Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Robin K. Burk

Project-Based Team Learning: Teaching Systems Engineering When the Data are Sparse Robin K. Burk U.S. Military AcademyABSTRACT: Undergraduate systems engineering courses face several challenges, including the need toprovide students with integrative projects which present sufficient depth and complexity while beingscoped for execution within a one or two semester course.This paper describes the results of providing students with challenging real-world analysis projectsdespite the sparse availability of established technical and operating data. Sixteen teams werepresented with projects regarding evaluation of advanced

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Beena Sukumaran; Joshua Bonzella; Kevin McGarvey; Heather Klein

Teaching Engineering Design with a focus on the developing world Beena Sukumaran, Joshua Bonzella, Kevin McGarvey, Heather Klein College of Engineering, Rowan UniversityAbstractThe paper describes a program, Entrepreneurs without Borders and a project undertaken through theprogram. The program seeks to establish entrepreneurship opportunities for the developing world. Thiswill be done through student teams comprising both engineering and business majors at RowanUniversity. The engineering and business students perform a survey of local communities in thedeveloping world, identified as having a need for engineering skills by Engineers without Borders1.During this initial survey, the students

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Roy T.R. McGrann

. In these courses, Solid Edge 3 is used. First-year studentsare also introduced to the design process through two projects. In the first semester, they perform areverse engineering team project and, in the second semester, there is a team conceptual design project.In the curriculum of the mechanical engineering department at Binghamton University, the Computer-Aided Engineering course (ME 481) was a technical elective until 2004-5. The course is now requiredin the first semester of the third year. The prerequisites for the course are the mechanics courses(statics, dynamics and solid mechanics). This course is the initial course in an upper-division four-semester design sequence. It is followed in the second semester of the third year by the

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Rashmi Jain; Keith Sheppard; Elisabeth McGrath; Bernard Gallois

experiences and curriculum components in middle and high schools is seen as ameans to engage students and excite them about the opportunities for an engineering career. Given thatsystems thinking and perspective are now seen as playing an important role in educating engineers for thefuture, it follows that coupling these concepts to the engineering elements of the pre-college program hasmerit. Stevens, through its Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education (CIESE), has beenvery active in promoting the introduction of engineering into K-12 curricula in the State of New Jersey aspart of a broader approach to increasing the STEM pipeline. As part of this pre-engineering effort CIESE,with funding from a New Jersey Foundation and

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Dean M. Aslam; Zongliang Cao; Cyrous Rostamzadeh

conventional demos of van de Graaf (VDG) generators tointroduce programmable Lego-based VDG (PLVDG) for the first time. The PLVDG modules explainunderlying concepts of micro- and nano-systems in a fun and fascinating way as evident from the levelof interest seen in over 200 learners at K-12, undergraduate and graduate levels during 2006-07. Theinterest in PLVDG seems to be strongly related to the fact that the learners can design, build, programand explore PLVDG using different pulley & belt materials and a palm-size robot. The generatedvoltages are in the range of 5 – 35 kV depending upon humidity and pulley speed. Sensors of positiveand negative charges have also been developed using NMOS and PMOS switches embedded in Lego-like bricks. A number

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Matt Armstrong; Richard L. Comitz; Andrew Biaglow; Russ Lachance; Joseph Sloop

not befound in the literature, it was necessary to conduct some preliminary experiments to gather data that thestudents could use to calculate the frequency factor, k0, and activation energy, Ea, of each parallel reaction,and the overall reaction. Three independent experiments were run at different temperatures to collect thedata required for the concentration vs. time plot. These plots were then used to find reaction rate constants,k, for each temperature for each parallel reaction. The kinetic data was collected following the sameprocedures the students used in the organic chemistry laboratory earlier in the semester. To calculate the total reaction rate constant a plot of C bromopropane/Cp-xylene vs. time was constructed.To

