Engineering Commons^™

Using Technology To Teach/Learn Mathematics, How Are We As Teachers Fostering Mathematics Education Mobility?, Deolinda Maria L. Dias Rasteiro, Ascensión Hernandez Encinas, Araceli Queiruga-Dios, María Jesús Santos Sánchez, Agustin Martín, Luis Hernández-Álvarez, Miguel Ángel González De La Torre, Alicia Pose Díez De La Lastra

Workshops

No abstract provided.

Exploring Strategies To Promote Engagement And Active Learning Through Digital Course Design In Engineering Mathematics, Fulya Kula, Erik M. Horstman, Lavinia S. Lanting, Linda R. Ten Klooster

Practice Papers

This research explores the strategies and techniques used to foster and promote the engagement and active learning of engineering students within a digital course. This digital course has been developed to address the varying levels of understanding of fundamental mathematics among first-year engineering students, who often have disparate levels of prior knowledge at their high school completion. We observe an increasing need to bridge the widening gap between high school and university mathematics in order to prevent engineering students from being hindered in their academic successes due to a lack of prior mathematical understanding. With a team of engineers and …

Using Padlet On Math Collaborative Learning In An Engineering Course, Cristina M. R.Caridade, Deolinda Maria L. Dias Rasteiro

Practice Papers

This paper describes a study, with the objective of evaluating the possibilities of knowledge construction through collaborative learning (CL) in the innovative Padlet environment. During the practical classes of a math curricular unit of an engineering course, activities and assessments were carried out using Padlet. Program themes are organized by columns as a wall. Each students group accesses a problem proposal using a QR-Code. In the first part of the class, the group must solve the problem correctly, using all the materials and technologies they deem necessary. In the second part, each group will correct another group’s problem. The teacher …

Engagement And Solidarity While Learning, Deolinda Maria L. Dias Rasteiro, Cristina M. R. Caridade, Ascensión Hernandez Encinas, Araceli Queiruga-Dios, Ion Mierlus

Practice Papers

2020 and 2021 were difficult years for students attending higher education and secondary education especially if they were preparing to enter higher education. Teaching was adapted, and assessments were the possible ones according to what we lived and experienced. Thus, students need innovative and stimulating teaching and learning practices that motivate and involve them in the teaching/learning processes. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and digital platforms have seen their indiscriminate use, not without sometimes, teachers and students questioning whether they were being used in the best conceivable way or taken full advantage of. Face-to-face group work and involvement with the …

Enhancing Engineering Students' Mathematics Learning Through Digitised Effective Feedback, Tugce Akkaya, Fulya Kula

Practice Papers

This practice paper explores the impact of effective digitised feedback on engineering students' mathematics learning in the digital environment. By using a schematic framework, an online repository will be developed to provide effective feedback to the first-year students taking mathematics courses. The repository takes into account calculus topics and focuses on providing guidance to students who give incorrect answers to questions by incorporating sub-questions based on Polya's heuristics. The sub-questions aim to motivate students to draw on simpler connections and stimulate learning by encouraging students to check their answers and reflect on their initial responses. This study is currently an …

Validation Of The Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (Mmq) For Secondary School Students, Logan Fiorella, So Yoon Yoon, Kinnari Atit, Jason R. Power, Grace Panther, Sheryl Sorby, David H. Uttal, Norma Veurink

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Motivation is critical for supporting persistence and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this study, we focus on the assessment of mathematics motivation among secondary school students. We provide validity and reliability evidence for the Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (MMQ)—adapted from the Science Motivation Questionnaire designed for college students—using data from 2551 secondary students from seven states across the United States. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed five latent factors of the MMQ indicated by 19 items: intrinsic value, self-regulation, self-efficacy, utility value, and test anxiety. The nonlinear SEM reliability coefficients of the five constructs …

Validation Of The Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (Mmq) For Secondary School Students, Logan Fiorella, So Yoon Yoon, Kinnari Atit, Jason R. Power, Grace Panther, Sheryl Sorby, David H. Uttal, Norma Veurink

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: Motivation is critical for supporting persistence and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this study, we focus on the assessment of mathematics motivation among secondary school students. We provide validity and reliability evidence for the Mathematics Motivation Questionnaire (MMQ)—adapted from the Science Motivation Questionnaire designed for college students—using data from 2551 secondary students from seven states across the United States. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed five latent factors of the MMQ indicated by 19 items: intrinsic value, self-regulation, self-efficacy, utility value, and test anxiety. The nonlinear SEM reliability coefficients of the five constructs …

