Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Stuart W. Baur; R. Joe Stanley

attended the 2013 Missouri State PLTW Conference.Instructor observations from the survey indicated that: 1) hands-on projects promotereinforcement of PLTW course curricula, 2) PLTW courses provide useful college preparatoryexperiences for students and expose students to STEM related areas, and 3) school districtsreasonably support PLTW courses.IntroductionIn recent years, there have been numerous K-12 programs to promote science, technology,engineering and mathematics (STEM) education programs that have promoted the growth andinterest of science and math related fields. These STEM programs branch across a variety ofareas and grade levels. Project Lead The Way (PLTW) provides STEM education curricularprograms in high schools and middle schools in

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Charles E. Baukal

even solving a problem and then evaluating the result when it has beenobtained. Some of the checks include the sign of the solution (positive or negative), the correctrange and order of magnitude, the number of significant digits, and the error bars for laboratorymeasurements. The paper discusses problem solving, critical thinking, solution reality checks,and recommendations for how to implement solution prediction and assessment.IntroductionCalls continue to be made for improving engineering education. The Phase 2 report from thatcommittee titled Educating the Engineer of 2020 1 calls for the reinvention of engineeringeducation. An important finding of that study was the importance of addressing how studentslearn in addition to what they

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Arash Jahandideh; Samaeh Aminikhangahi; Ali Salehnia; Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

conduct a trade of between shortest pathand longest path problem. The resulting path takes both economic and environmentalperformance into account in product/process design decision making.KeywordsLCA, Lignin derivatives, Dijkstra’s algorithm, Dynamic Programming 1IntroductionLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a well-known and widely used approach to assessing thepotential environmental impacts and resources used throughout a product’s life cycle, includingraw material acquisition, production, distribution, use, and end-of-life phases [1]. Currently, lifecycle thinking plays a significant role in environmental policy making. Renowned institutionssuch as the

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Erik Mallonee; John Barkley; Ramazan Asmatulu

to retain students in engineering education and complete the degree on time.Keywords: Science Project, Energy Harvesting, Engineering Education, Student Retention.1. Introduction1.1 MotivationThis study is a continuation of a study done in the Spring and Summer of 20141 by this groupthat was related to a study done in the Spring of 2013, of which one of the members of this groupwas involved2. The results of the 2013 study show that high school students involved in thetechnology training program showed increased interest in enrolling in the College of Engineering(CoE) at Wichita State University (WSU). This promoted interest amongst the authors to furtherstudy methods to recruit and or retain students, thus sparking the 2014 study. The 2014

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Francisco Lourenco; Nian Zhang; Sasan Haghani

prediction.KeywordsRunoff prediction, water quantity prediction, time series prediction, neural networks,backpropagation learning algorithm.1. IntroductionA wide range of evidence indicates that the earth has been warming over the past century. Thiswarming is causing the melting of mountain glaciers and sea ice in many parts of the world, arise in sea levels, and changes in patterns of precipitation. Most scientists agree that these trendsare likely to continue, and to accelerate largely due to increasing levels of carbon dioxide andother “greenhouse” gases in our atmosphere. Changes in temperatures and precipitation mayimpact the availability, use, and management of water resources. Since the publication ofIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Heather McCain

manufacturing can be difficult and trying to define quality for education is equally, if notmore, difficult. Philip Crosby (1979) defined quality as “conformance to requirements”.1 RussWestcott suggests that “Quality - I’ll know it when I see it”2 is used by customers to definequality. As a student at a university, conformance to requirements typically means followingthe course syllabus and completing the assignments for the course. As an instructor, quality of astudent’s work sometimes follows the “I’ll know it when I see it.”In manufacturing standard work is used to create consistency and define quality. Standard workis defined as documented and agreed-upon procedures and practices.3 In higher education,standard work are those procedures and

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Sara E. Wilson

thepublished literature, being able to evaluate scientific literature broadly across their field ofexpertise, having the ability to do independent research, and having the ability to communicatethat research successfully through publication. Other objectives include having technical skillsin important techniques of their field, being able to supervise the research of others, and beingable to formulate novel research questions that might serve the basis of grant proposals. Somewill express a volume of work such as three peer reviewed journal publications as an objective.In Bioengineering, our goal was to select outcomes that embody these objectives. Theseoutcomes were:Graduates in PhD Bioengineering program will be able to: 1. Read, comprehend

