Digital Commons Network^™

Collaborative Design Of Project-Based Learning Courses: How To Implement A Mode Of Learning That Effectively Builds Skills For The Global Engineer, Richard N. Savage, Jonathan Stolk, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

Success for tomorrow’s engineers necessitates the design of curricula that promote awareness of the broader impacts of engineering, enhances systems thinking, reflects sustainable engineering practices, and helps prepare students to make an impact in the global community. Project-based learning approaches that emphasize student learning rather than instructor teaching may be a key to successful development of “global engineers.” Evaluations of project-based courses show increases in student motivation, problem-solving ability, communication and teaming skills, knowledge retention, and capacity for self-directed learning. Despite these reported benefits, curriculum-wide implementations of project-based learning are rare, probably partly due to the traditional emphasis on technical …

Elastic Modulus Of Bone Using Ultrasonic Testing, Lanny Griffin, Victor Yu

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Biomedical Engineering Virtual Circuit Simulation Laboratories, Robert B. Szlavik

Biomedical Engineering

Circuit simulators, such as SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) are useful tools that can enhance the educational experience of students in many subject areas within a biomedical engineering curriculum. Courses on biomedical instrumentation are venues for which virtual laboratory experiments, using circuit simulators, can be readily developed. The instructor can use the circuit simulation platform to illustrate relatively complex concepts, such as differential amplification, which have wide applicability to biomedical instrumentation. More advanced courses that focus on the physiology of excitable cells or neural modeling and simulation are also venues for which circuit simulators may be applied to …

A Systemic Model Of Development: Strategically Enhancing Students' Cognitive, Psychomotor, Affective And Social Development, Linda Vanasupa, Jonathan Stolk, Trevor S. Harding, Richard N. Savage

Materials Engineering

The challenges of the 21st century create an imperative for engineering educators: to design learning experiences that result in engineering professionals with a sophisticated level of cognitive, psychomotor, social and affective development. We propose a tool for the design process. Our systemic model of development (SMD) is based on a large body of learning theory and empirical data. It maps the relationships among the major factors that influence learning in the form of a causal loop diagram. To demonstrate the value of the SMD, we compared the motivational profiles of a test group (36 students) who took an engineering course …

Temporal Changes In Nutrient Transport Following Land Application Of Manure, John E. Gilley, Eghball Bahman, D. B. Marx

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Little information is currently available concerning temporal changes in nutrient transport following the addition of manure to cropland areas. This study was conducted to measure nutrient transport in runoff as affected by tillage and time following the application of beef cattle or swine manure to a site on which corn [Zea mays (L.)] was grown. Rainfall simulation tests were initiated 4, 32, 62, 123, and 354 days following land application. Three 30-min simulated rainfall events, separated by 24-hour intervals, were conducted at an intensity of approximately 70 mm hr-1. Dissolved phosphorus (DP), particulate phosphorus (PP), total phosphorus (TP), NO3-N, …

Runoff Nutrient Concentrations Following Manure Application As Affected By Crop Residue, John E. Gilley, Jeffrey Nicolaisen, Eghball Bahman, David B. Marx

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Manure is applied to cropland areas managed under diverse conditions resulting in varying amounts of residue cover. The objective of this study was to measure the effects of crop residue on nutrient concentrations in runoff from areas where beef cattle or swine manure were recently applied but not incorporated. Plots 0.75 m wide by 2 m long were established at the study site. Existing residue materials were removed, and corn, soybean, or winter wheat residue was added at rates of 2, 4, or 8 Mg ha-1. Manure was applied at rates required to meet estimated annual nitrogen requirements for corn. …

Moldboard Plowing Following Compost Application Significantly Reduces Nutrient Transport, John E. Gilley, Bahman Eghball, David B. Marx

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The excessive application of manure on cropland areas can cause nutrients to accumulate near the soil surface and increase nutrient transport by overland flow. Inverting soils with high surface nutrient content could reduce runoff nutrient transport. This study was conducted to measure the effects of moldboard plowing on the redistribution of nutrients within the soil profile and nutrient transport by overland flow. Composted beef cattle manure was applied at dry weights of 0, 68, 105, 142, and 178 Mg ha^-1 to a silty clay loam soil and then incorporated by disking. Selected plots were moldboard plowed 244 days later …

Effect Of Overland Flow Rate On Nutrient Transport From Land Application Areas, John E. Gilley, William F. Sabatka, Bahman Eghball, David B. Marx

