admission status.The authors tested three hypotheses pertaining to the science and non-science majors.First, we used a two-sample t-test to compare the average Math SAT scores of scienceand non-science majors at TWU. In addition, we asked whether or not the chosen majorof students was independent of ethnicity by doing a chi-squared test of hypothesis.Finally, we explored the relative success of science majors versus non-science majors byusing a two-sample t-test to assess if the average cumulative GPA for Science majorsdiffers from the average cumulative GPA for non-science majors ResultsAs indicated in Table 1, the total number of undergraduate TWU students in Fall 2003was 7,273. Approximately 75% of those
provide a formalapproach regarding the past, the present status of the Engineering TechnologyDepartment and solutions to produce a brighter future. As members of Tau Alpha Pi weare very proud and hope to accomplish the goal to instill pride in our Technologyprogram. This is a goal that our future members may have to resume, because we canonly advance step by step. We shall do anything and everything within our reach to getcloser to our goal. Being the best of the best takes work, which we are gladly willing todo. REFERENCES 1. URL: http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history. Proceedings of the 2004 ASEE Gulf-Southwest Annual Conference Texas
fixed-length binary strings and concatenated together into onelong binary string called a “genotype,” which is representative of chromosomal material in aliving creature.The Genetic Algorithm is modeled on the basis of Darwin's theory of natural selection. It uses asemi-random, or heuristic, search method to explore the design space. The initial runs of theGenetic Algorithm are used for exploring the design space and the later runs are used forexploitation or convergence. The ability to maintain a balance between exploration andexploitation makes the Genetic Algorithm less susceptible to the problems of local convergencethan many other stochastic algorithms.The Genetic Algorithm involves: 1. Creation of an initial population of
. Childs, Leland T. Jordan Professor of Mechanical Engineering(details on the course were presented previously under the title: Developing A New Differential-Equation-Based Dynamics/Vibration Course, 1 at ASEE Gulf-Southwest Section 2001 ANNUALCONFERENCE "Changing the Engineering Profession" March 28-30, 2001, Texas A&MUniversity, College Station, TX.). The course emphasizes model development and the use ofgeneral kinematic equations and differential equations of motion for problem solving. Theauthors have adapted the course content to incorporate civil engineering examples andapplications, and to place more emphasis on vibration. Course projects are based on realisticcivil engineering examples, with an emphasis on the assumptions required to
his/her students(depending of course on available resources). We also discuss some of the issues related to boththe execution and successful completion of such PBL experiments. Project AssignmentsA list of the projects assigned to students, as is from the class, is provided here below forinterested teachers to utilize or adapt to their teaching: 1- Using Brinell hardness indenter: a) Investigate the hardness of bobsled and skeleton runner material using lateral and longitudinal sections. b) Investigate edge effects on hardness. 2- For a piece of copper of bulk size, polish and etch it, and then investigate microhardness close to the center of the grains and progressively closer
itscenter, a meter above the ground and a meter horizontally away from the launch point(refer to Figure 1). The design objective was to create a mechanism that was bothdurable and performed with repeatability. An important constraint on the assignment wasto only use concepts of kinematics and kinetics that had been covered thus far in the classfor the design and analysis of the mechanism. The available concepts included 2-D and3-D rectilinear motion, including projectile motion, concepts of force, mass, andacceleration, including frictional forces, work, power, kinetic energy, potential energy,impact and systems of particles. Due to the aerodynamics of the ball and the smallvelocities involved in the experiment, aerodynamic drag was neglected
anduniversities titled Closing the Gaps by 2015 (adopted in October 2000 by the Texas HigherEducation Coordinating Board)1. The plan, which is directed at closing educational gaps withinTexas, as well as between Texas and other states, has four goals: to close the gaps in studentparticipation, student success, excellence, and research. The plan includes strategies for reachingeach of the goals and an annual performance measuring system. One outcome of this plan was ademonstrated need for engineering education and an outcome of this was the creation of the non-profit membership organization known as the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium(TETC). The purpose of TETC is to increase the number of engineering and computer sciencegraduates from Texas
. FormulationOptical detectors that use lenses have directional response1. The output peaks when thelight source is placed along the axis normal to the lens. The output reduces as the sourceis moved away from the direction of maximum signal. The actual output voltage, Voutdepends on the peak signal voltage, Vpeak, and the angular distance, ψ. Vout = Vpeak f (ψ ) (1)where f(ψ) is a function either provided by the manufacturer of the optical detectors2 (asshown in Fig.1), or can be practically obtained. z P
horizontal distance of at least one meter (see Figure 1 for an example). These designs reliedon the fact that potential energy converted to kinetic energy during the downward slide of theball. Other designs involved the use of a push or pull springs to drive the motion of the ball byconverting the spring’s potential energy into kinetic energy for the ball (Figure 2). Several otherdesigns employed some sort of an impact mechanism to drive the ball’s motion (see Figure 3 forone example). Other design concepts employed catapult-type construction. One such design useda stretched elastic rubber band to swing the golf bar upon release (Figure 4). Another catapultwas built entirely out of play LEGO and naturally generated a lot of interest from both
