Chicago, Illinois
June 18, 2006
June 18, 2006
June 21, 2006
2153-5965
Multidisciplinary Engineering
9
11.364.1 - 11.364.9
10.18260/1-2--906
https://peer.asee.org/906
499
Terri Lynch-Caris, Ph.D., P.E., is Assistant Professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Kettering University. She serves as the Co-PI for the NSF project titled “Development of a Course in Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing for Undergraduates” and will team-teach the course once developed. Her areas of interest in teaching and research include ergonomics, statistics, and work design. She also serves as the treasurer for the Industrial Engineering Division of ASEE. Terri Lynch-Caris can be reached by email at tlynch@kettering.edu or by phone at 810-762-9859.
Andrew Borchers, DBA is an associate professor of Information Systems at Kettering. Prior to entering full-time academic life, Dr. Borchers spent 21 years working as an IT professional and manager for General Motors and Electronic Data Systems. His professional and academic interests include information technology, entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability. Dr. Borchers holds academic degrees from Kettering, Vanderbilt and Nova Southeastern. Dr. Borchers is associate editor of the Journal of Cases in Information Technology and serves on the editorial board of Information Resources Management Journal.
Jacqueline El-Sayed, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning. She teaches Mechanical Properties of Polymers, Finite Element Analysis, Statics, Mechanics of Solids and Machine Design. Her area of interest is manufacturing optimization and multi-disciplinary experiential team teaching. She is a MTS commissioner for the state of Michigan representing all universities and four year colleges.
Trevor Harding, Ph.D., is associate professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Kettering University where he teaches courses in engineering materials and manufacturing. Dr. Harding's research interests include wear phenomenon in orthopeadic implants, ethical development in engineering undergraduates, and pedagogical innovations in environmental education. Currently, Trevor serves on the ERM Division Board of Directors and on the Kettering University Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Advisory Board.
Craig Hoff, Ph.D., P.E., is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. His current research interests include alternative automotive powertrains, loop heat pipes for electronics thermal management and applications of the boundary element method. He is the author of the book "Introduction to Automotive Powertrains", and is a member of the editorial board for the "Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology". He is the chair of the Society of Automotive Engineers International Scholarship Committee and a member of the Engineering Education Board.
Ben Redekop, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Social Science in the Department of Liberal Studies at Kettering. He teaches courses in the history of science, humanities, philosophy (including ethics), and leadership. He has published books and articles on a variety of related topics. He is interested in raising environmental awareness and fostering a sense citizenship among students at Kettering. He is currently working on a history of common sense philosophy, and a book on leadership and ethics.
Creating A Multi-Disciplinary Course With Industrial Input Abstract
A diverse group of faculty has begun working on a multi-pronged project that aims to raise awareness among faculty and students about the environmental impact of decisions in manufacturing and product design. The project incorporates a multi-disciplinary approach at several levels including cooperation among diverse faculty, input from industrial partners, and direct collaboration between students, faculty, and administrators.
Initially, the group will develop an engineering elective course employing proven, innovative pedagogical methods and tools that enable students to incorporate environmental as well as economic concerns into technical design. The course will be offered for both undergraduates and graduate students. In an attempt to reach as many students as possible, the course is being offered with minimal prerequisites. It will be team-taught by faculty in Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, Business, and Liberal Studies. Significant input into the modules will be sought from Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry faculty.
The multi-disciplinary nature of the course allows the topic to be presented in a comprehensive and unique fashion. The course modules begin with a module exploring historical and ethical perspectives on the environmental impact of industrial processes. Technical content and engineering tools comprise the middle weeks of the course, as life cycle concepts and material choices are introduced. The course concludes with a module presenting business and management perspectives, and will include multiple case studies that illustrate how environmental considerations can be incorporated in the design process.
In addition to the multi-disciplinary faculty component, an industrial advisory board made up of local industry professionals and university professors has been created to oversee the project. The advisory board meets annually to review technical progress by the group and also to provide guest speaker and plant trip opportunities. Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies has offered a set of modules for use in adaptation and implementation of the course.
The National Science Foundation is financially supporting the project with a three-year CCLI grant DUE#0511322.
Introduction
The goal of creating a multi-disciplinary course with industrial input arose out of the words cited in The Engineer of 2020 as written by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The NAE states that “Engineering practices must incorporate attention to sustainable technology, and engineers need to be educated to consider issues of sustainability in all aspects of design and manufacturing.1” The NAE further states that “engineers have been aware that solutions to many societal problems lie at the interstices
Lynch-Caris, T., & Borchers, A., & El-Sayed, J., & Harding, T., & Hoff, C., & Redekop, B. (2006, June), Creating A Multi Disciplinary Course With Industrial Input Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--906
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