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Little information is currently available concerning the effects of varying flow rate on nutrient transport by overland flow. The objective of this study was to measure the effects of overland flow rate on nutrient transport following the application of beef cattle or swine manure to plots containing 0, 2, 4, or 8 Mg ha^-1 of corn residue. After addition of residue materials to 0.75 m wide x 2.0 m long plots, beef cattle or swine manure was added and the plots were then either disked or maintained in a no-till condition. Three 30-min simulated rainfall events, separated by 24-hour …

Microwave Pretreatment Of Switchgrass To Enhance Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Deepak R. Keshwani, Jay J. Cheng, Joseph C. Burns, Laigeng Li, Vincent Chiang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Switchgrass is a promising lignocellulosic biomass for fuel-ethanol production. However, pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials is necessary to improve its susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis. The objectives of this study were to examine the feasibility of microwave pretreatment to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of switchgrass and to determine the optimal pretreatment conditions. Switchgrass samples immersed in water, dilute sulfuric acid and dilute sodium hydroxide solutions were exposed to microwave radiation at varying levels of radiation power and residence time. Pretreated solids were enzymatically hydrolyzed and reducing sugars in the hydrolysate were analyzed. Microwave radiation of switchgrass at lower power levels resulted in more …

Cellulose Synthase Promoter And Method For Modifiying Cellulose And Lignin Biosynthesis In Plants, Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Chandrashekhar P. Joshi, Luguang Wu, Daniel T. Carraway

Michigan Tech Patents

This invention relates to an isolated cellulose synthase promoter, methods for genetically altering cellulose and lignin biosynthesis, and to methods for improving strength properties of juvenile wood and fiber in trees. The invention further relates to methods for identifying regulatory elements in a cellulose synthase promoter and to methods for augmenting expression of polynucleotides operably linked to a cellulose synthase promoter.

Selective Extraction Of Colorful Proteins Using Reverse Micelles, Loren E. Connell

Theses and Dissertations

Biotechnology is an ever expanding field of science. As the field has expanded, research into bioseparation processes has also expanded. The need for more cost effective ways to deliver products that are in high demand is greater now than ever. Bioseparation processes are a very costly part of the overall process of product development. While traditional separation process are effective, there is promise in many new techniques being developed which have the potential to lower the costs of bioseparations.

The continuous separation method of liquid-liquid extraction using reverse micelles is one such technique. While this technique has been researched in …

Collapse Analysis Of Nanofibers, Xiang-Fa Wu, Yuris A. Dzenis

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

Continuous nanofibers fabricated by the electrospinning technique have found increasing applications (e.g., nanofiber composites, nanofiber devices, bioengineering tissue scaffolding, etc.). For a nanofiber network subjected to a small external perturbation, the fiber segments within the network may deflect and stick to each other under the condition that their surface adhesion energy overcomes the elastic strain energy induced by fiber bending. Therefore, this paper aims to study adhesion-induced nanofiber collapse and relevant criteria. A simple fiber collapse model was proposed, which is based on the contact of two deflected elastic filaments under surface adhesion. Four fundamental fiber collapse modes (i.e., fiber-flat …

Ceas E-News 06.12.2007, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

CEAS Professors volunteer for KAMSC science fair projects

Developement Of Serum-Free Media In Cho-Dg44 Cells Using A Central Composite Statistical Design, Ananth Parampalli, Kent M. Eskridge, Leonard Smith, Michael M. Meagher, M. C. Mowry, Anuradha Subramanian

Anuradha Subramanian Publications

A serum free medium was developed for the production of recombinant antibody against Botulinum A (BoNTA) using dihydrofolate reductase deficient Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells (CHO-DG44) in suspension culture. An initial control basal medium was prepared, which was similar in composition to HAM’s F12: IMDM (1:1) supplemented with insulin, transeferrin, selenium and a lipid mixture. The vitamin concentration of the basal medium was twice that of HAM’s F12: IMDM (1:1). CHO-DG44 cells expressing S25 antibody grew from 2 x 10⁵ cells to maximum cell density of 1.04 x 10⁶ cells/ml after 5 days in this control medium. A central …

Real-Time Gps-Alternative Navigation Using Commodity Hardware, Jordon L. Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

Modern navigation systems can use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to accurately determine position with precision in some cases bordering on millimeters. Unfortunately, GPS technology is susceptible to jamming, interception, and unavailability indoors or underground. There are several navigation techniques that can be used to navigate during times of GPS unavailability, but there are very few that result in GPS-level precision. One method of achieving high precision navigation without GPS is to fuse data obtained from multiple sensors. This thesis explores the fusion of imaging and inertial sensors and implements them in a real-time system that mimics human navigation. In …

Photonics Education Program At California Polytechnic State University, Dennis Derickson, Samuel Agbo, Sean Jobe, John Sharpe, Dan Wasche, Xiaomin Jin

Electrical Engineering

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) has an active photonics-related program. The thrusts of the program are coursework, extensive photonic educational laboratories, an SPIE student branch chapter, and a new Project-Based Learning Institute (PBLI) to promote joint projects with industry.This paper will describe our program for a multidisciplinary approach to photonics education at the undergraduate and master’s degree level.

