Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Enablers And Barriers Of Communication In Virtual Engineering Teams: The Role Of Teamwork Skills And Emergent Conflict, Pilar Pazos, Francisco Cima

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Communication is a critical process that facilitates team members' coordination, expertise exchange, decision-making, and, consequently, team elfectiveness. A focus on effective communication is critical in virtual teams due to their lack of face-to-face interactions and social presence. Communication becomes challenging in remote settings, and specific skills emerge as more essential to success. It is known that effective teams rely on planning, execution, and interpersonal skills to be successful. Still, the specific impact of these skills on virtual team effectiveness is not well understood. Additionally, conflict can emerge as a significant barrier to collaboration for remote teams that can hinder their …

Integration Of Public Policy Into Civil Engineering Undergraduate Curricula: Review Of Civil Engineering Body Of Knowledge And Course Application, Michelle R. Oswald Beiler

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

The field of civil and environmental engineering directly ties with serving the needs of the public through infrastructure development and improvements in sustainable environments. Integrating this reciprocal connection between public policy and civil engineering into undergraduate civil engineering education is critical for the preparation of the next generation of engineers. This project, first, reviews the guidance of public policy in civil engineering programs, such as ASCE’s Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge. Then, a pedagogical application is presented that focuses on the integration of public policy concepts, methods, assessment tools and techniques in a required, upper level course in civil and …

“That Means Nothing To Me As A Normal Person Who Doesn't Know About Patents”: Usability Testing Of Google Patents And Patent Public Search With Undergraduate Engineering Students, Graham Sherriff, Molly Rogers

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Patent searching is an important research tool for undergraduate engineering students, yet it requires special topic knowledge to conduct successfully. Patent database websites have the ability to alleviate or add to the complexity of patent searching, depending on their usability. Prompted by the launch of the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Public Search (PPS) website in early 2022, the authors investigated the usability of PPS and Google Patents. The study's objective was to gain insights into the ways in which the websites of commonly-used patent databases support undergraduate students’ patent searching activities. The study examined students’ performance of typical …

Prior Art Research In The Capstone Design Experience: A Case Study Of Redesigned Online And In-Person Instruction, Graham Sherriff, Dustin Rand

University Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Exploration of “prior art”—the state of a technology’s development, as manifested in literature, documentation, and artifacts—has many benefits for engineering students. It expands their understanding of the design problem, reveals a range of possible solutions, and develops research skills important to professional practice. While prior art often includes patents and research literature, it can include any type of publication or document. This paper presents an innovative approach to a prior art review assignment in the capstone course for mechanical, electrical, and biomedical engineering students at the University of Vermont (UVM). The assignment and accompanying instruction were redesigned in 2018–2019 to …

"But I'M Not An Engineer"...Collaboration Between A Librarian And An Upper Division Project-Based Engineering Program, Heidi J. Southworth, Rebecca Bates, Robert Sleezer

Library Services Publications

Since 2013, a librarian at Minnesota State University, Mankato has collaborated with faculty and students in an upper division project-based engineering program. While having several years of experience in university libraries plus advanced degrees in history, the librarian had a limited background in science, engineering, and technology, and lacked a formal engineering degree. At first glance, this match may appear to be a recipe for failure. Indeed, in those first few years, the librarian’s angst about the missing engineering degree caused many sleepless nights of worry and concern. However, there came a time when the words “but I am not …

"But I'M Not An Engineer"...Collaboration Between A Librarian And An Upper Division Project-Based Engineering Program, Heidi J. Southworth, Rebecca Bates, Robert Sleezer

Library Services Publications

Since 2013, a librarian at Minnesota State University, Mankato has collaborated with faculty and students in an upper division project-based engineering program. While having several years of experience in university libraries plus advanced degrees in history, the librarian had a limited background in science, engineering, and technology, and lacked a formal engineering degree. At first glance, this match may appear to be a recipe for failure. Indeed, in those first few years, the librarian’s angst about the missing engineering degree caused many sleepless nights of worry and concern. However, there came a time when the words “but I am not …

Designing And Implementing A Novel Graduate Program To Develop Transdisciplinary Leaders In Urban Sustainability, Megan M. Wallen, Ingrid Guerra-Lopez, Louay Meroueh, Rayman Mohamed, Andrea Sankar, Pradeep Sopory, Ryan Watkins, Donna R. Kashian

Biological Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Urban settings, where >50% of the world's population resides, are increasingly faced with environmental challenges that threaten their sustainability. Aging infrastructure, water and air pollution, and increasing recognition of environmental injustices highlight the need for professionals to employ complex scientific reasoning across disciplines where they can effectively address the multifaceted issues of urban sustainability. Here we present an innovative model for preparing the next generation of public, private, and academic leaders to address complex problems in urban sustainability. Specifically, we outline the design and implementation of an integrated, adaptable graduate training program, with the goals of science leadership, curriculum relevancy, …

