Engineering Commons^™

Climate Change Impacts On Water Resources Of The Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia, U. Kim, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi, V. U. Smakhtin

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Climate change affects water resources availability of international river basins that are vulnerable to runoff variability of upstream countries especially with increasing water demands. The upper Blue Nile River Basin is a good example because its downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, depend solely on Nile waters for their economic development. In this study, the impacts of climate change on both hydrology and water resources operations were analyzed using the outcomes of six different general circulation models (GCMs) for the 2050s. The outcomes of these six GCMs were weighted to provide average future changes. Hydrologic sensitivity, flow statistics, a drought index, …

Modeling Soil Depth From Topographic And Land Cover Attributes, Teklu K. Tesfa, David G. Tarboton, David G. Chandler, James P. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Soil depth is an important input parameter in hydrological and ecological modeling. Presently, the soil depth data available in national soil databases (STATSGO and SSURGO) from the Natural Resources Conservation Service are provided as averages within generalized land units (map units). Spatial uncertainty within these units limits their applicability for distributed modeling in complex terrain. This work reports statistical models for prediction of soil depth in a semiarid mountainous watershed that are based upon the relationship between soil depth and topographic and land cover attributes. Soil depth was surveyed by driving a rod into the ground until refusal at locations …

Project: F.U.N.B.O.E. (Follow-Up Nucleate Boiling On-Flight Experiment), Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Sixth Grade Lesson Plan: Heat Moves, Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Third Grade Lesson Plan: Where Does Heat Come From?, Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Fifth Grade Lesson Plan: Solid, Liquid, And Gas, Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Climate Change Impacts On Water Resources Of The Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia, U. Kim, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Climate change affects water resources availability of international river basins that are vulnerable to runoff variability of upstream countries especially with increasing water demands. The upper Blue Nile River Basin is a good example because its downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, depend solely on Nile waters for their economic development. In this study, the impacts of climate change on both hydrology and water resources operations were analyzed using the outcomes of six different general circulation models (GCMs) for the 2050s. The outcomes of these six GCMs were weighted to provide average future changes. Hydrologic sensitivity, flow statistics, a drought index, …

Weber River Basin Planning For The Future, Utah Division Of Water Resources

All In-stream Flows Material

The water resources of the Weber River Basin play an integral role in the life of every basin resident. From a morning shower to a weekend trip on Pineview Reservoir, water is interwoven into nearly every activity. Use of the basin’s water resources has allowed the land to be settled, has provided the basin’s citizens with numerous employment and recreational opportunities, and has made possible a high quality of life. The far-reaching vision of the basin’s leaders, coupled with modern engineering technology, has allowed the basin’s water supply to be harnessed and used on a large scale. Water has been …

Improving Open Canned Systems, David Sanders, Steven L. Barfuss, Michael C. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The results of a study on the hydraulic performance of open-bottom canned pump intakes should aid engineers and pump users to design these systems with reduced velocity fluctuations and undesirable flow rotation.

Data Collection Methodology For Dynamic Temperature Model Testing And Corroboration, Bethany T. Neilson, David King Stevens, S. C. Chapra, Christina J. Bandaragoda

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This article describes a data collection approach for determining the significance of individual heat fluxes within streamswith an emphasis on testing (i.e. identification of possible missing heat fluxes), development, calibration and corroborationof a dynamic temperature model. The basis for developing this approach was a preliminary temperature modelling effort onthe Virgin River in southwestern Utah during a low-flow period that suggested important components of the energy balancemight be missing in the o riginal standard surface-flux temperat ure model. Possible missing heat fluxes were identi fied as bedconduction, hyporheic exchange, dead zone warming and exchange and poor representation of the amount of …

Energy Losses In Cross Junctions, Zachary B. Sharp, Michael C. Johnson, Steven L. Barfuss, William J. Rahmeyer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Energy losses occurring in pipe junctions have been studied for many years. Head loss coefficients (KK) are commonly used to characterize losses across elbows, tees, crosses, valves, and other pipe fittings. When accurate values of KK are used, the flow rate and corresponding total head at any location in a pipe network can be calculated. While KK is well defined for most pipe junctions and fittings, the literature has limited documentations of KK for crosses. This study was commissioned to determine KK for a wide range of flow combinations in a pipe cross with equal diameter pipes and varied flow …

Year Five Annual Report: Activities, Findings And Evaluators' Reports, Ncete Faculty