Department Of Biological Systems Engineering Newsletter, Volume 3, Issue 1, June 2007

BSE Department Magazine

Contents:
Award Winning Academic Advisor
Hall of Fame 2007 Leslie W. Jochens, P.E. Leader in the Irrigation Industry
From the Department Head
John Deere Dealership Management Banquet
Alumni Profiles: Mike Henry
The Incredible, Edible Vehicle Competition
Graduation
December 2006 Graduates
May 2007 Graduates
Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences—UCARE
Honors Convocation
In Memoriam
Alumni News
Faculty News
Comings and Goings

A Hybrid First Year Science Course For Engineering Students – Integrating Biology With Chemistry, David Harding, Pauline Schwartz, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Agamemnon Koutsospyros

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Biology is playing an increasingly important role in many engineering fields. With the typical engineering program already having a high credit hour requirement, the question becomes, how to best integrate biology concepts into a packed engineering curriculum. A typical biology course is not likely to introduce the important concepts of biology to engineering students. The solution here is to develop a hybrid course that integrates chemistry and biology. In the course, Chemistry with Applications to Biosystems, the concept is to develop a course that integrally links important concepts of chemistry and biology. The course focuses on the areas of biology …

A Small-Scale 3d Imaging Platform For Algorithm Performance Evaluation, Steven A. James

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, world events have expedited the need for the design and application of rapidly deployable airborne surveillance systems in urban environments. Fast and effective use of the surveillance images requires accurate modeling of the terrain being surveyed. The process of accurately modeling buildings, landmarks, or other items of interest on the surface of the earth, within a short lead time, has proven to be a challenging task. One approach of high importance for countering this challenge and accurately reconstructing 3D objects is through the employment of airborne 3D image acquisition platforms. While developments in this arena have significantly …

Ferromagnetic Multipods Fabricated By Solution Phase Synthesis And Hydrogen Reduction, Y. C. Sui, Y. Zhao, Sitaram S. Jaswal, Xingzhong Li, David J. Sellmyer

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center: Faculty Publications

A simple approach combining pyrolysis and hydrogen reduction is formulated for making ferromagnetic-branched nanostructures called Co multipods. The CoO multipods (branched nanostructures) were produced through the pyrolysis of cobalt-oleate in octadecane at 280 °C with the presence of oleic acid under the protection of pure nitrogen. The angles between the nearest arms are 90°. After the reduction of the branched CoO nanostructures in flowing hydrogen gas in a tubular oven at 290°C, the CoO is reduced to pure cobalt with hexagonal crystal structure and the branched shapes are retained. Anisotropic magnetic properties were found for cobalt multipods on silicon substrates.

Simulated Effects Of Marathon Training On Bone Density, Remodeling, And Microdamage Accumulation Of The Femur, Scott J. Hazelwood, Alesha B. Castillo

Biomedical Engineering

Stress fractures are mechanically induced injuries resulting from fatigue damage to bone due to repetitive loading and are common injuries occurring in runners. In this study, we used computer simulations of marathon training programs to examine the effects of endurance running on femoral density, remodeling, and microdamage accumulation. Simulated remodeling activity increased in the femoral neck and proximal cortex and predicted microdamage increased in all regions examined after 16 weeks for each program. Daily running for three years produced more microdamage than the advanced training schedule over the same time period. Areas of high remodeling and damage corresponded to clinically …

Preliminary Work On The Development Of A Novel Detection Method For Osteoporosis, P. Moran, Mark R. Towler, S. Chowdhury, J. Saunders, M. J. German, N. S. Lawson, H. M. Pollock, I. Pillay, D. Lyons

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Osteoporosis affects both the organic and mineral phases of bone resulting in a decrease in resistance to fracture. Dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans are used for diagnosing osteoporosis, which is conventionally characterized by a decrease in mineral density. Unfortunately, some patients who suffer osteoporotic fractures have normal bone density, because both the organic and the mineral phase are affected. However, there are currently no methods of evaluating the health of the organic phase. Patients undergoing treatment for osteoporosis have reported hardening of their fingernails. As the properties of nail and bone may be linked in a comparable, measurable way, this …

Swarm Intelligence For Transmission System Control, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many areas related to power system transmission require solving one or more nonlinear optimization problems. While analytical methods might suffer from slow convergence and the curse of dimensionality, heuristics based swarm intelligence can be an efficient alternative. This paper highlights the application of swam intelligence techniques for solving some of the transmission system control problems.

