Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Session 2533

Energy Systems and Conversion – Course and Content

Peter Idowu,

Pennsylvania State Harrisburg. 777 W. Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057

Abstract

The energy conversion course is traditionally included in the requirements for an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. The course typically covers topics in transformers and classical rotating machinery. As the competition becomes more intense for the limited undergraduate credit-hours this practice has been on the decline. As a result, there is a growing population of electrical engineers in practice with a very limited knowledge of the theory and application of energy conversion devices. This paper highlights a required undergraduate course on energy systems and conversion for electrical engineering (EE) students at Penn State University - Harrisburg. The new course format adds components that are not typically included in the students’ exposure to the subject. It guides students to explore various energy sources, conversion technologies, and highlights economic, environmental, sustainability, ethical, health and safety, social, and political issues in energy use.

Introduction

Many electrical engineering (EE) programs traditionally include an energy conversion course in the program requirements for the undergraduate degree. This required course typically covers topics in transformers and classical rotating machinery. The practice has been on the decline over the last decade. It is now no longer unusual to have EE graduates enrolled in (for instance,) a graduate power systems control class without a thorough knowledge of three-phase generation systems, or employed as circuit designers for adjustable speed drives for induction motors without ever sitting through a class on the theory of electric machines. The typical EE program never saw the need to revise the curriculum and integrate emerging technologies that made possible the appeal of alternative energy systems.

This paper highlights a required undergraduate course in energy systems and conversion for EE students at Penn State University - Harrisburg. While the new course format reflects some of the contents that exist in a few programs 1, it adds other components that are not usually included in the students’ exposure to the subject. It guides students to explore various energy sources, conversion technologies, and highlights economic, environmental, sustainability, ethical, health and safety, social, and political issues in energy use. This is done through the use of group projects and reports that directly focus on policies and politics of energy exploitation and use, review of newspaper stories focusing on energy, and by collating and organizing a wealth of

Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright @ 2003, American Society for Engineering Education

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Idowu, P. (2003, June), Energy Systems And Conversion Course And Content Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--12518