Stem Education In The Early Childhood Classroom, Julia Biagiotti

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This qualitative study focuses on the type of STEM education students are getting at the early childhood level (PK-2). Based on gaps found in literature, an interview protocol was created and six participants with various careers in the field of STEM education were interviewed. The research was concentrated on trying to determine what components of STEM education make it successful in the early childhood classroom. All of the interview responses were analyzed and coded and determined the results found below. A few integral parts of a successful STEM education seem to be curiosity, asking questions and a hands-on component, but …

Quantifying Surface Morphology Of Manufactured Activated Carbon And The Waste Coffee Grounds Using The Getis-Ord-Gi* Statistic And Ripley’S K Function, Sanghoon Lee, Sukjoon Na, Olivia G. Rogers, Sungmin Youn

All Engineering Faculty Research

Activated carbon can be manufactured from waste coffee grounds via physical and/or chemical activation processes. However, challenges remain to quantify the differences in surface morphology between manufactured activated carbon granules and the waste coffee grounds. This paper presents a novel quantitative method to determine the quality of the physical and chemical activation processes performed in the presence of intensity inhomogeneity and identify surface characteristics of manufactured activated carbon granules and the waste coffee grounds. The spatial density was calculated by the Getis-Ord-Gi* statistic in scanning electron microscopy images. The spatial characteristics were determined by analyzing Ripley’s K function and complete …

Aps March Meeting 2021 (Online) Updates On Scientific Research During Pandemic Times, Vianney Gimenez-Pinto

Title III Professional Development Reports

While the ongoing global pandemic continues to affect our everyday lives, researchers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math found a way to come together at the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting 2021. The conference was online-only and had more than 11,000 registered attendants who actively participated in the program during March 14- 19, 2021.

Cyber-Physical Systems Security Introductory Course For Stem Students, Sin Ming Loo, Liljana Babinkostova

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We are witnessing the rapid development and adoption of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). CPS refers to the integration of digital and internetworked components, and physical devices in systems that affect nearly everyone in society. These devices are always connected to the internet. This connectivity gives CPS devices the capability of being in continuous monitoring mode where data and information are delivered to device owners through a proxy server. These capabilities open up all kinds of security issues for a device that has been built with such features with little regard for security considerations. At present, many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics …

Perspective On Coarse-Graining, Cognitive Load, And Materials Simulation, Eric Jankowski, Nealee Ellyson, Jenny W. Fothergill, Michael M. Henry, Mitchell H. Leibowitz, Evan D. Miller, Mone't Alberts, Jamie D. Guevara, Chris D. Jones, Mia Klopfenstein, Kendra K. Noneman, Rachel Singleton, Matthew L. Jones

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The predictive capabilities of computational materials science today derive from overlapping advances in simulation tools, modeling techniques, and best practices. We outline this ecosystem of molecular simulations by explaining how important contributions in each of these areas have fed into each other. The combined output of these tools, techniques, and practices is the ability for researchers to advance understanding by efficiently combining simple models with powerful software. As specific examples, we show how the prediction of organic photovoltaic morphologies have improved by orders of magnitude over the last decade, and how the processing of reacting epoxy thermosets can now be …

Textual Comparison Of Role Model And Mentor Profiles Developed To Increase Participation Of Underrepresented Minorities In Stem, Kyle F. Trenshaw, Elif Miskioglu, Philip Asare, Nir Aish

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Elementary School Student Development Of Stem Attitudes And Perceived Learning In A Stem Integrated Robotics Curriculum, Yu-Hui Ching, Dazhi Yang, Sasha Wang, Youngkyun Baek, Steve Swanson, Bhaskar Chittoori

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Robotics has been advocated as an emerging approach to engaging K-12 students in learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study examined the impacts of a project-based STEM integrated robotics curriculum on elementary school students’ attitudes toward STEM and perceived learning in an afterschool setting. Three elementary school teachers and 18 fourth to sixth graders participated in an eight-week-long program. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed, and showed students’ attitudes toward math improved significantly at the end of the robotics curriculum. Three specific areas of learning were identified, including STEM content learning and connection, engagement and perseverance, …

Leaders Like Me, Kyle F. Trenshaw, Nir Aish, Elif Miskioglu, Philip Asare

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

The Workshop Program at the University of Rochester infuses collaborative learning into a variety of introductory STEM and non-STEM courses through small, weekly, peer-led problem solving sessions called "Workshops." Decades of data from these Workshops indicate that 1) African American, Black, Hispanic, and Latinx students are less likely to attend them than White and Asian students and 2) that every additional Workshop students attend improves their final course grades, even if they only miss a single Workshop out of the 13 or 14 that are offered each semester. To address this situation, the UR Workshop Program has partnered with the …

Integrating Mathematics And Educational Robotics: Simple Motion Planning, Ronald I. Greenberg, George K. Thiruvathukal, Sara T. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper shows how students can be guided to integrate elementary mathematical analyses with motion planning for typical educational robots. Rather than using calculus as in comprehensive works on motion planning, we show students can achieve interesting results using just simple linear regression tools and trigonometric analyses. Experiments with one robotics platform show that use of these tools can lead to passable navigation through dead reckoning even if students have limited experience with use of sensors, programming, and mathematics.