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Steve E. Watkins

and judgment. Topical content typically includes anintroduction to principles of applied ethics with supporting examples of related engineeringsituations. This paper discusses the organization of the ethics component in a senior seminarcourse. Key topics are ethics principles in the context of the engineering profession, codes ofethics as developed by professional societies, and ethical judgment in case studies.KeywordsEthics, Profession, Case Study.IntroductionThe development of ethics knowledge and judgment is recognized as an essential part ofengineering education. ABET student outcomes include “an understanding of professional andethical responsibility” [1]. University engineering programs must address ethics education toprepare students

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Brian Sandford

including welding and metal fabrication; framing; roofing; mechanical systems includingdrain, waste, and vent, electrical and plumbing; exterior work and landscaping; interior workincluding drywall, insulation, painting, and trim; and finally employment and accident and injuryvocabulary. About one week is spent discussing the vocabulary for each subject area.After the core grammatical information has been presented in weeks 1-3, students will begin topractice speaking and using the Spanish vocabulary learned each week in one of the topic areasby explaining simple construction related tasks assigned by the instructor. They are evaluated in4 major areas which must be included in their task descriptions. They must include: 1) anappropriate greeting; 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Robert M. O'Connell

assessment. At the same time, the results of the midterm exams are also often used 1 © American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 2015 ASEE Zone III Conference (Gulf Southwest – Midwest – North Midwest Sections)to provide feedback that helps students improve their learning in preparation for the final exam.This is the formative component of assessment.There are pedagogical difficulties associated with using midterm exams for both formative andsummative assessment. First, learning outcomes are usually expressed in terms of what studentsshould know and be able to do

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Shawn M. Hughes; Anh Pham; Kathy Huong Nguyen; Ramazan Asmatulu

in the engineering fields.Keywords: Electrospinning, Polycaprolactone (PCL), Nanofibers, Undergraduate Students,Hands-on Training.1. IntroductionNanotechnology has a great potential to revolutionize the scientific and industrial developmentsworldwide [1]. A number of different nanoscale materials in the forms of metals and alloys,polymers, ceramics and composites can be produced using nanotechnology processes (e.g., topdown and bottom up approaches). These nanomaterials have various application capabilities thatcould greatly affect physical and chemical properties of the new materials, structural integrity,and tissue engineering, as well as research and development in engineering [2].Electrospinning is one pf the nanotechnology processes to

Collection

2015 ASEE Zone 3 Conference

Authors

Susan C. Schneider

Disciplines(WID) 1, we began to include memos, progress reports, procedure instructions and final reports,all of which are likely to be used by our students when they are in their engineering jobs,including their co-op jobs. In particular, one of the expected outcomes for all our laboratorycourses is for the students to be able to effectively communicate the objective, the designprocedure, the experimental results, and the conclusion for a particular laboratory assignment(junior level) or electronic circuit/system design project (senior level).Current Laboratory Writing AssignmentsDifferent types of writing assignments are used in the final two laboratory classes in ourprogram. In the junior level “Instrumentation Lab”, students write three or four

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Craig Johnson

. In a skills intensive course such asMET257 „Casting Processes‟, many „millennial‟ students (1) are ill prepared. Specific skillsinclude operational safety (e.g. use of PPE) and operations (e.g. sand preparation, molding).The content of MET257 contains basic foundry processes such as „green sand‟, and haslaboratory exercises in an on-site green sand foundry. A typical foundry process includesmanagement of the sand, as well as many tools (e.g. patterns, flasks) and equipment (e.g.furnaces, crucibles, test equipment). Overlaid on this complex environment are real safetyissues. A significant amount of time is allocated to both skill development and related safetyconcerns.An idea was developed to create videos that addressed these needed skills

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Kurt Colvin; Jim Kish

1 Bicycle Frame Building for Engineering Undergraduates Kurt Colvin, Ph.D., P.E. and Jim Kish Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo / Kish FabricationAbstractThe common safety bicycle design first appeared in Brittan in the 1870s. In the 130 years since,engineers and craftsmen have created hundreds of new bicycle designs, fabrication methods,materials and components. However, the simplistic diamond frame design has survived, is stillcommercially available and fully functional. The bicycle itself provides a rich learning platform inwhich to illustrate topics such as design

