Engineering Commons^™

Visual Management In Engineering Can Improve Resource Utilization And Reduce Administrative Non-Value Added Time, Brian Kirby Trent

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research has demonstrated how Visual Management (VM) can be used in an engineering environment to improve engineering resource utilization. Furthermore, it reduces the administrative time associated with unclear project scope, schedule, budget, and task alignment amongst engineers and project leadership. The research references a case study in which low engineering utilization was directly impacting overall project success. Inconsistent visibility of scheduled engineering activities, changes in tasking, and project metrics created uncertainty and resulted in greater than appropriate administrative time. The methodology used was to implement visual project management tools and track engineer utilization over two years. Quarterly utilization results …

Wind Hazard Resilient Construction Mitigation Decision-Making Using A Multi-Objective Optimization, Erin Gregory

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

While storms worsen and damage to homes increases, limited information is available about mitigations that are effective in lessening damage to homes and/or buildings. Information on past storms exists within FEMA’s Hazus-MH application, but the information provided by the data within the Hazus-MH application, while very informative on its own, was decidedly more precise and useful when optimized to provide defined information to those responsible for determining building codes or regulations for homes.

The research available from Hazus-MH details results from past storms categorized by building type, mitigations, and intensity of disaster. The data can be used to simulate storm …

Designing And Building An Automatic Chamfer Grinder, William Johnson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Modern day manufacturing is a demanding environment with a constant need for process improvement. As automation becomes more advanced, there are fewer jobs that must be completed by a human. In the case of Stupp Bridge Company, a local manufacturer of steel bridge girders, their workforce is highly skilled, so replacing mundane tasks with automation allow the skilled workers to focus on the difficult jobs. One such task is grinding a chamfer onto every leading edge of each girder flange, eight edges in total, ranging from 20 to 200 feet long. The purpose of this project was to design an …

Perceptions Of Manufacturing Management Knowledge And The Four Pillars Topical Track: Manufacturing, Mark Doggett, Muhammad Jahan

SEAS Faculty Publications

In June 2011, a group of manufacturing educators in cooperation with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) developed Curriculum 2015, a four-year strategic plan to reverse negative trends in manufacturing education and improve manufacturing competitiveness. Within this effort, the Four Pillars of Manufacturing Engineering were formally introduced and supported by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering, (ATMAE), and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Four Pillars consist of foundational areas that represent the SME Certified Manufacturing Engineer Body of Knowledge. It embodies the fundamental knowledge practiced by manufacturing professionals …

Technology Management Competencies, Mark Doggett, Pam Mcgee, Sophia Scott

SEAS Faculty Publications

In order to meet the increasing expectations of industry, technology management programs combine the application of technical skills with management competencies. The aim of the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) is to develop professionals committed to solving complex technological problems, while advancing the technologist and applied engineering workforce. However, there is a wide variability of perceptions regarding the technologist and the technology manager. Clarity concerning the required competencies for an entry- level technology manager is essential. In order for technology management programs to be relevant, their competencies must be acknowledged and agreed upon. In addition, these technology …

Creating A State-Wide Transfer Program For Engineering Technology And Technology Management Studies, Gregory Arbuckle, Mark Doggett

SEAS Faculty Publications

The primary purpose of the Western Kentucky Pipeline for 2+2+2 Engineering Technology and Technology Management (ET/TM) students program is to significantly increase degree production and workforce preparation in central and western Kentucky through the construction of a long-term sustainable, reproducible model bridging program of cooperation between Western Kentucky University (WKU), Murray State University (MSU) and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). The program will significantly increase industrial and technology education opportunities, technology enrollment and two and four-year degree completion. Additionally, this project supports the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s (CPE) goal to double the overall number of undergraduate …

Perceptions And Rankings Of Technology Management Competencies, Mark Doggett, Pam Mcgee, Sophia Scott

SEAS Faculty Publications

According to Thamhain (2005) the “Management of technology is the art and science of creating value by using technology together with other resources of an organization” (p. 6). A technology manager should have some minimum level of technical knowledge, applied abilities in systems design, application, products or processes, and skills in one or more contextual areas (ITEA, 2000/2002). Technology managers must have certain competencies that are agreed-upon or measurable, preferably both. At the university level, technology management programs are distinctly different from engineering or engineering technology programs (i.e., mechanical, electrical, civil, etc.). A required management curriculum is what distinguishes ATMAE …

Toward A Technology Management Core: Defining What The Technology Manager Needs To Know, Mark Doggett, Pam Mcgee, Sophia Scott

SEAS Faculty Publications

With the increasing demands on organizations to do “more with less,” and produce acceptable market results, productivity and performance standards continually raise the expectations on competitive success. To meet these expectations, organizations should create learning opportunities that combine the application of technical management skills along with the softer skills involved in people management. Technical managers with little training or past experience with nontechnical skills often perform poorly in technical management positions (Kroecker, 2007). Because this generation lives in a highly technical environment, managers need to be proficient in dealing with knowledge workers and systems; therefore, there is a growing emphasis …

Interactive Lego Robots Learning In A Controlled Environment, Jonathan Mcgehee

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper reports on learning in autonomous Lego robots programmed to play soccer. The specific focus here is upon how different behaviors can be learned by two identical robots, based on the different type of feedback they receive from the environment. After being constructed with the same design and the same software, two Lego robots are able to perform the same basic soccer actions, such as moving to the ball, determining where the goal is. and kicking the ball. A non-deterministic version of the Q-step learning algorithm is then used to allow a robot to learn a correct series of …