Engineering Design Applications in the Introduction to  Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Johnathon Demetrio Garcia; Alexander John Norway; Victoria Joyous DuPriest; Curtis John O'Malley

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: Mechanical Engineering Division Technical Session 4
Tagged Division: Mechanical Engineering
Page Count: 16
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--32720
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/32720
Download Count: 864

Paper Authors

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Johnathon Demetrio Garcia New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

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Johnathon Garcia is a senior in the Mechanical Engineering Department at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT). In addition to his bachelor's degree he is seeking graduate studies at NMT. He has conducted research under Dr. O'Malley with cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories on designing low cost, compact data acquisition systems for rockets. These systems were required to perform on a par with far more expensive, larger systems. His further research is done through the United States Navy emphasizing in technological upgrades to the surface fleet.

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Alexander John Norway New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

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Alexander Norway is a senior in the Mechanical Engineering Department at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He is seeking a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering with no plans for a minor. He has conducted research under Dr. Kimberley, focusing on Dynamic Deformation. His further research is done with Dr. Kimberley and Dr. Grow in cooperation with Los Alamos National Labs.

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Victoria Joyous DuPriest New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

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Victoria DuPriest is currently a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and pursuing a minor in Aerospace Engineering. Victoria has had a successful rocket launch for collection of atmospheric data, and has worked with the Electrical Engineering department at New Mexico Tech to launch a weather balloon for data collection purposes. Her passion for rocketry has allowed for a successful implementation of curriculum and for her to be a relevant resource for the students.

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Curtis John O'Malley New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

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Assistant Prof at NM Tech since 2016. Teach junior/senior design clinic as well as 1st semester introduction to mechanical engineering design. As part of these courses I work closely with national labs and industry to maintain course projects with real world application. The products of the class and research projects are then tailored to hands on activities for k-12 STEM education outreach.

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Abstract

The focus of standard engineering is to educate students on the application of higher-level mathematics and fundamental scientific principles to solve problems and design systems that improve everyday life. Application of these principles can be challenging, so they need to be applied to engineering design in an effective and engaging way in order to prepare students for their careers and form a connection between classes and post-graduation work. This study’s primarily focus is on establishing an effective way to introduce these principles through the class and lab for the Introduction to Mechanical Engineering at “University of ______”. Due to the broad range of high school math classes available in “________”, the class cannot be math dependent, since the students have math experience that ranges from Trigonometry to Calculus II. The goal of the class is to introduce the students to modern engineering concepts while the students are still learning the basic mathematical tools they need in later classes. Students are able to apply the instruction in Solidworks, Arduino, and common engineering principles to design, construct, and test a project related to three main applications of mechanical engineering in aerospace, mechanical properties of materials, and energy transfer. These three applications are studied through the model rocket, modal tester, and geared transfer case projects respectively to engage students in these three areas. The projects require the use of research, documentation, digital fabrication, application of instrumentation, and microcontrollers to produce an engaging and challenging semester project. These requirements are achieved through the effective use of assignments and lectures which are designed to prepare the students for their final project. The intensity and subject of the lectures and labs are varied to further increase the student’s ability to perform the necessary design considerations, in order to successfully accomplish the objectives for their project. By the end of the course, students are better prepared for their remaining curriculum and thus better prepared for their futures as engineers in the workforce.

Citation
Format

Garcia, J. D., & Norway, A. J., & DuPriest, V. J., & O'Malley, C. J. (2019, June), Engineering Design Applications in the Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Curriculum Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32720

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The focus of standard engineering is to educate students on the application of higher-level mathematics and fundamental scientific principles to solve problems and design systems that improve everyday life. Application of these principles can be challenging, so they need to be applied to engineering design in an effective and engaging way in order to prepare students for their careers and form a connection between classes and post-graduation work. This study’s primarily focus is on establishing an effective way to introduce these principles through the class and lab for the Introduction to Mechanical Engineering at “University of ______”. Due to the broad range of high school math classes available in “________”, the class cannot be math dependent, since the students have math experience that ranges from Trigonometry to Calculus II. The goal of the class is to introduce the students to modern engineering concepts while the students are still learning the basic mathematical tools they need in later classes. Students are able to apply the instruction in Solidworks, Arduino, and common engineering principles to design, construct, and test a project related to three main applications of mechanical engineering in aerospace, mechanical properties of materials, and energy transfer. These three applications are studied through the model rocket, modal tester, and geared transfer case projects respectively to engage students in these three areas. The projects require the use of research, documentation, digital fabrication, application of instrumentation, and microcontrollers to produce an engaging and challenging semester project. These requirements are achieved through the effective use of assignments and lectures which are designed to prepare the students for their final project. The intensity and subject of the lectures and labs are varied to further increase the student’s ability to perform the necessary design considerations, in order to successfully accomplish the objectives for their project. By the end of the course, students are better prepared for their remaining curriculum and thus better prepared for their futures as engineers in the workforce.

AU  - Johnathon Demetrio Garcia
AU  - Alexander John Norway
AU  - Victoria Joyous DuPriest
AU  - Curtis John O'Malley
CY  - Tampa, Florida
DA  - 2019/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Engineering Design Applications in the Introduction to  Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/32720
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--32720
ER  -