in the circuit. One issue with the software was that the ability to perform

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Roger Green

traditional lecture format still reigns supreme.The lecture itself is an eight-hundred-year-old university tradition that, despite frequent criticismin recent years, is highly adaptable and likely to endure for years to come, albeit in continuallymodified or augmented forms [3].The modification or augmentation of classroom and lecture structure deserves specialconsideration, particularly when contemporary changes diminish the effectiveness of traditional 218methods. Cultural and technological changes are certainly factors in today’s changingeducational landscape, something any seasoned instructor will have noticed in recent years. Forexample, today’s students are generally less skilled in reading and

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Aurenice M. Oliveira

to the industry with the latest technologies in their fields.Most of the instructors, however, face the challenge of teaching both non-majors and majors,sometimes even in the same classroom. The aim of this article is to discuss the main challengesand to share teaching methods that the author has used to encourage active learning andengagement among major and non-major students in an Electrical Engineering Technologyprogram. The author addresses the use of technology for teaching, the use of lecture timeeffectively, the importance of well-designed laboratory experiments, and use of simulation tools.Assessment tools have indicated that the teaching methods used have been successful in meetingthe teaching goals.Keywords: engineering education

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Byron Garry; Suzette Burckhard

) should:1. Pose significant questions that can be answered empirically2. Link research to relevant theory3. Use methods that permit direct investigation of the question4. Provide a coherent and explicit chain of reasoning5. Replicate and generalize across studies6. Disclose research to encourage professional scrutiny and critique11The National Science Foundation has funded engineering education coalitions that have lookedspecifically at teaching of engineering. One was the Center for Advancement of EngineeringEducation (CAEE). Their final report from 2010 states that engineering faculty need to beeducators who are capable of using the research on the student experience. “This involves notonly preparing tomorrow‘s educators with conceptions of

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

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

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0020 Design and Development of a Hybrid Instructional Model for a Computer Engineering Course Andy S. Peng, Robert Nelson, Cheng Liu, Jia-Ling Lin Ahmet Turkmen, Wei Shi Engineering and Technology Department STEM Education Center University of Wisconsin – Stout University of Minnesota Twin Cities Menomonie, WI Minneapolis, MN {penga, nelsonro, liuc, turkmena, shiw} jllin@umn.edu @uwstout.eduAbstractThis paper describes our experiences in

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Kevin Craig

time, develops into a complete baseball player. The resultis more than just the sum of the skills learned, but a sense of confidence and savvy that makeshim a winner.In modern multidisciplinary engineering practice, the necessary skill set includes modeling andanalysis of multidisciplinary dynamic engineering systems, control system design andimplementation, and sensors and actuators with the necessary electronics. Theory and practicemust be in balance when mastering these skills. If “playing a game” means putting thesetogether to create a system to solve a problem, then that rarely happens in engineering education,and if it does, it happens for only a few students who aggressively seek out, in a team-basedsetting, that integrated, total

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Jerry Gao; Lianbo Zhu

realproject data. This has been done in CME403 and more than 10 local and national constructionforms are involved. Both of these approaches add value to the student learning experience andskill development.Use of New TechnologyUse of new technologies developed in the construction industry will significantly improve thestudents’ professional skill development. Such technologies are, for examples, Virtual Reality(VR), Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Laser Scanning. VR is a synthetic environmentthat can be used to investigate complex three dimensional (3D) data with human interaction.Many applications with Virtual Reality have been developed in the area of constructionengineering. A simple wall-and floor- projection VR tool allows students to

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Jon J. Smith; Sima Noghanian

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0032 MATLAB® Simulation Tool for Antenna Array Pattern Development Jon J. Smith and Sima Noghanian University of North Dakota, Department of Electrical Engineering jon.j.smith1980@gmail.com, sima.noghanian@engr.und.edu  AbstractAdaptive antenna arrays are widely used in wireless communication and radar. Theunderstanding of array design and optimization often needs sophisticated signal processingmethods to estimate the Degree of Arrival (DoA). DoA estimation algorithms often requirenumerical analysis. We propose an educational tool that can be

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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

Dilpreet S. Bajwa; Sreekala G. Bajwa

simulation software to design and analyze their systems. CSP’s related to emerging technologies will be encouraged from industry and research faculty. The importance of CSP in engineering education, training and job search will be incorporated in the CSP course outline. It is expected that this work will help to better prepare our engineering students for industry careers and create an effective environment between academia and industry requirements. Finally this task will also help to reduce CSP perception gap between students and industry