Detecting Special-Cause Variation 'Events' From Process Data Signatures, Timothy M. Young, Olga Khaliukova, Nicolas André, Alexander Petutschnigg, Timothy G. Rials, Chung-Hao Chen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The ability to detect the special-cause variation of incoming feedstocks from advanced sensor technology is invaluable to manufacturers. Many on-line sensors produce data signatures that require further off-line statistical processing for interpretation by operational personnel. However, early detection of changes in variation in incoming feedstocks may be imperative to promote early-stage preventive measures. A method is proposed in this applied study for developing control bands to quantify the variation of data signatures in the context of statistical process control (SPC). Control bands based on pointwise prediction intervals constructed from the Bonferroni Inequality and Bayesian smoothing splines are developed. Applications using …

Analysis And Simulation Of Convolution Reverb Using City Tech’S New Auditorium, Tian Leng

Publications and Research

In digital signal processing, convolution reverb can simulate the reverberation of a real acoustic space. The acoustics of different seating areas in an auditorium can vary from each other. To determine the reverberant characteristics of City Tech new building’s auditorium, impulse response (IR) signals are recorded in five key locations of the auditorium.

Directly recorded balloon burst is chosen as the source of impulse source. An omnidirectional and a cardioid microphone with flat frequency response curves are used to record IR signals to 24-bit monophonic wav files. Each IR signal, along with a vocal, is convoluted in MATLAB through both …

The Crux: Promoting Success In Calculus Ii, Doug Bullock, Janet Callahan, Jocelyn B. S. Cullers

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the 2013-14 school year, Boise State University (BSU) launched a major overhaul of Calculus I. The details of the reform, described elsewhere, involved both pedagogical and curricular changes. In subsequent years, we developed several assessment tools to measure the effects of the project on students’ grades and retention. The toolkit includes: (1) pass rate and GPA in Calculus I, (2) longitudinal analysis of pass rates and GPA in subsequent courses, (3) impact of Calculus I on retention in STEM and retention at BSU, (4) all of the above comparing students in reformed Calculus vs traditional Calculus, (5) all of …

People Like Me: Providing Relatable And Realistic Role Models For Underrepresented Minorities In Stem To Increase Their Motivation And Likelihood Of Success, Nir Aish, Philip Asare, Elif Eda Miskioglu

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

Despite efforts to increase participation of racial and ethnic minorities (excluding Asians) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States, this group remains underrepresented in these fields. Many efforts to increase minority participation focus on support structures to help this group “get through” the pipeline. However, less attention has been paid to increasing their intrinsic motivation to pursue careers in STEM. Our work is focused on increasing this intrinsic motivation, looking at role models as external influences. Underrepresented minorities are faced with a limited role model pool and in many cases with role models (who we call …

Validating A Reduced-Order Model For Synthetic Jet Actuators Using Cfd And Experimental Data, Tim Persoons, Rick Cressall, Aliimohammadi Sajad

Articles

Synthetic jet actuators (SJA) are emerging in various engineering applications, from flow separation and noise control in aviation to thermal management of electronics. A SJA oscillates a flexible membrane inside a cavity connected to a nozzle producing vortices. A complex interaction between the cavity pressure field and the driving electronics can make it difficult to predict performance. A reduced-order model (ROM) has been developed to predict the performance of SJAs. This paper applies this model to a canonical configuration with applications in flow control and electronics cooling, consisting of a single SJA with a rectangular orifice, emanating perpendicular to the …

People Like Me: Increasing Likelihood Of Success For Underrepresented Minorities In Stem By Providing Realistic And Relatable Role Models, Nir Aish, Philip Asare, Elif Miskioglu

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

Seeing themselves represented in the role models they aspire to, has been shown to be important to students' sense of belonging and success. Underrepresented college students in STEM fields are exposed to only a small set of role models. This set often consist of famous individuals with extraordinary stories (we call these outliers), and represent unfeasible paths to success for a large majority of these students. We aim to remedy this by identifying a set of role models who represent more feasible paths to success (we call these non-outliers) for many underrepresented students. We contend that, despite the less extraordinary …

