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Faculty Publications

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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Designing Autonomous Robot Missions With Performance Guarantees, Damian M. Lyons, Ronald Arkin, Prem Nirmal, Shu Jiang Oct 2012

Designing Autonomous Robot Missions With Performance Guarantees, Damian M. Lyons, Ronald Arkin, Prem Nirmal, Shu Jiang

Faculty Publications

This paper describes the need and methods required to construct an integrated software verification and mission specification system for use in robotic missions intended for counter-weapons of mass destruction (c-WMD) operations, as part of a 3-year effort for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The overall system architecture is described. The principal tool for verification is a process algebra, PARS, based on port automata theory. PARS is introduced, emphasizing its ability to represent probabilistic programs and uncertain and dynamic environments, followed by the analysis of mission properties for an example robotic mission.


Atomistic Investigation Of Scratching-Induced Deformation Twinning In Nanocrystalline Cu, Junjie Zhang, Tao Sun, Yoganda Yan, Dong Shen, Xiaodong Li Oct 2012

Atomistic Investigation Of Scratching-Induced Deformation Twinning In Nanocrystalline Cu, Junjie Zhang, Tao Sun, Yoganda Yan, Dong Shen, Xiaodong Li

Faculty Publications

Deformation twinning is an important deformation mode of nanocrystalline metals. In current study, we investigate the scratching-induced deformation twinning in nanocrystallineCu by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The tribological behavior, the deformation mechanisms, the formation mechanism of deformation twins, and the grain size dependence of the propensity of deformation twinning are elucidated. Simulation results demonstrate that deformation twinning plays an important role in the plastic deformation of nanocrystallineCu under nanoscratching, in addition to dislocation activity and grain boundary-associated mechanism. The nucleation of initial twinning partial dislocations originates from the dissociation of lattice partial dislocations that emit from grain boundary triple …


Wireless Networks-On-Chips: Architecture, Wireless Channel, And Devices, David W. Matolak, Avinash Kodi, Savas Kaya, Dominic Ditomaso, Soumyasanta Laha, William Rayess Oct 2012

Wireless Networks-On-Chips: Architecture, Wireless Channel, And Devices, David W. Matolak, Avinash Kodi, Savas Kaya, Dominic Ditomaso, Soumyasanta Laha, William Rayess

Faculty Publications

Wireless networks-on-chips (WINoCs) hold substantial promise for enhancing multicore integrated circuit performance, by augmenting conventional wired interconnects. As the number of cores per IC grows, intercore communication requirements will also grow, and WINoCs can be used to both save power and reduce latency. In this article, we briefly describe some of the key challenges with WINoC implementation, and also describe our example design, iWISE, which is a scalable wireless interconnect design. We show that the integration of wireless interconnects with wired interconnects in NoCs can reduce overall network power by 34 percent while achieving a speedup of 2.54 on real …


Spherical Lamina Emergent Mechanisms, Samuel E. Wilding, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby Oct 2012

Spherical Lamina Emergent Mechanisms, Samuel E. Wilding, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby

Faculty Publications

Lamina emergent mechanisms (LEMs) are compliant mechanisms that can be manufactured from planar materials and are capable of motion out of the plane of manufacture. Spherical LEMs combine the unique motion of spherical mechanisms with the compactness and simple topology of LEMs. The fundamentals of spherical LEMs are discussed in this work. It is found that 21 of the 33 possible spherical 4R types can be spherical LEMs. A classification based on these 21 possible types is developed. This classification is used to predict motion capabilities of spherical 6R, and Equintet mechanisms. It is also applied to arrays of spherical …


Introduction Of Planar Compliant Joints Designed For Combined Bending And Axial Loading Conditions In Lamina Emergent Mechanisms, Samuel E. Wilding, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby Oct 2012

Introduction Of Planar Compliant Joints Designed For Combined Bending And Axial Loading Conditions In Lamina Emergent Mechanisms, Samuel E. Wilding, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby