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Reza Raeisi; Sudhanshu Singh

computer but is not itself a general-purpose computeris termed as an embedded system. It is a special purpose computer which is designed to docertain dedicated functions. FPGA-based embedded system using soft-core processors areadapted more commercially and gained popularity in university teaching. Hence, we aremotivated to practice a new pedagogy in learning embedded system where students will have theoption of customizing their own peripheral subsystem. Along with this pedagogy we haveintegrated the µClinux, a Real Time Operating System (RTOS) into classroom/laboratoryexperience for students to learn embedded systems1. Embedded systems are preferred overgeneral computers because of the following advantages: 1. Real-time operation 2. Low

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Maria C Sanchez; Nell Papavasiliou; Hernan Maldonado

andsurveys. The authors intend to perform further investigation to verify the effect of the summercamp on recruitment and retention.IntroductionThe GIRLS SEE summer camp was conceived in response to the latent concern for the smallnumbers of female engineering students which would translate into low numbers of females inthe labor force in technology areas. A study showed that by 2007 the percentage ofundergraduate female engineering students had decreased to only 17 percent1. At Fresno Stateonly 14.2 % of the students receiving an engineering degree during the academic year 2007-2008were female2. In addition, as seen in Figure 1, retention of first year female engineering studentsat Fresno State is at its lowest level since Fall 2002

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

John M. Murray; Roger A. Greener; Heong-seok Kim; William T. Murray

25 Sustainable Design: Meeting the Thunder Beings of the West John M. Murray1, Roger A. Greener1, Heong-seok Kim1, William T. Murray2 1 Integrated Engineering Department, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT, 84721, USA. 2 University of Colorado, College of Architecture and Planning, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.AbstractIn the American West, sustaining the life support system for future generations impliesacknowledgement that humanity is a part of the natural world rather than apart from it.1-10 In thiscontext, we are all related: the two-legged nations

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Johnnie Hancock

don’t trust digitalfiltering techniques based on Nyquist criteria and prefer that theirscopes sample at rates that are 10X to 20X over the scope’sbandwidth specification. The truth actually lies somewhere inbetween. To understand why, you must have an understanding ofthe Nyquist theorem and how it relates to a scope’s frequencyresponse. Dr. Harry Nyquist (Figure 1) postulated: Nyquist Sampling Theorem For a limited bandwidth signal with a maximum Figure 1: Dr. Harry Nyquist, frequency fMAX, the equally spaced sampling frequency 1889-1976, articulated his fS must be greater than

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Amelito Enriquez

and Elluminate Live! software that allows synchronous delivery through theInternet, as well as recording and archiving of all classroom lecture sessions. Identicalhomework sets and tests were given to the two groups, and their performance compared. Resultsshow that there is no statistically significant difference in the levels of performance of the twogroups of students. Online students also rated their experience in this online class to be betterthan other online courses they have previously taken.1. IntroductionOnline teaching is one of the fastest growing trends in educational technology in the U.S. A2008 study1 released by the US Department of Education indicates that online enrollments aregrowing at substantially faster than overall

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Wangping Sun

;  Project management skills. Proceedings of the 2010 American Society for Engineering Education Zone IV Conference Copyright © 2010, American Society for Engineering Education 78III. Available programs to educate global engineersThere are at least eleven formats available in engineering programs that educate globalengineers2,19,20,21,22,23,24,25. 1. Dual degree: students obtain two degrees - one from the home university and one from the university abroad. Students follow an integrated program, which includes substantial study at the university abroad. 2. Student exchange: students from the home and

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Jim Fischer; Claude Kansaku

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Ding Yuan; Jude DePalma; Nebojsa Jaksic

questions and the results are shown in Table 1 (1being the lowest and 5 being the highest rating). Nineteen students took the pre-lab survey while16 students took the post-lab survey. The average rating for all five questions improved. Sincethe learning community has been established for only one semester there is little data on gradesand retention. At this time we have observed that students’ performance has improved and thefailure rate has decreased. This will be more thoroughly assessed in the future.Table 1: Survey Results Survey Questions Average (before) Average (after) 1. How excited are you about engineering? 3.58 4.13 2. How

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Allison Kipple; Dieter Otte

compensation for participating in the course. Inaddition, a course coordinator has overall responsibility for the course and tracks students’progress throughout the semester. The result has been an improvement in instructor motivationand attitudes, the quality of student products, and student preparation for successful graduatecareers.Overall Course StructureAn example overall course structure follows. Each instructor has a three-week module to discussa specific topic related to sustainability at the graduate level. The remaining weeks are devotedto an overview of sustainability, soft skill development, and project presentations. • Weeks 1-2: Introduction; Panel discussion: “What is Sustainability?”; Student project selection and planning