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (‘Drones’) To Collect Data From Tagged Fishers In The Environment, Vu A. Pham, Marc Horney, Aaron Drake

STAR Program Research Presentations

Fisher (Pekania pennant) belongs to the weasel family. In October 2014, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the West Coast Distinct Population Segment of fisher as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We wish to better define where fishers live within their habitats and use that information to improve conservation efforts. Previously, to track the behavior of wild fishers, researchers put tracker collars on the animals and relied on networks of fixed antennas on the ground in the environment to collect data. We are experimenting with using unmanned aerial vehicles (‘drones’) to collect data …

Testing Our Assumptions: The Role Of First Course Grade And Course Level In Mathematics And English, Janet Callahan, Marcia Belcheir

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Methods that provide an early indicator of factors that affect student persistence are important to colleges and universities. This quantitative research focused on the role of level of entry mathematics and English and also on grades earned in those classes as they relate to persistence after one year. The research showed that by far, the variable most predictive of first-time, full-time students enrolling one year later was earning a grade of “A” in English. Compared to those who did not pass their first English course, students who earned an “A” were three times more likely to persist. The variables which …

The Soil Moisture Velocity Equation, Fred L. Ogden, Myron B. Allen, Wencong Lai, Jianting Zhu, Mookwon Seo, Craig C. Douglas, Cary A. Talbot

Publications

Numerical solution of the one-dimensional Richards' equation is the recommended method for coupling groundwater to the atmosphere through the vadose zone in hyperresolution Earth system models, but requires fine spatial discretization, is computationally expensive, and may not converge due to mathematical degeneracy or when sharp wetting fronts occur. We transformed the one-dimensional Richards' equation into a new equation that describes the velocity of moisture content values in an unsaturated soil under the actions of capillarity and gravity. We call this new equation the Soil Moisture Velocity Equation (SMVE). The SMVE consists of two terms: an advection-like term that accounts for …

Support Model For Transfer Students Utilizing The Stem Scholarship Program, Lynn Olson, Amy J. Moll, Doug Bullock, Amit Jain, Janet Callahan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes how the College of Engineering at Boise State University utilized a National Science Foundation S-STEM award from 2011 to 2016 to support transfer students in their path toward graduation. The need for this support was a result of both Boise State University College of Engineering’s transition from a 2-year pre-engineering program to the establishment of Bachelors of Science in Engineering Degree programs in 1997 as well as the establishment of the College of Western Idaho as a regional community college in 2007. Both of these factors led to an increase in the numbers of incoming engineering students …

Compositional Changes For Reduction Of Polymerisation-Induced Shrinkage In Holo, Dervil Cody, Mohesh Moothanchery, Emilia Mihaylova, Vincent Toal, Svetlana Mintova, Izabela Naydenova

Doctoral

Polymerisation-induced shrinkage is one of the main reasons why many photopolymer materials are not used for certain applications including holographic optical elements and holographic data storage. Here, two compositional changes for the reduction of shrinkage in an acrylamide-based photopolymer are reported. A holographic interferometric technique was used to study changes in the dynamics of the shrinkage processes occurring in the modified photopolymer during holographic recording in real time. Firstly, the effect of the replacement of the acrylamide monomer in the photopolymer composition with a larger monomer molecule, diacetone acrylamide, on polymerisation-induced shrinkage has been studied. A reduction in relative shrinkage …

Mathematics As A Gatekeeper To Engineering: Preliminary Findings From The Interview Data, Delean Tolbert, Monica Cardella

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Mathematics as a Gatekeeper to Engineering: Preliminary Findings from the Interview DataResearch suggests that students’ pre-college experience may support or hinder future success inengineering. The experiences that students have had with engineering may shape their perceptionof engineering curriculum at the college level. It may also cause cognitive and learningdissonance, when the ways that a student engaged with engineering activities at the pre-collegelevel do not align with the student’s experiences in the engineering classroom. At a largeMidwestern University with a unique first-year engineering program, first-year engineering andsenior mathematics, engineering, and design students were invited to participate in an openended design task. …

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

The Implications Of Self-Driving Cars On Insurance, Amanda Lobello

Honors Projects in Mathematics

Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, are being researched and tested by automakers, technology industry leaders, and other institutions. Lawmakers and politicians are discussing the legislation that will affect the fate of such technology. Primary benefits include safety, mobility, free time, less traffic, and green effects. However, there are also obstacles to the implementation of self-driving vehicles including consumer acceptance, legal liability, and cost. With the potential shift in responsibility from driver to automaker, rating factors for insurance may change, weighing more heavily on the model of the car as a factor. The fate of auto insurance is in …