Laboratory Improvement: A Student Project To Develop Initiative And Innovation As A Permanent State Of Mind
- Conference
- Location
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Honolulu, Hawaii
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2007
- Start Date
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June 24, 2007
- End Date
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June 27, 2007
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Mechanical Engineering
- Page Count
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9
- Page Numbers
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12.999.1 - 12.999.9
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--2682
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/2682
- Download Count
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305
Paper Authors
Sorin Cioc University of Toledo
Sorin Cioc is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME), College of Engineering, University of Toledo. He received a Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania, and a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo. His main research and publishing area is tribology. He is a past recipient of the Wilbur Deutsch Memorial Award for the best paper on the practical aspects of lubrication from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrications Engineers (STLE).
Constantin Ciocanel University of Toledo
Dr. Constantin Ciocanel is a visiting assistant professor in the department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Toledo, Ohio. Dr. Ciocanel graduated with bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the “Gh. Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania where he served as assistant professor in the Strength of Materials Department (1991-2003). In 2006, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Toledo, Ohio with a dissertation on a particle based constitutive model for magnetorheological fluids characterization. Dr. Ciocanel’s expertise is in mechanics of deformable body, vibrations, and modeling and characterization of smart materials.
K Cyril Masiulaniec University of Toledo
K.C. Masiulaniec is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the MIME Department, College of Engineering, University of Toledo., having his Ph.D. degree from the University of Toledo. He has been a full time faculty member for 25 years, having continuously taught laboratory courses in Thermal Sciences to seniors and Measurement Lab to sophomores. He is a past recipient of the College’s “Outstanding Teacher of the Year” award. His research funding and publishing are in the area of alternative combustion engines and component improvements in small gas turbine engines.
Douglas Oliver University of Toledo
Dr. Oliver is undergraduate director of the mechanical engineering program at the University of
Toledo. He is also an attorney.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Laboratory Improvement: A Student Project to Develop Initiative and Innovation as a Permanent State of Mind
Abstract
This work presents a student project for an undergraduate mechanical engineering laboratory, exemplified here by the Thermal Sciences Lab. In this project, as part of the final grade, each student lab group (typically a group of four) had to conceive and offer improvements or better ways to do a specific laboratory. There were no other imposed restrictions, meaning that the improvements could be in any area, such as hardware, software, work procedure, technical presentation, etc.
By having the project running in parallel with the labs several objectives were attained. The first objective was related to the fact that our department recognizes that, especially in today’s global- scale competitive market, seeking innovation and spotting opportunities is essential for engineers; therefore students should be exposed as much as possible to the ideas of continuous innovation and product or process improvement. Second, being a group project, students were exposed to the practical aspects and important advantages of collaboration and brainstorming. Third, due to the latest innovations in technology and education, laboratory based work is always in need of enhancement; students engaged in performing lab work are well positioned to understand the possible shortcomings, and thus propose improvements; each student, according to his or her own ideas and experience (such as experience gained during the coop program), should be able to have a contribution, ranging from very small to significant, to at least one of the labs he/she was exposed. Lastly, best solutions can be followed by senior design projects in which the proposed improvements are further developed and implemented in the laboratory.
This paper shows how the project was organized in our department, and also presents some of the most significant results obtained during its first-year implementation. Based on the positive results obtained, it was used again in the subsequent semester, and most likely will be used in the future.
Introduction
Numerous studies have indicated that, in the global nature of today’s economy, and even more in the economic environment of the years to come, the students we teach today will have to compete or work with engineers from around the world. In this context education becomes even more important. For example, a recent report on the future of higher education1 shows that “in tomorrow’s world a nation’s wealth will derive from its capacity to educate, attract, and retain citizens who are able to work smarter and learn faster”; “ninety percent of the fastest-growing jobs … will require some postsecondary education”.
The quality of higher education is therefore extremely important. Many companies, such as General Electric and Intel, are well aware that globalization directly implies “finding and attracting the unlimited pool of intellectual capital - the very best people - from all around the globe” 2. Higher education must promote the principles of “initiative, independence,
Cioc, S., & Ciocanel, C., & Masiulaniec, K. C., & Oliver, D. (2007, June), Laboratory Improvement: A Student Project To Develop Initiative And Innovation As A Permanent State Of Mind Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2682
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