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Amelito Enriquez; Kate Disney; Erik Dunmire

-costprograms including those in engineering. This paper addresses the factors that have led to thegradual erosion of the lower-division core curriculum and the effects that these curriculumchanges have had on community college engineering programs. It also explores the implicationson the future of the engineering education system, the cost to taxpayers, and the system’seffectiveness at producing the engineers that are needed to ensure that the United States remainsthe premier place in the world for innovation.IntroductionThe California Community College system has grown to be the largest system of highereducation in the world, serving close to 3 million students every year,1 by providing affordableand accessible education. Students are able to

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Amelito Enriquez

engineering profession and the engineering educationalsystem. Participants from both programs also expressed positive overall attitude and opinions ofthe program objectives, content, activities and implementation.1. IntroductionCommunity colleges serve as the gateway to higher education for large numbers of students inthe U.S., especially minority and low-income students. Yet for many students, the communitycollege gateway does not lead to success. Only one in four students wanting to transfer or earn adegree/certificate did so within six years, according to a recent study of California communitycolleges1. African American and Hispanic students have even lower rates of completion.According to the study, only 15% of African American students and 18

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Nebojsa Jaksic; Jeff Piquette; Melvin Druelinger; David Lehmpuhl; Helen Caprioglio; Juyun Cho; Paul Chacon; Michael Mincic

Education Zone IV Conference Copyright © 2010, American Society for Engineering Education 122been compiled, but it stands to reason that due to the demanding nature of STEM programs theattrition data would be even more alarming.The learning community composed of a cohort from various STEM majors has been described inour earlier work10. After a two-year study of the cohort, it was observed that the cohort itself waschanging. New students were added while others were replaced, as indicated in Table 1.Furthermore, students are maturing, thus the educational needs of the cohort are changing aswell. While the tutoring needs are

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Marilyn A. Dyrud

community during the Third Reich, however, gives us reason to pause and ponder.From an engineering perspective, the Holocaust is the ultimate in problem solving: how toeliminate 11 million people (the estimated number of Jews on the planet in the 1930s) in anefficient and cost-effective manner and how to dispose of the remains in a way that would notcompromise public health. The answer was the development of death camps in Poland, ―amethodical blueprint for murder,‖1 the result of a brainstorming session at the 1941 WannseeConference. Someone, however, had to design and construct the infrastructure to support thecamp system, as well as develop the instruments of death and disposal and methods for trackingthe population of Europe to identify those

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Debra Larson; Marissa Mourer

prospects into enrolled freshman for the following fallsemester.Today, the College reports 4028 undergraduate majors as of the Fall 2009 official 21-day countwith 1443 freshmen. This enrollment is an increase of 64% from 2005 and coincides with amulti-year growth in enrollment campus-wide that increased over the same time frame by 38%.These data on undergraduate enrollment for the College and the University are captured in Table1.Table 1. Official 21-Day Fall Head Count for College and University from 2005 to 2009 21-Day Fall Census College Freshman College Undergraduates University Undergraduates 2005 708 2454 13472 2006

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Edwin Odom; Don Blackketter; Larry Stauffer; Steven Beyerlein

interventions that, if needed,can connect students with additional help offered by institution-level offices. An internet searchfor organizations associated with the phrase ‘engineering student services’ reveals a variety ofinnovative, college-based services at institutions such as Olin College, University ofWisconsin—Madison, University of New Mexico, Kansas State University, Drexel University,Texas A&M, University of California—San Diego, University of California—Berkeley,University of Wyoming, Oregon State University, University of Washington, and StanfordUniversity. Table 1 itemizes common and less common functions of these centers.TABLE 1. Functions of Existing Engineering Student Services CentersCommon Functions

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Stuart Kellogg

to rathersharp enrollment decreases in many engineering programs3. The declines in undergraduateengineering enrollment in recent years were evident for both men and women and for mostracial/ethnic groups. This enrollment decline may be further exacerbated by demographic shiftsthat are occurring in rural areas resulting in fewer students in the high school and feeder schoolpopulations. If one couples these enrollment declines with the traditionally high student dropoutrates in engineering curricula, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore the mounting pressuresfor more targeted recruitment efforts and improved retention efforts. Despite considerableresearch to the contrary (see for example [1, 3-5]), many engineering faculty members