Physics Commons^™

Developing Optical Devices And Projects For Teaching Engineering, Nathan D. Lemke, John Mccauley, Tristan E. Noble, Grace Riermann, Ellesa St. George, Nathan C. Lindquist, Keith R. Stein, Karen Irene Rogers

Physics and Engineering Faculty Publications

We are creating a suite of tools and techniques based on optics to be used for teaching a variety of engineering topics. Each tool is intended for non-expert use and without the need for high-end equipment such as vibration-free optical tables. Here we report progress on three such tools: image-plane digital holography for measuring mechanical deformation; schlieren imaging of convective flows using a smart phone; and a simple optical communication protocol using LabVIEW. We will present the designs of the tools and preliminary results from teaching engineering labs and projects with these tools. Specific courses impacted to date include Fluid …