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Reza Fazel-Rezai; Sima Noghanian; Ahmed Rabbi

engineeringcourses all need strong background in mathematics, the application of mathematics inengineering problems is much more important than the theory. It is impossible to fullymaster almost any topic in engineering without adequate skills in mathematics andprogramming. Therefore, having a summer camp that introduces the mathematics throughprogramming and hand-on experience provides good introduction to engineering andprovides a tool for recruiting students to engineering programs. It also helps student toexpand their understanding of math to applications. This paper describes the series oflessons that we developed using MATLAB1 (developed by Mathworks®) with the focuson signal and image processing at the University of North Dakota College of

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Cory J. Prust; Stephen M. Williams

. Bibliography 1. Petersen, O., Reyer, S., and Williams, S., “Addressing The Future: Development of an Electrical Engineering Curriculum,” Proc. 2005 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, June 2005. 2. Born, R., “A Capstone Design Experience for Electrical Engineers,” IEEE Trans on Education, vol. 35, no. 3, Aug. 1992, pp. 240-242. 3. https://faculty-web.msoe.edu/prust/EESeniorDesign/ , MSOE web page, last accessed July 16, 2013. 4. Farr, J., et. al, “Using A Systematic Engineering Design Process to Conduct Undergraduate Engineering

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Gretchen A. Mosher

engineeringand engineering technology students will conclude the paperTeam-Based LearningThe ability to work effectively in teams has been identified as an essential skill for newemployees to bring to the work environment upon graduation 1, 2. Furthermore, benefits to bothfaculty and students have been noted by those who have practiced team-based learning methods3.However, team-based learning also presents challenges to both students and instructors4. Inaddition to addressing both the benefits and challenges of team-based learning in engineeringand engineering technology, this paper will discuss the application of the Michaelsen, Knight,and Fink5 method of team-based learning (TBL) to a course in total quality management. Theprocess used to create and

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Francis Peloubet; Eakalak Khan; G. Padmanabhan

importance of community-relevance of the projects has been recognized and isincreasingly brought to bear on the course in recent years. The course has successfully kept pacewith the ABET requirements for changes in assessment procedures over the years to move fromteaching-centered to learning-centered and outcome-based strategy. Requirements have movedfrom requiring and grading only the final reports in the past to requiring and grading preliminaryreports, presentations, reaction papers, etc. Use of instructional technology beginning from theuse of Power Point presentations to AutoCAD to Blackboard teaching platform have beenadopted promptly as the course evolved.The course, as evolved to the present status, is discussed in the remaining sections of

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Xiang-Fa Wu

, etc. Education and training of qualified new generation of mechanical engineersfamiliar with contemporary mechanical sciences will positively influence the innovationcompetency and quality of people’s life of a nation. Undergraduate education in ME coversbroad fields such as engineering mechanics, materials science, thermal science, machine design,etc., which has been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology(ABET) to ensure similar course requirements and standards from one university to the other.2 Inundergraduate students’ education in ME, mechanical design occupies the central positionbecause mechanical design oriented courses are targeted to educate and train students to developcomprehensive capability and

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

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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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Audrey LaVallie; Eakalak Khan; G. Padmanabhan

. For final deliverables, the mentors and students discuss what should be included in a poster or report. The students submit written data reports and the mentor shows the students how their narratives are expanded to a poster and a full report. The students are required to proofread the poster and final report and suggest changes or additions. Several students later stated that technical writing experience in these projects helped them with composing college papers in their coursework. x Exposure to Technology: Student interns are able to use a variety of scientific instrumentation, most of which they have not previously encountered. In the research projects completed, students have used the

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

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

, and studied the environmental implications all in the context of areal deliverable for a major client. Learning outcomes and assessments included several studentpublications of technical reports and oral presentations. A project like such clearly requires in-depth use of knowledge and skills in science, engineering, and technology. On top of this,students learned first-hand experiences and skills in teamwork, communication, and engineeringprofessional responsibilities in a complete cycle: from inquiries of knowledge to completion of adeliverable. During the process, students were able to develop these professional skills,particularly process skills in multiple dimensions: personal, interpersonal, program management,and others. As expected

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Devin R. Berg

engineering and engineering technology students. Students were tasked with applyingthe principles of fundamental static equilibrium analysis to objects found in their normalsurroundings. The deliverable for this assignment consisted of a photograph of an object theyfound to be in static equilibrium and a short description of how the state of the object could bedescribed mathematically. Student submissions for this task exhibited a wide range of qualityand imagination. Examples of student work are presented along with discussion of lessonslearned and recommendations for the use of this method in the future. The overall studentresponse to this task was positive and thus these efforts will be expanded.IntroductionInquiry-based learning is an educational