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Bassem Alhalabi; M.K. Hamza; Ali Abu-El Humos

were fardistant from constructing real experimentations online. Such a lack of real experimentation-- over theInternet, gave birth to an authentic rise beyond the restrictions of the antiquated virtual laboratories [4-7].The birth of Remote Labs Environment (RLE) at the Centre of Advanced Distance Education Technologies(CADET), a few years ago, carries with it a world of possibilities and pioneering computing technologies.Therefore, this article conducts a survey of students’ perception of on-line (virtual) labs and in comparisonto real labs. The results are analyzed and discussed to put forth an opportunity to learn about a newtechnology that might change how students conduct experiments, virtually.Keywords: Remote Labs, Distance Lab

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Eileen M. Kowalski; Joe D. Manous

physical trace in the brain through physicaldamage or aging, interference caused by inconsistencies with “known” information and new observations,or a lack of retrieval clues.11 As some clues become deeply imbedded, they develop into building blocksfor multiple memories. The ability of a human mind to reconstruct and understand ideas from individualclues long after an idea is “learned” constitutes cognitive learning. Unfortunately, much of the materialstudied in the classroom does not become deeply imbedded and falls into the category of short-termmemory. The process of cognitive learning is complex, not well understood, and varies betweenindividuals. However, there does seem to be a positive relationship between experiences requiringstudent

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

David J. Palazzo; Chad C. Schools

instructor’s (or thestudent’s!) imagination. We highlight three applications as case studies of video analysis within ourlaboratory program. These case studies include a vertical loop in a popular roller coaster, a HMMWV(High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle) frontal crash test, and two charged hanging pith balls inelectrostatic equilibrium. We summarize instructor and student survey data in an attempt to address theefficacy of video analysis as observed through the execution of these three case studies.Introduction The United States Military Academy Department of Physics teaches calculus-based NewtonianMechanics to over 900 third-class cadets (cadets in their second year of study) each fall and teachescalculus-based Electricity and Magnetism

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Roger Chapman Burk

; Launch Windows Beyond the two-body problem: orbital perturbations. Orbital planes, launch window, orbital inclinations, and initial eastward velocity. 16. Burn, Baby, Burn! Re-entry trajectories. Numerical integration of reentry through idealized atmosphere on non-rotating planet. Remarks on dealing with heating. Advantages of aerobraking. 5 Block IV: 17. Built by the Lowest Bidder Spacecraft Overview of spacecraft systems engineering. Case study. This was a Systems guest lecture delivered by the principal investigator for a NASA

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Mir M. Atiqullah

temperature. High temperature causes the matrix to soften, melt, orother wise degrade beyond usability. Polyesters and vinyl esters are the most commonly used polymersas matrix. Epoxy is a better choice for matrix albeit for a higher cost. Epoxies are choice materials formatrix and have better mechanical properties and are resistant to moisture.Composite characteristicsCharacteristics4 of a composite material may differ from those predicted from the properties of theingredients. This is due to manufacturing irregularity, reaction kinetics, and thermal expansion. Basicproperties of composites include density, fiber volume fraction, voids, thermal expansion, tensileproperties, and transverse properties. The summer research students7 mostly utilized the

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Adam J. Czekanski; David-Michael P. Roux

not necessarily this real-time knowledge of where the class stood, butrather the opportunity provided to the instructor to take necessary steps to correct student misconceptionabout a concept. Most instructors will acknowledge that when more than 80% of students answer aquestion correctly, there is little need to review the details of the concept covered in that question verythoroughly. Correct answer success rates in the hand raising sections of nearly 87% and a standarddeviation that regularly brought the correct response beyond the 90th percentile reinforce the point that theinstructor not only is misled as to the comprehension of his students, but also that he inherently feels littleor no need to talk through the concept as it relates to

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Elif Kongar; Paul Kontogiorgis; Nancy L. Russo; Tarek Sobh

in the world, they also tend to perceive science andtechnology related positions as positions that do not require team work, human interaction or personalcommunication skills7. Therefore, the majority of women avoid entering these fields through their careers.Today, successful women students mostly consider law, medicine and business as their future professionwhile giving less thought about engineering, technology or computing fields8.3. STEM Gender GapThere are several reasons for the gender gap in STEM fields; even though institutional prejudice is morelikely to play a contributing role in limiting the involvement of women in assumed masculine dominantareas. Educational or not, many organizations tend to favor men even though the basis of