Water Quality Sampling And Analysis, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

The Technology Transfer Network Dynamic In The Information Technology Industry Of Yucatan, Mexico, Francisco Cima, Pilar Pazos, Ana Maria Canto

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The present paper explores the technology transfer linkages among universities, research centers, and private companies in Yucatan, Mexico's information technology industry. Social network analysis (SNA) was used as a method to identify the structural characteristics of the technology transfer collaborations, and the changes in the patterns of interactions among institutions over the years. Data were obtained from the National Council for Science and Technology repository (CONACYT). Associations formed to enhance technology advancement and innovation practices between 2010 and 2018 were analyzed in this study. Network transitivity, the patterns of triadic configurations, and heterophily were compared to uncover the evolution of …

Integrating The Entrepreneurial Mindset Into The Engineering Classroom, Lisa Bosman, Margaret Phillips

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

CONTRIBUTION: This paper highlights one approach to fostering the entrepreneurial mindset in the engineering classroom. BACKGROUND: Entrepreneurship and innovation are currently trending topics in engineering education and will continue developing for the foreseeable future. INTENDED OUTCOMES: The guiding research question is: How can an entrepreneurial mindset focused learning experience improve student self-regulation, seeing value, and lifelong learning through metacognitive reflections? APPLICATION DESIGN: The study is implemented within a five-week module focused on developing the entrepreneurial mindset as part of a required course on supply chain management technology. The supporting pedagogical interventions include authentic learning, information literacy, a mix of low …

Integrating Online Discussions Into Engineering Curriculum To Endorse Interdisciplinary Viewpoints, Promote Authentic Learning, And Improve Information Literacy, Lisa Bosman, Kurt Paterson, Margaret Phillips

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Engineering is very much an applied discipline where math and science concepts, skills, and tools can be used to design products or processes with new and/or increased value. Research suggests active learning is an effective method for teaching and learning in the engineering classroom. Moreover, students continue to express increased satisfaction when taught using this experiential pedagogical approach. One approach to active learning gaining traction in the engineering classroom is the use of online discussions. The purpose of this paper is to offer a structured approach for engineering educators to develop online discussion prompts aimed to prepare engineering students for …

Disaster Damage Categorization Applying Satellite Images And Machine Learning Algorithm, Farinaz Sabz Ali Pour, Adrian Gheorghe

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Special information has a significant role in disaster management. Land cover mapping can detect short- and long-term changes and monitor the vulnerable habitats. It is an effective evaluation to be included in the disaster management system to protect the conservation areas. The critical visual and statistical information presented to the decision-makers can help in mitigation or adaption before crossing a threshold. This paper aims to contribute in the academic and the practice aspects by offering a potential solution to enhance the disaster data source effectiveness. The key research question that the authors try to answer in this paper is how …

Investigation Of Engineering Properties Of Normal And High Strength Fly Ash Based Geopolymer And Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete Compared To Ordinary Portland Cement Concrete, Nabeel Farhan, M Neaz Sheikh, Muhammad N. S Hadi

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Fly ash-based geopolymer (FAGP) and alkali-activated slag (AAS) concrete are produced by mixing alkaline solutions with aluminosilicate materials. As the FAGP and AAS concrete are free of Portland cement, they have a low carbon footprint and consume low energy during the production process. This paper compares the engineering properties of normal strength and high strength FAGP and AAS concrete with OPC concrete. The engineering properties considered in this study included workability, dry density, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, flexural strength, direct tensile strength, and stress-strain behaviour in compression and direct tension. Microstructural observations using scanning electronic …

Natural Resources Governance Employing Blockchain-Based Decision-Making, Farinaz Sabz Ali Pour, Adrian Gheorghe

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Natural resources are essential structures of socio-economic systems which shape the well-being of humanity, environment, and the economy. Human actions have become the critical responsibility for environmental changes and pressuring many planetary boundaries. Having a systematic approach can provide a governance platform including the inherent characteristics of the resource, the historically established form of use, and transaction costs. A natural resource governance framework is developed by applying Blockchain technology as the primary goal of this study to regulate and manage the extraction and trades. Blockchain technology provides a distributed concurrency monitoring system for sustainable resource management. Persistent and pervasive cooperation …

Collecting Standards For Scholarship, Organization, Industry, And Innovation, Julia Gelfand, Ibironke Lawal, Jill Powell, Anne Rauh

Libraries' and Librarians' Publications

Building on the successful 2017 presentation, A Primer in Science and Engineering Collection Development, this presentation will explore a content type that stumps the engineering librarian and acquisitions librarian alike - standards. Technical standards are documents that establish a uniform practice or process for materials, procedures, and products. Each of us uses standards daily - from USB ports to elevators to lights, automobiles, bridges, standardized train tracks, and much more. Standards are prepared and issued by a professional groups, committees, societies, or governmental agencies, and can influence safety and performance and the role of business and manufacturing.