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

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

-based research experiences that offered excitement of learning and innovationin multiple areas of manufacturing. Emphasis was placed on dissemination of student research.The paper highlights examples of completed student projects and articulates a vision for use ofendowment funds to facilitate student learning and faculty development in a student-centeredenvironment.IntroductionAs a special mission institution within the University of Wisconsin System, the University ofWisconsin-Stout is a comprehensive, career-focused polytechnic university with historicstrengths in applied learning and technology. The university’s manufacturing engineering B.S.degree program is one of the largest ABET-accredited programs in the nation [1]. Stout'sprogram is

Collection

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

Nannan He; Han-Way Huang

ASEE-NMWSC2013-0050 Integrating Modern Model-based Development Concepts and Tools in a Programming Tools course Nannan He, Han-Way Huang Department of Electrical, Computer Engineering and Technology Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001AbstractSoftware programming is often considered to be difficult for many engineering students.Nowadays, many control and automation systems are facing the increasingly sophisticatedfunctional and non-functional demands. In such systems, software portion is always expected tohave the greater impact. Therefore, educators continue to

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Achintya N. Bezbaruah

of graduate students from variouscountries to connect to their homeland. Typically, most graduate students are verywell connected with their home counties during the first a few years after theyarrive at any US university, and most likely they know some close friends orrelatives who are involved or interested in K-12 education. The TheWateRediscover program starts with a listserve e-mail by the Program Director(PD) to all graduate students at North Dakota State University (NDSU) requestingtheir participation in the program. The interested graduate students attend anorientation meeting in the fall semester and start working as the CountryCoordinators (CCs) for her/his home country. One of the graduate students alsoacts as the International

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Wendy R. Stary; John R. Schultz

29greater chance of working in injection molding, and because it was critical in getting the firstclass on the books, the Program Directors felt this substitution was acceptable. Another optionwas added that allowed the course to be used as an elective in all Engineering Technologyconcentrations.These options were presented to students at the October Advisement Day presentations andslowly, very slowly, with a lot of promotion, students began to enroll. By the end of the fall2011 semester ten students were registered, had paid their tuition, applied for passports, attendedthe required international education meetings, and met all the requirements to participate. Theseincluded four Plastics Engineering students and six Engineering Technology

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Majura F. Selekwa

−Position Control − Position Control −Speed Control − Speed Control Figure 1: The Educational Structure of the Mechatronics Program at NDSUactivities that taught them how to use microcontrollers in reading sensor data and driving ac-tuators. These activities focused on both interfacing techniques and programming the micro-controller. Students were taught principles of power electronics using transistor switches andoptocouplers: high and low switches were discussed for two types of transistors: Bipolar junc-tion transistors (BJT) and Metal Oxide Silicon Field Effect Transistors (MOSFET). Given thetime limitations, Insulated Gate

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Nannan He; Gale Allen; Cameron Johnson

our ElectricalEngineering Technology and Computer Engineering Technology students in component-levelindustrial automation at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The financial support for buildingthe laboratory came from several sources. The primary support was provided by the MinnesotaCenter for Excellence in Manufacturing & Engineering (MNCEME). Significant funding wasprovided by the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and by the Department ofElectrical and Computer Engineering and Technology. Industry also provided strong support, forexample, the equipment from Rockwell Automation, National Instruments, etc., was giventhrough their education discount program. The courses take two semesters in sequence. Theycover the details

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

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

of 15kSPs. The central control unit is also be able to make simple control choices based onparameters the user has previously defined. Implementing the various functions of the central control unit requires a carefullywritten program and the effective use of appropriate LabVIEW control structures. Fig. 2. An example Arduino Mega 2560 [1]. A LabVIEW graphical user interface (GUI) was developed for communication between the user and the house. The GUIallows the user to visually see the status of the monitored household functions and provide the parameters for their controlchoices remotely [2]. There are several features of LabVIEW and third party applications that can make this possible

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Annamalai Pandian

manufacturing part-process flow, optimize the process layoutand develop simulation model to predict the throughput using Arena Simulation Modeling. Eachgroup was given a typical product drawing to develop system design and simulation analysis.The part arrival times, process times, the forklift speed, part transfer times and load/unload timeswere given. These products require the operations like, saw cutting, drilling, vertical milling,horizontal milling, and final machining operations. The original simulation model predicted 110parts output for 2000 minutes simulation time. The team analysed various “What-If” scenariosusing the computer simulation model to improve the throughput. The revised simulation modelproduced 159 parts, an improvement of 43