Faculty Publications

This work introduces three joints to allow motion in lamina emergent mechanisms (LEMs) that were designed to have minimal parasitic motion under tension, compression, and a combination of tension and compression loading. Closed-form models of the joints were developed and combined with optimization algorithms for maximum flexibility in bending and then modeled using finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA results were used to predict the stiffness of the joints in bending, tension, and compression. As a baseline, lamina emergent torsional (LET) joints were designed to match the bending stiffness of each of the joints, so that the tensile-compressive performance could …


Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Nitrate Thermal Storage Salts In The Solid-Phase, Brian D. Iverson, Scott T. Broome, Alan M. Kruizenga, Joseph G. Cordaro Oct 2012

Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Nitrate Thermal Storage Salts In The Solid-Phase, Brian D. Iverson, Scott T. Broome, Alan M. Kruizenga, Joseph G. Cordaro

Faculty Publications

Implementation of molten salt compounds as the heat transfer fluid and energy storage medium provides specific benefits to energy collection and conversion. Nitrate salts have been identified as a strong candidate for energy transfer and storage and have been demonstrated for use in these applications over time. As nitrate salts have solidification temperatures above ambient, concern for recovery from salt freezing events has instigated efforts to understand and predict this behavior. Accurate information of salt property behavior in the solid-phase is necessary for understanding recovery from a freeze event as well as for phase change thermal energy storage applications. Thermal …


Enhanced Methanol Oxidation And Co Tolerance Using Ceo2-Added Eggshell Membrane-Templated Pd Network Electrocatalyst, Qunwei Tang, Zhengping Mao, Shuguo Ma, Kevin Huang Sep 2012

Enhanced Methanol Oxidation And Co Tolerance Using Ceo2-Added Eggshell Membrane-Templated Pd Network Electrocatalyst, Qunwei Tang, Zhengping Mao, Shuguo Ma, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Macroporous Pd and CeO2-added Pd network catalysts have been synthesized using eggshell membrane (ESM) as a template for enhanced methanol oxidation and CO tolerance. The microstructural characterization revealed a hierarchically ordered macroporous network of Pd reproducing the fibrous structure of ESM for a Pd-only catalyst, and a flower-like CeO2-decorated Pd morphological architecture for the CeO2-added Pd catalyst synthesized by a precipitation method. XRD patterns indicated Pd and CeO2 phases with good crystallinity. The cyclic voltammetry studies showed an enhanced electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation in acidic aqueous medium. Because of the preferential formation …


Degenerate Parallel Conducting Layer And Conductivity Type Conversion Observed From P-Ge1 - YSnY (Y = 0.06%) Grown On N-Si Substrate, Mee-Yi Ryu, Yung Kee Yeo, M. Ahoujja, Thomas R. Harris, Richard T. Beeler, John Kouvetakis Sep 2012

Degenerate Parallel Conducting Layer And Conductivity Type Conversion Observed From P-Ge1 - YSnY (Y = 0.06%) Grown On N-Si Substrate, Mee-Yi Ryu, Yung Kee Yeo, M. Ahoujja, Thomas R. Harris, Richard T. Beeler, John Kouvetakis

Faculty Publications

Electrical properties of p-Ge1−ySny (y = 0.06%) grown on n-Si substrate were investigated through temperature-dependent Hall-effect measurements. It was found that there exists a degenerate parallel conducting layer in Ge1−ySny/Si and a second, deeper acceptor in addition to a shallow acceptor. This parallel conducting layer dominates the electrical properties of the Ge1−ySny layer below 50 K and also significantly affects those properties at higher temperatures. Additionally, a conductivity type conversion from p to n was observed around 370 K for this sample. A two-layer conducting model was used …


Energy Storage Characteristics Of A New Rechargeable Solid Oxide Iron-Air Battery, Xuan Zhao, Nansheng Xu, Xue Li, Yunhui Gong, Kevin Huang Sep 2012

Energy Storage Characteristics Of A New Rechargeable Solid Oxide Iron-Air Battery, Xuan Zhao, Nansheng Xu, Xue Li, Yunhui Gong, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Cost effective and large scale energy storage is critical to renewable energy integration and smart-grid energy infrastructure. Rechargeable batteries have great potential to become a class of cost effective technology suited for large scale energy storage. In this paper, we report the energy storage characteristics of a newly developed rechargeable solid oxide iron–air battery. Investigations of the battery’s performance under various current densities and cycle durations show that iron utilization plays a determining role in storage capacity and round-trip efficiency. Further studies of the battery's cycle life reveal a unique charge-cycle originated degradation mechanism that can be interpreted by a …