Four librarians from …

Engineering's Effects On Communities Through An Ethical Framework, Bailey A. Reid

Undergraduate Voices

Engineering is at the forefront of innovation and progression in our society, but often has various impacts on the communities in which projects take place. This article focuses on several ethical guidelines established through education and engineering’s effects on surrounding communities. Ethics inside of community actions and approach will also be explored.

Formative Assessment To Develop Oral Communication Competency Using Youtube: Self- And Peer Assessment In Engineering, Sasha Nikolic, David Stirling, Montserrat Ros

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Obtaining oral communication competency is an important skill for engineering students to prepare them for interacting and working in any professional setting. For engineers, it is also important to be able to present technical information to non-technical audiences. To ensure oral competency, a non-graded formative assessment approach using video with self- and peer assessment was introduced into a final-year engineering thesis course. A low workload approach was used due to growing student numbers and higher pressures on academic staff. A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the differences between traditional delivery, self-assessment and combined self-assessment with peer feedback. The study …

The Mars Desert Research Station - Erau Crew 160 Expedition, Lycourgos Manolopoulos, Ashley Hollis-Bussey, Hiroki Sugimoto, Cassandra Vella, John Herman, Marc Carofano

Student Works

The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is a research program which is owned and operated by the Mars Society. The MDRS is located in Hanksville, Utah which hosts simulations that are typically two weeks long for professional scientists and engineers as well as college students of all levels, in training for human operations specifically on Mars. This space analog facility is in isolation, allowing for rigorous field studies regarding research that represents a true mission as if the crew members are conducting a real expedition on Mars. Participants are assigned specific roles and tasks that are typically aligned with their …

Engineering Students Recognized By International Society, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Cedarville University’s solar boat racing team, which has won nine world solar splash titles, hopes to build its next boat so that it will “fly on water.”

Leading this effort for Cedarville are former solar boat team members Elijah Thompson and Caleb Jacobson, both 2016 mechanical engineering graduates. They and four other engineering students submitted a 20-page technical article introducing their recent breakthrough in hydrofoil design to the International Hydrofoil Society. Their work netted them an honorable mention on their website and a $1,000 prize.

Training Graduate Engineering Students In Ethics, Mohamed Trabia, Julie A. Longo, Susan Wainscott

Library Faculty Presentations

The Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas embarked on providing ethics instruction to incoming graduate students in the form of a mandatory workshop. The College has a diverse graduate student population, including a sizable international component, who are enrolled in several M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs within four departments. Faculty felt that training in ethics was needed to better prepare incoming students for successful graduate studies and working professionally after graduation. Therefore, a standalone workshop was developed that covered four major topics: Research Ethics, Computer Coding Ethics, Publishing Ethics, and Intellectual Property. The …

Exploring Structure And Role Of Engineering Asset Management System In Production Organizations, Khaled O. El-Akruti, Richard Dwight, Tieling Zhang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Little has been done in literature on the structure of Engineering Asset Management System (EAMS) and its relationship to production and organizational strategy. In this paper, the position of an EAMS within an organizational structure and its strategic role within a production organizations strategy has been explored. It is argued that the structure and mechanism of EAMS play a key role in directing the production process and linking to the organizational strategy: the absence or inadequacies of asset-related activities cause insufficient production performance that negatively impacts the strategic achievement. Production Actions are mapped with reference to the activities of the …

Addressing Misconceptions About Engineering Through Student-Industry Interaction In A Video-Augmented 3d Immersive Virtual World, Sasha Nikolic, Thomas Goldfinch, Mark Jian Wei Lee, Christian H. Ritz

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

A key goal of engineering education is to ensure students are adequately prepared to enter professional practice. Unfortunately, students have been found to bring to university significant misconceptions about the types of work engineers perform, which can have an adverse impact on their readiness to fully appreciate and benefit from course activities. This paper presents a case study of how iSee, a collaborative online platform that allows for video conferencing within a three-dimensional immersive virtual world, was used to host a careers fair event in which students learned about the engineering profession and about the various engineering majors available to …

Relationship Between Learning In The Engineering Laboratory And Student Evaluations, Sasha Nikolic, Thomas F. Suesse, Thomas Goldfinch, Timothy J. Mccarthy

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

BACKGROUND OR CONTEXT This study is built upon previous research that developed an instrument to measure the learning objectives of the laboratory across the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains with research that investigated student evaluations of sessional laboratory demonstrators, laboratory experiments and facilities. This research highlighted the importance of laboratory work in engineering education, and the need to improve our understanding of how learning occurs in the laboratory. PURPOSE OR GOAL Student evaluations are heavily used in higher education, and a greater understanding is needed on how these evaluations relate to learning. APPROACH An instrument used to measure learning in …