emerging technology has been some of the University’sresearch laboratories. This paper will describe some of these projects and how the entireclass, as well as all engineering students, are introduced to the emerging technologyassociated with these projects. IntroductionIn episode 1410 of the “Engines of Our Ingenuity,”1 John Lienhard states, “The Greek word tecnh (pronounced techne) describes art and skill in making things. Tecnh is the work of a sculptor or a stonemason, a composer, or a clock-maker. Ology is the study or the lore of something. Technology is the knowledge of making things. Some argue that we shouldn't call our species Homo sapiens or the-wise-people, but rather Homo technologicus
activity9. In the senior capstone course, taken by threedepartments10 (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, andMechanical Engineering) in which students are forced to form groups with representationfrom at least two departments, about 65% of the course grade is determined by asemester-long project provided by local industry or the faculty. (Generally each grouphas a different project.)The ethnicity data for all students are presented in Table 1. Four ethnic groups (as selfreported) are recognized: Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian (east and south), African American,and Other (Middle Easterner, Pacific Islander and American Indian). The first columnprovides the distribution (per cent) of each ethnic group in the classes; the second
for Engineering EducationClass CommunicationLast year we begun using Blackboard, a website based software, as “communicationscentral” for the class. Its use has been very successful. As an example, the calendar forthe Fall 2003 course as posted on the website is given in Figure 1 (at the end of thepaper). All assignments and all instructions are also posted. The “communication”feature (email) allows efficient information exchange among all students, teams, clients,faculty advisors and instructors/facilitators. Student’s questions can be answered and, ifappropriate, the answers are communicated to the entire class via email and the web site.Grades are also entered into a secure location at the website to which individual studentshave
University Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering EducationThe efficiency of ozone formation rises and then falls as the ratio of nitrogen oxides (NOx) tovolatile organic compounds (VOCs) increases9. Therefore, NOx emissions result in lessefficient ozone production. The following have been found to contribute to air pollution:1. Sulfur dioxide is released when sulfur-containing fuels, such as coal and oil, are burned.Common sources of sulfur dioxide emissions are electric utilities and certain industrialprocesses, such as copper smelting. Sulfur dioxide at elevated concentrations can causerespiratory problems and also affects plant and crop production. It also can be a contributingcomponent of acid rain.2. Toxic
Science Foundation,however, among engineering professionals, 88% are White, 6% are Asian, and only 6%are minority [1]. To improve minority representation in engineering and engineeringtechnology programs, institutions of higher education have used a number of approaches,such as the increase of visibility of the engineering profession, mentoring students, andacademic support [2]. Strategies to recruit and retain students include hands-onapproaches [3, 4], field trips [5, 6], summer workshops [7], and software trainingprograms [8]. This paper describes a project that uses all these methods to attractunderrepresented students to science and engineering through a program that includespresentations at high schools, invited speakers, field trips, hands
with the DSK. Figure 1 shows a very simple Simulink modelthat samples an input signal present at the analog jack at 8 kHz, filters it, and sends it tothe analog output jack. The ADC and DAC blocks take care of configuring the hardwarecorrectly without further programming. To filter the signal, the “fdatool” (filter designand analysis tool) block allows the programmer to specify the filter characteristicsthrough a graphical user interface (GUI) and calculates the filter coefficients, as shown inFigure 2. Students are able to perform this simple filtering implementation at the end ofthe second week of classes. The facility of experimenting with different filter parametersand listening to the results keeps them excited about their project and
Educationmodeling of jointed structures [1]. Development of a novel finite element code requires ageneral approach to handle applied loads that may vary in magnitude and directionaccording to an arbitrary prescribed law. In the present work we propose a simple modelthat is able to capture load history effects through an incremental approach.A number of studies have been done in the past to investigate memory rules in contactand frictional problems, but mainly for the contact of two identical spheres. Analyticalanalysis was carried out by Cattaneo [2] , Mindlin and Deresiewicz [3] for several typesof loading scenarios. A general model for the same contact was proposed by Dobry et al[4] that is able to manage arbitrary variations in the applied loads. It has
trucks aredominant with 12.34 tones/day. The SO2 analysis reveals that trucks are going to emit 0.97 tonnes/day. Emissions of hydrocarbons are mainly contributed by two-wheelers andauto rickshaws. The current levels (2001) are 28.10 and 12.26 tones/day respectively. Thetotal CO emissions by all modes, which are 123.99 tones/day in 2001 would increase to179.11 tones/day by the year 2025.Study indicate that cars, which have a share of 12% in passenger kms emit 38.6% of totalemissions, whereas buses, which have a 50.7% share in passenger kms are emitting 2.3% ofthe total emissions. Hence there is a need to promote the Public Transport System.Comparative Analysis of Three CitiesAnalysis of the three cities brings out the following observations:1