Reports to NSF

The National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) received funding from the National Science Foundation on September 15, 2004. Originally NCETE proposed the following goals for the Center: • To build capacity in graduate education and develop a new cadre of leaders who are engaged in research, teacher preparation, and professional development with the knowledge and skill to integrate engineering into technology education • To conduct research in how students learn engineering and technological concepts; how students learn design and problem solving, assessment and evaluation strategies; and how best to prepare technology teachers • To refocus technology teacher education …

Lower Hobble Creek Ecosystem Flow Recommendations, Melissa Stamp, Thomas Eddie, Darren Olsen, Tyler Allred

All In-stream Flows Material

This report describes the process and products of developing a suite of year-round instream flow recommendations for lower Hobble Creek in Utah County, Utah. This project was undertaken by the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission (the Commission) as a component of the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program (JSRIP) 2008 Work Plan (JSRIP 2008). The Commission is a Federal agency established by the Central Utah Project Completion Act (CUPCA [Titles II through VI of Public Law 102-575]). The Commission is responsible for mitigating impacts of the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project (CUP) on fish, wildlife, and related recreation …

Microgravity Experiments For The Iss, Justin Koeln, Jan Sojka

Posters

The Get Away Special (GAS) team is a microgravity research team known for leading Utah State University to the impressive distinction of flying more experiments in space than any other university in the world. The following experiments were designed by the GAS team after receiving the opportunity to develop and experiment to be performed by a Space Flight Participant aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Pitch Dynamics Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, W. F. Phillips, Doug F. Hunsaker, N. R. Alley, R. J. Niewoehner

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Dynamic stability requirements for manned aircraft have been in place for many years. However, we cannot expect stability constraints for UAVs to match those for manned aircraft; and dynamic stability requirements specific to UAVs have not been developed. The boundaries of controllability for both remotely-piloted and auto-piloted aircraft must be established before UAV technology can reach its full potential. The development of dynamic stability requirements specific to UAVs could improve flying qualities and facilitate more efficient UAV designs to meet specific mission requirements. As a first step to developing UAV stability requirements in general, test techniques must be established that …

A Laboratory-Based Course In Real-Time Digital Signal Processing Implementation, Scott E. Budge

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A four credit-hour laboratory course in real-time digital signal processing (DSP) implementation is described. This course has been developed and taught at Utah State University for over 12 years, incorporating feedback from students and extensive classroom experience. The educational goal of the course is to teach seniors/first year graduate students how to select, implement, and evaluate DSP systems for real-time signal processing. A major component of the class is a series of seven laboratories in which the student must perform realtime processing on hardware based on modern digital signal processors and FPGAs. Student feedback has indicated that the course has …

The Nature And Status Of Stem Professional Development: Effective Practices For Secondary Level Engineering Education, Rodney L. Custer, Jenny L. Daugherty

Reports of Center Studies

Recently engineering has emerged on the K-12 scene as a potentially important content area. However, K-12 teachers typically lack sufficient backgrounds to effectively integrate engineering into their classrooms. Thus teacher professional development is of critical importance. Although there have been several initiatives emerge to assist teachers in teaching engineering-related curriculum, there has been little empirical research generated. For example, little is known about best practices, engineering pedagogical content knowledge, or effective design principles for engineering professional development. Although there is a general consensus in the literature concerning a set of principles that differentiate effective teacher professional development (i.e., Garet, Porter, …

Rembrant: Research On The Effects Of Microgravity On The Brazil Nut Problem, Getaway Special Team 2009

Reports and Proposals

No abstract provided.

Resources - Thinking Small: Nano Small, David Stricker

Publications

The article provides information on the "Nanooze" magazine publication. It notes the significance of nanotechnology to the development of latest innovations that come from materials at smallest dimensions or at the nanoscale levels. It presents resources published within the publication that explore the emerging issues in nanotechnology.

Funboe Factsheet, Getaway Special Team 2009

Reports and Proposals

No abstract provided.

Ipas: International Paper Airplanes In Space, Getaway Special Team 2009

Reports and Proposals

No abstract provided.

Sides: Space Italian Dressing Experimental Setup, Getaway Special Team 2009

Reports and Proposals

No abstract provided.

