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Biorefining Of Renewable Resources—Emerging Opportunities For Engineering Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater
Biorefining Of Renewable Resources—Emerging Opportunities For Engineering Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater
Kurt A. Rosentrater
The society in which we live has developed an insatiable demand for energy and material goods. Historically these needs have primarily been met by utilizing fossil fuels and other nonrenewable raw materials. As environmental concerns grow, however, renewable resources are gaining increased attention. This paper examines industrial biorefineries, which are at the leading edge of the development of emerging biobased industries. Biorefineries, similar in concept to traditional petroleum refineries, utilize various conversion technologies to produce multiple products, including fuels, chemicals, industrial products, and electrical power from renewable biomass sources, such as corn stover, residue straw, perennial grasses, legumes, and other …
Preparing New Faculty Members To Be Successful: A No-Brainer And Yet A Radical Concept, Rebecca Brent, Sarah A. Rajala, Richard M. Felder
Preparing New Faculty Members To Be Successful: A No-Brainer And Yet A Radical Concept, Rebecca Brent, Sarah A. Rajala, Richard M. Felder
Sarah A. Rajala
A multifaceted program at North Carolina State University involving workshops and mentorships helps prepare new faculty members and graduate students for successful academic careers. This paper describes the elements of the program, reviews assessment data for each element, and offers recommendations to engineering schools wishing to establish their own programs for new and future faculty members.
Renewable Energy Alternatives—A Growing Opportunity For Engineering And Technology Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater
Renewable Energy Alternatives—A Growing Opportunity For Engineering And Technology Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater
Kurt A. Rosentrater
A hallmark of the United States’ economic growth is an ever-increasing demand for energy, which has traditionally been met primarily by combusting the hydrocarbons found in fossil fuels. As national security and environmental concerns grow, renewable energy resources are gaining increased attention. Unfortunately, there is currently a dearth of renewable energy coverage in engineering and technology curricula. The objectives of this paper are to examine historical energy data for both traditional as well as alternative energy sources, and to motivate educators to address this gap. Even with the progressive developments of non-traditional energy sources over the years, the U.S. still …
Ethics For Industrial Technology Majors: Need And Plan Of Action, Kurt A. Rosentrater, R. Balamuralikrishma
Ethics For Industrial Technology Majors: Need And Plan Of Action, Kurt A. Rosentrater, R. Balamuralikrishma
Kurt A. Rosentrater
The recent introduction of sessions dedicated to “Industrial Technology” in the annual ASEE conference is testimony that this discipline has gained its rightful place in the company of engineering and engineering technology. This new level of partnership and collaboration between engineering and technology programs promises to be a step in the right direction for society at large. Engineering and technology majors both supplement and complement each other’s knowledge and skills and it is crucial for educators to build bridges of active interaction. This paper takes aim at one specific as well as basic need in teamwork and interdisciplinary projects – …
Ethics For Industrial Technology, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
Ethics For Industrial Technology, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
Kurt A. Rosentrater
This paper takes aim at one specific, as well as basic, need in teamwork and interdisciplinary projects – ethics and its implications for professional practice. A preliminary study suggests that students majoring in industrial technology degree programs may not have adequate opportunity to formally study and engage in ethical aspects of technology vis-à-vis the practices of the profession. It is reasonable to assume that the ethical dilemmas faced by an industrial technologist would parallel those of engineers and managers. To address this issue, this paper identifies a domain of knowledge that would constitute a necessary background in ethics for industrial …
Ec2000 Criterion 2: A Procedure For Creating, Assessing, And Documenting Program Educational Objectives, Michael Carter, Sarah A. Rajala, Rebecca Brent
Ec2000 Criterion 2: A Procedure For Creating, Assessing, And Documenting Program Educational Objectives, Michael Carter, Sarah A. Rajala, Rebecca Brent
Sarah A. Rajala
Criterion 2 [Program Educational Objectives (PEO)] is arguably the most important part of ABET EC2000. PEO embody the broad vision for an engineering program that drives the overall accreditation process. They also provide a crucial nexus point for the assessment of each program, the point at which the programmatic issues of the other EC2000 criteria—curriculum, faculty, facilities, etc.—are considered within the larger context of the needs of key constituencies of the program and the mission of the institution. Criterion 2 plays an essential role in EC2000's goal of encouraging continuous improvement in engineering programs and of providing the opportunity for …
Relevant Design Experiences For Agricultural And Biosystems Engineers: Team Focus Through Competition, D. Raj Raman, Ronald E. Yoder
Relevant Design Experiences For Agricultural And Biosystems Engineers: Team Focus Through Competition, D. Raj Raman, Ronald E. Yoder
D. Raj Raman
The multitude of specializations within biosystems engineering makes traditional capstone design courses, which typically focus on a single topic, less relevant. In our department, our year-long capstone design experience involves machine component design. While this experience is useful to students in all concentrations, ideally, students concentrating on biological-, food-, and soil and water-engineering will have a capstone design experience that integrates their unique technical capabilities. New capstone courses should also enhance the broader skills of undergraduate engineers, including teamwork, time and resource management, oral and written communication, and integrated computer skills. However, a variety of issues militate against simply adding …
The Evolution Of An Introductory Biological Engineering Course: Design Is The Endpoint!, D. Raj Raman
The Evolution Of An Introductory Biological Engineering Course: Design Is The Endpoint!, D. Raj Raman
D. Raj Raman
Four the past four years, I have taught the sophomore level course, Agricultural Engineering 243 Material and Energy Flows in Biological Systems each spring semester. During the first offering, I used the lecture method to transmit information, and homework assignments and exams to reinforce skills and test comprehension. The greatest weakness of this technique seemed the lack of hands-on experience which I gave my students, and their subsequent lack of physical intuition. Enhancing their physical intuition drove the first curricular revision—using in-class demonstrations and simulations of key physical and biological processes. This technique did not work as well as expected, …