Real-Time On-Line Space Research Laboratory Environment Monitoring With Off-Line Trend And Prediction Analysis, Kenol Jules, Paul P. Lin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

With the International Space Station currently operational, a significant amount of acceleration data is being down-linked, processed and analyzed daily on the ground on a continuous basis for the space station reduced gravity environment characterization, the vehicle design requirements verification and science data collection. To help understand the impact of the unique spacecraft environment on the science data, an artificial intelligence monitoring system was developed, which detects in near real time any change in the reduced gravity environment susceptible to affect the on-going experiments. Using a dynamic graphical display, the monitoring system allows science teams, at any time and any …

Development Of Cursor-On-Target Control For Semi-Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Joshua D. Crouse

Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this thesis focuses on developing, demonstrating, and evaluating the concept of a Cursor-on-Target control system for semi-autonomous unmanned aircraft systems. The Department of Defense has mapped out a strategy in which unmanned aircraft systems will increasingly replace piloted aircraft. During most phases of flight autonomous unmanned aircraft control reduces operator workload, however, real-time information exchange often requires an operator to relay decision changes to the unmanned aircraft. The goal of this research is to develop a preliminary Cursor-on-Target control system to enable the operator to guide the unmanned aircraft with minimal workload during high task phases …

Co-Production Of Chemical And Energy Products From Distillers Grains Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction And Thermochemical Conversion Technologies, Lijun Wang, Ajay Kumar, Curtis L. Weller, David D. Jones, Milford A. Hanna

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Dry-grind technology has become the dominant method for ethanol production. During drygrind ethanol production, roughly one-third of the dry grain mass resides in the dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as by-products (i.e., ∼0.8 kg/L ethanol). The energy content residing in the 0.8 kg DDGS is about 20 MJ, compared to the consumption of 1 MJ electricity and 10 MJ thermal energy for production of each liter of ethanol. A sequential supercritical fluid process with solvents including carbon dioxide, water and ethanol was used to recover high-value chemicals from DDGS. Thermochemical conversion methods were used to convert the DDGS residue …

Early Investment In Soil Conservation Research Continues To Provide Dividends, John E. Gilley, D. C. Flanagan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Current soil conservation programs are built upon an established research legacy. Hugh H. Bennett, chief of the USDA Soil Conservation Service from 1935 to 1951, was instrumental in the establishment of a network of 35 soil conservation experiment stations (SCES). Research projects were initiated at the SCES in the 1930s to investigate the principal factors causing erosion and to identify the most effective and practical methods of controlling soil loss from agricultural areas. Information obtained from the SCES, and selected other locations, was assembled at the National Runoff and Soil Loss Data Center (NRSLDC) established on the campus of Purdue …

Parallel Fast Multipole Method For Molecular Dynamics, Reid G. Ormseth

Theses and Dissertations

We report on a parallel version of the Fast Multipole Method (FMM) implemented in the classical molecular dynamics code, NAMD (Not Another Molecular Dynamics program). This novel implementation of FMM aims to minimize interprocessor communication through the modification of the FMM grid to match the hybrid force and spatial decomposition scheme already present in NAMD. This new implementation has the benefit of replacing all-to-all communications broadcasts with direct communications between nearest neighbors. This results in a significant reduction in the amount of communication compared to earlier attempts to integrate FMM into common molecular dynamics programs. The early performance of FMM …

Assessment Of Labview And Multisim In The Delivery Of Electronics Laboratory Content, Julio Garcia, Patricia Backer

Faculty Publications

The goal of this study, funded by the National Science Foundation, was to adapt the work of other researchers to improve the delivery of electronics lecture and laboratory content in the Electronics & Computer Technology (ECT) area. From the extensive research on ethnic and gender differences in learning styles, the evidence suggests that ethnic minorities and women work best when the material is organized so that students work in teams and have a high level of hands-on experimentation and problem-solving. We developed our materials to maximize these aspects since in our institution the “minority” constitutes the majority of our student …

Intelligent Techniques For Planning Distributed Generation Systems, S. Santoso, Nitish Saraf, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Including distributed generation (DG) in distribution systems often requires in-depth analysis and planning. This panel paper will present a few issues related to the planning of distributed generation, and will describe how intelligent systems methods can be used to help solve these issues. Investment and operating cost minimization, capacity determination and siting of distributed generators, islanding of power systems with DG, coordination of voltage regulators and capacitors with distributed generators in regulating feeder voltage profiles are a few subjects discussed in the paper.