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Board 106 : Maker Education in a Sino-American Joint Institute: Taking Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute as an Example

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Conference

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah

Publication Date

June 23, 2018

Start Date

June 23, 2018

End Date

July 27, 2018

Conference Session

International Engineering Education Poster Session

Tagged Division

International

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--29867

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/29867

Download Count

562

Paper Authors

biography

Dong Liang Sichuan University

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Dong Liang is Laboratory Director in Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute (SCUPI). He is in charge of building teaching laboratories and oversight the routine use and maintenance of the lab facilities. He has a B.S. from Northwestern Polytechnical University in China in Flight Vehicle Manufacture Engineering and M.S. from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in France in Mechanical Engineering. Before joining in SCUPI, he has worked in GE Aviation as a product engineer for 2 years.

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biography

Senbao Lin Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute

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2017.7 - Present Lab Engineer in Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute, China
2015.10 - 2017.3 Automation Engineer in TP Orthodontics, Inc., the US
2013.8 - 2015.5 Master in Mechanical Engineering of Illinois Institute of Technology, the US
2009.9 - 2013.6 Bachelor in Engineering of Sichuan University, China

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biography

Lurao Liu Sichuan University

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2017.9 - Present Laboratory Engineer in Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute
2015.8 - 2017.8 M.S., Ohio State University in America, Electrical and Computer Science Engineering
2011.9 - 2015.6 B.S., Sichuan University in China. Electrical engineering and Automation

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biography

Wei Chen Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute

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Wei Chen, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Administration in Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute

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biography

Jared Yi Du Sichuan University

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2017.9 - Present Leader of Makerspace in Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute
2016.11 - 2017.9 Machining Leader of Makerspace in Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute 2016.9 - Present Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student in Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute

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Abstract

Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute (SCUPI) is a new academic entity jointly established by Sichuan University (SCU) and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), which is one of five large-scale partnerships between an American and a Chinese university. Currently, three undergraduate degree programs are offered: Industrial Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. From the interactions between the instructors and students, it has been identified that Chinese students tend to be very focused in theoretical learning, while their hands-on abilities and creativity are relatively limited. To stimulate imagination, innovation, creativity in Chinese engineering undergraduates, SCUPI set up a student-run-design-build-play space (Makerspace) in April 2016. This article introduces in detail as a start-up academic institute, how SCUPI, learning from excellent makerspaces world-wide, launched innovative maker education activities based on the existing resources and characteristics of Chinese students. These activities include: 1. Regular technical lectures for training makers 2. Hands-on projects based on engineering courses 3. Supporting students in STEM competitions; 4. Involved in feature events and outreach activities of SCUPI 5. Guiding students to take part in academic research 6. Establishment of an online maker sharing community. As a result, SCUPI has initially created a dynamic maker education system based on this small-scale makerspace, which provides guidance to brainstorming, CAD model simulation, prototype manufacturing and hands-on practice. The organization, facilities, challenges, and planning of makerspace are also presented to guide others in the creation of similar organizations.

Liang, D., & Lin, S., & Liu, L., & Chen, W., & Du, J. Y. (2018, June), Board 106 : Maker Education in a Sino-American Joint Institute: Taking Sichuan University - Pittsburgh Institute as an Example Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--29867

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