In Vitro Mechanical Fatigue Behavior Of Poly-Ɛ-Caprolactone Macroporous Scaffolds For Cartilage Tissue Engineering: Influence Of Pore Filling By A Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Gel, J A. Panadero, L Vikingsson, J L. Gomez Ribelles, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez, Vitor Sencadas

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Polymeric scaffolds used in regenerative therapies are implanted in the damaged tissue and submitted to repeated loading cycles. In the case of articular cartilage engineering, an implanted scaffold is typically subjected to long-term dynamic compression. The evolution of the mechanical properties of the scaffold during bioresorption has been deeply studied in the past, but the possibility of failure due to mechanical fatigue has not been properly addressed. Nevertheless, the macroporous scaffold is susceptible to failure after repeated loading-unloading cycles. In this work fatigue studies of polycaprolactone scaffolds were carried by subjecting the scaffold to repeated compression cycles in conditions simulating …

Piezoelectric Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) Microstructure And Poling State In Active Tissue Engineering, Clarisse Ribeiro, Daniela M. Correia, S Ribeiro, Vitor Sencadas, Gabriela Botelho, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Tissue engineering strategies rely on suitable membranes and scaffolds, providing the necessary physicochemical stimuli to specific cells. This review summarizes the main results on piezoelectric polymers, in particular poly(vinylidene fluoride), for muscle and bone cell culture. Further, the relevance of polymer microstructure and surface charge on cell response is demonstrated. Together with the necessary biochemical cues, the proper design of piezoelectric polymers can open the way to novel and more reliable tissue engineering strategies for cells in which electromechanical stimuli are present in their environment.

Piezoelectric Polymers As Biomaterials For Tissue Engineering Applications, Clarisse Ribeiro, Vitor Sencadas, Daniela M. Correia, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Tissue engineering often rely on scaffolds for supporting cell differentiation and growth. Novel paradigms for tissue engineering include the need of active or smart scaffolds in order to properly regenerate specific tissues. In particular, as electrical and electromechanical clues are among the most relevant ones in determining tissue functionality in tissues such as muscle and bone, among others, electroactive materials and, in particular, piezoelectric ones, show strong potential for novel tissue engineering strategies, in particular taking also into account the existence of these phenomena within some specific tissues, indicating their requirement also during tissue regeneration. This referee reports on piezoelectric …

Working In Partnership To Develop Engineering Capacity In Energy Efficiency, Cheryl Desha, Duane A. Robinson, Alistair Sproul

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Energy efficiency is a complex topic to integrate into higher education curricula, with limited success internationally or in Australia. This paper discusses one of the successful initiatives within the Energy Efficiency Training Program, which was jointly managed and implemented by the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage and Department of Education and Communities. The state government initiative aimed to increase the knowledge and skills of the New South Wales workforce, help business to identify and implement energy efficiency projects, and provide professional development for the training providers. Key sectors targeted included property, construction, manufacturing and services. The Program …

Development And Implementation Of A Flipped-Classroom Delivery In Engineering Computing And Analysis For First Year Engineering Students, David B. Hastie, Montserrat Ros, Brad Stappenbelt, Senevi Kiridena

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

University of Wollongong recently undertook a major restructure of its academic and professional units, after the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor in 2012. As a result, the previous 11 faculties have been merged and rationalised into five new faculties. The Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Informatics merged to become the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences (EIS), consisting of six schools representing a total of 13 disciplines. Following the restructuring, EIS made the decision to develop a new common first year curriculum for all engineering undergraduate programs, spanning nine disciplines, they being; civil, mining, environmental, electrical, computer, …

Roboboat Team Earned Judge’S Award In International Competition, Beth Ford

News Releases

For the fourth consecutive year, Cedarville University’s robotics team competed in the International Roboboat Competition in Virginia Beach and came away with an award. The June 8-13 competition featured boats that performed various water maneuvers. Cedarville's team was awarded the “Biggest Bang for the Buck” honor for its accomplishments as a smaller team on a limited budget.

Engineering competitions challenge the students to think more critically and initiate excitement for technology, science, engineering, and mathematics. Cedarville competed against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Villanova University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and many other nationally recognized engineering schools.

Cedarville Robotic Team Wins Second Consecutive Championship, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

For the second consecutive year, a team of Cedarville University engineering students won the American Society of Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Autonomous Robotics competition. The event was held in Indianapolis.

The annual competition is open to freshmen and sophomore engineering students. Each team is required to build and program a robot that completes a task, which is selected to be specific to the host city. This year teams had to race their robots around a miniature track in honor of the Indianapolis 500. For last year’s competition in Atlanta, robots were required to collect orange golf balls in honor of Georgia …