+ R2 + R3and 1 1 1 1 = + + RT R1 R2 R3respectively. These equations provide a rich opportunity to understand the concepts of inverseand fraction addition. Lesson plans include construction of a closed circuit with bulbs andresistors and a deduction game based on hidden magnets. Proceedings of the 2004 ASEE Gulf-Southwest Annual Conference Texas Tech University Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering EducationCompostComposting, which allows certain organic wastes to decompose into a rich fertilizer, is anenvironmentally friendly
temperature control system found in most homes. A control system keepsthe air in a home at a certain temperature. It does this by sensing the ambienttemperature, comparing it to the desired temperature, and producing a control action thatwill keep the ambient temperature at or near the desired temperature. This paperdescribes a project that involves designing, building, and demonstrating a regulatorycontrol system. The system will maintain the temperature of a process at a desired setpoint. Another goal is to incorporate a PC-based data acquisition system (DAQ) alongwith LabVIEW, a graphics-based programming language by National Instruments.LabVIEW has been used in many control systems applications [1-5].To demonstrate the functionality of the system
has therefore been the subjectof many theoretical and experimental investigations. A variety of experimentaltechniques has been use to obtain data for comparison with theory. These falls into twomain categories: cloud chamber and gas dynamics methods, such as supersonic nozzlesand shock tubes.Karimi and Lienhard 1 have shown that no vapor phase data has come anywhere near thevapor spinodal line while liquids have been heated all the way to their spinodal linepredicted by van der Waals equation of states. Karimi and Lienhard have attempted toprovide an analytical answer to the question of why then can liquid be heated almost allthe way to their spinodal line while vapor cannot be cooled to theirs. By calculating theminimum work required to
applications, understanding studentlearning styles, class participation and active learning are key issues to educators. 1 Engineeringprofessors have long known and valued the efficacy of exercises that include practicalapplications. Hands-on training (actual project work) is much appreciated by students. Providinghands-on experiences with respect to mechanical or electrical apparatus is much easier to do thanit is with subjects such as advanced economic analysis or many other engineering managementsubject matter. Experiencing management situations is important for engineering students inconsidering that most engineers in the workplace will have to handle management issues sooneror later. “Many students come to engineering studies with little
provide a seamless education no matter which platform the educational product isbeing received from. Curriculum and Research IssuesLike many MBA programs, EM programs can have extensive executive EM component(seminary or more extensive training programs) along with PDH (Professional DevelopmentHour –for licensure) demands.7 In addition, many EM programs may have outreach initiatives ifnot simply professional development demands placed upon them. Again, here the demand is ofpractical nature.Due to the myriad of forces shaping EM programs, curriculum design and development is noeasy task in this field. Another reality facing EM programs is that there are few programs thatgrant PhDs in the area. 1 Thus much of the
diametrically opposite format is what is often used in most Law Schools, where noevaluation is done on material comprehension and retention until the very end of term (finalexam).The concept of "chunking" and the capacity of short term memory were first discussed byMiller.1 The author sustained the idea that short-term memory could only hold 5-9 chunks ofinformation (seven plus or minus two), where a chunk is any meaningful unit. A chunk couldrefer to images, words, digits, or even people's faces. The concept of chunking and the limitedcapacity of short term memory became a fundamental element of all subsequent theories ofmemory.Applying chunking theory to student assessment builds on cognitive and educational psychology.Mislevy2 observed that
tools used to create computer-based content have become cheaper, and,more importantly, easier to use. It is thus prudent to evaluate how these media arechanging students’ academic experience.In prior research [1, 2], we evaluated an instructional CD that is currently included withthe book Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach [3]. In addition to presenting thestudents with text content, tables, and graphs, the CD also includes active learningtechniques such as interactive exercises, graphical modeling, physical world simulations,and exploration [2]. The aspect we were most interested in was how students interactedwith the CD. In a modified version that we provided to students, the CD automaticallyrecorded each student’s interactions in a log
. Proceedings of the 2004 ASEE Gulf-Southwest Annual Conference Texas Tech University Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering EducationCreation of a 3D modelWe used the 2D map of the campus as shown in Figure 1, which is publicly available in theWeb page, for creating a 3D campus model. This 2D map was imported into AutoCADenvironment and used as a template for creating 3D building models in the campus. Inorder to determine the level of elaboration of the 3D model, we reviewed the 3D campusmap, which is also available in the TAMU web page as shown in Figure 2, and concludedthat the same level of detail should be appropriate for spatial relationship study. Figure 1