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Design of a Cross-curricular Circuits Laboratory Experiment

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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

Division for Experimentation & Lab-oriented Studies Technical Session 4

Tagged Division

Experimentation and Laboratory-Oriented Studies

Page Count

14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--30264

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/30264

Download Count

378

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Paper Authors

biography

William Michael Delaney University of Portland

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I am a recent graduate from the University of Portland where I received my Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. I am now attending the University of British Columbia working on my Masters of Engineering in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. I am expecting to graduate in 2018.

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biography

Heather Dillon University of Portland Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-4467-2306

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Dr. Heather Dillon is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portland. Her teaching focuses on thermodynamics, heat transfer, renewable energy, and optimization of energy systems. She currently leads a research team working on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and fundamental heat transfer. Before joining the university, Heather Dillon worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a senior research engineer.

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Joseph P. Hoffbeck University of Portland

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Joseph P. Hoffbeck is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon. He has a Ph.D. from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He previously worked with digital cell phone systems at Lucent Technologies (formerly AT&T Bell Labs) in Whippany, New Jersey. His technical interests include communication systems, digital signal processing, and remote sensing.

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Abstract

The purpose of this research was to develop a laboratory module which introduces a mechanical engineering concept into an existing circuits laboratory module. This module was developed so mechanical engineering students would have a familiar concept they could relate to while conducting the circuits lab, making the lab more engaging for mechanical engineering students. For this module a Wheatstone bridge was paired with a strain gage to illustrate the mechanical concept of strain. To allow students to visualize this strain, the Wheatstone bridge was connected to an oscilloscope so that the change in voltage could be viewed and measured when the strain gage is deflected. This module allowed mechanical and electrical engineering students to learn concepts simultaneously from two very distinct fields of study. A student survey was developed and measured high student engagement in the topic of both circuits and Wheatstone bridge systems.

Delaney, W. M., & Dillon, H., & Hoffbeck, J. P. (2018, June), Design of a Cross-curricular Circuits Laboratory Experiment Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30264

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