Formulating A Conceptual Base For Secondary Level Engineering: A Review And Synthesis, Rodney L. Custer, Jenny L. Daugherty, Joseph P. Meyer

Reports of Center Studies

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across the K-16 spectrum. While much of this interest has concentrated on science and mathematics, technology and engineering are emerging as authentic educational problem solving contexts, as well as disciplines in their own right at the K-12 level. Over the past 20 years, the technology education field has concentrated on defining and implementing a set of content standards, the Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEA, 2000) (STL), with mixed results. On a national scale, the field continues to evolve from its historical industrial arts …

Engineering Design Activity: Understanding How Different Design Activities Influence Students' Motivation In Grades 9-12, Oenardi Lawanto, Gary Stewardson

Reports of Center Studies

The objective of this study was to evaluate grade 9-12 students’ motivation while engaged in two different engineering design projects: marble-sorter and bridge designs. The motivation components measured in this study were focused on students’ intrinsic (IGO) and extrinsic (EGO) goal orientations, task value (TV), self-efficacy for learning and performance (SELP), and control belief (CB). After finishing each project, students were asked to complete an Engineering Design Questionnaire (EDQ) survey instrument. The instrument consisted of 26 items modified from motivational scales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ).Besides the motivational scales, five demographic and two open-ended questions exploring students’ …

Learning Effects And Attitudes Of Design Strategies On High School Students, Robert Wicklein, John Mativo

Reports of Center Studies

The purpose of this research project was to use an experimental design research methodology to compare learning and attitudinal effects of two different design instructional strategies on randomly selected and assigned 11th and 12th grade students. Through the use of a common technological based problem (see Appendix A), students were guided through a design sequence that utilized two different instructional approaches (a) predictive analysis and (b) trial & error. At the completion of a five-day (15 hour) learning activity a standardized engineering design test was administered to the students to evaluate differences in engineering design capabilities. Additionally, students completed an …

A Case Study Of The Implementation Of An Engineering Program Into A High School Technology Education Classroom, Steven Shumway, Geoff Wright

Reports of Center Studies

Using a case study format, our objective was to collect data related to the following research questions:

- What criteria do teachers and districts use when selecting engineering design experiences for infusion into high school classes and which of these criteria are most effective?

- What issues, opportunities, and constraints do teachers confront as they infuse engineering concepts into technology education?

Gathering Leadership Momentum Across Great Distances: Creating An Online Community Of Practice, Erin Dini-Davis, Danielle Theiss-White

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

At the 2007 Mountain Plains Library Association Leadership (MPLA) Institute, held in New Mexico, USA, eight academic librarians formed an online multi-state, multigenerational community of practice. MPLA is a twelve-state library association within the United States. Using Google Groups™, the members formed an online environment called the MPLA Community of Practice for continuing development of the leadership skills presented at the Institute. These early-career librarians represent diverse educational backgrounds and work in libraries serving varied populations with differing disciplinary emphases. The group meets monthly with each member preparing and facilitating online discussions, complete with personal assessments, topical readings, and questions. …

Integrating Engineering Design Into Technology Education: Georgia's Perspective, Cameron Denson, Todd Kelley, Robert C. Wicklein

Publications

This descriptive research study reported on Georgia’s secondary level (grades 6-12) technology education programs capability to incorporate engineering concepts and/or engineering design into their curriculum. Participants were middle school and high school teachers in the state of Georgia who currently teach technology education. Participants completed a Likert-type online-survey which reported on technology education teacher’s (a) current instructional practices to teach engineering-based instruction, (b) curricular value placed on engineering-based instruction, and (c) instructional needs to teach engineering-based topics. General demographic information was collected from all participants. The results from the study aided in informing the educational community on the perspective of …

A Theoretical Framework To Guide The Re-Engineering Of Technology Education, Todd R. Kelley, Nadia Kellam

Publications

Before leaders in technology education are able to identify a theoretical framework upon which a curriculum is to stand, they must first grapple with two opposing views of the purpose of technology education – education for all learners or career/technical education. Dakers (2006) identifies two opposing philosophies that can serve as a framework for technology education, both inspired by ancient Greece, with the works of Descartes and the birth of positivism. Later reappearing in Pascal’s writings of the mathematical mind, and finally with Rousseau in the mid 1700s, the theoretical arguments of academic verses vocational were established in education, and …

Teacher Challenges To Implement Engineering Design In Secondary Technology Education (Part 3), Todd R. Kelley, Robert C. Wicklein

Publications

This descriptive study examined the current status of technology education teacher practices with respect to engineering design. This article is the third article in a three-part series presenting the results of this study. The first article in the series titled Examination of Engineering Design Curriculum Content highlighted the research findings regarding engineering design curriculum content delivered by technology education teachers. The second article in the series titled Examination of Assessment Practices for Engineering Design Projects in Secondary Technology Education reported technology education teachers’ assessment practices when implementing engineering design projects in the classroom. The sample for this study was drawn …