Defining The Role Of Ultrasound In Drug Delivery, William G. Pitt Sep 2012

Defining The Role Of Ultrasound In Drug Delivery, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

Ultrasound is a very effective modality for drug delivery because energy that is noninvasively transmitted through the skin can be focused on a specific location and employed to release drug at that site. Most of the drug delivery techniques employ one or both of the results of ultrasonic insonation – the generation of thermal energy, called hyperthermia, or the oscillation of gas bubbles, called acoustic cavitation. Cavitation perturbs cell membrane structures via several modes and increases the permeability to drugs or other solutes. Microconvection, caused by stable cavitation, shears cell membranes. The shock waves and fluid jets of inertial cavitation …


Quaternary Ammonium Silane-Functionalized, Methacrylate Resin Composition With Antimicrobial Activities And Self-Repair Potential, Shi-Qiang Gong, Li-Na Niu, Lisa K. Kemp, Cynthia K.Y. Yiu, Heonjune Ryou, Yi-Pin Qi, John D. Blizzard, Sergey Nikonov, Martha G. Brackett, Regina L.W. Messer, Christine D. Wu, Jing Mao, L. Bryan Brister, Frederick A. Rueggeberg, Dwayne D. Arola, David H. Pashley, Franklin R. Tay Sep 2012

Quaternary Ammonium Silane-Functionalized, Methacrylate Resin Composition With Antimicrobial Activities And Self-Repair Potential, Shi-Qiang Gong, Li-Na Niu, Lisa K. Kemp, Cynthia K.Y. Yiu, Heonjune Ryou, Yi-Pin Qi, John D. Blizzard, Sergey Nikonov, Martha G. Brackett, Regina L.W. Messer, Christine D. Wu, Jing Mao, L. Bryan Brister, Frederick A. Rueggeberg, Dwayne D. Arola, David H. Pashley, Franklin R. Tay

Faculty Publications

The design of antimicrobial polymers to address healthcare issues and minimize environmental problems is an important endeavor with both fundamental and practical implications. Quaternary ammonium silane-functionalized methacrylate (QAMS) represents an example of antimicrobial macromonomers synthesized by a sol–gel chemical route; these compounds possess flexible Si–O–Si bonds. In present work, a partially hydrolyzed QAMS co-polymerized with 2,2-[4(2-hydroxy 3-methacryloxypropoxy)-phenyl]propane is introduced. This methacrylate resin was shown to possess desirable mechanical properties with both a high degree of conversion and minimal polymerization shrinkage. The kill-on-contact microbiocidal activities of this resin were demonstrated using single-species biofilms of Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 36558), Actinomyces naeslundii (ATCC …


Phase Transitions Of Nanoemulsions Using Ultrasound: Experimental Observations, Ram Singh, Ghaleb A. Husseini, William G. Pitt Sep 2012

Phase Transitions Of Nanoemulsions Using Ultrasound: Experimental Observations, Ram Singh, Ghaleb A. Husseini, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

The ultrasound-induced transformation of perfluorocarbon liquids to gases is of interest in the area of drug and gene delivery. In this study, three independent parameters (temperature, size, and perfluorocarbon species) were selected to investigate the effects of 476-kHz and 20-kHz ultrasound on nanoemulsion phase transition. Two levels of each factor (low and high) were considered at each frequency. The acoustic intensities at gas bubble formation and at the onset of inertial cavitation were recorded and subsequently correlated with the acoustic parameters. Experimental data showed that low frequencies are more effective in forming and collapsing a bubble. Additionally, as the size …


H3Po4-Imbibed Three-Dimensional Polyacrylamide/Polyacrylamide Hydrogel As A High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane With Excellent Acid Retention, Qunwei Tang, Guoging Qian, Kevin Huang Aug 2012

H3Po4-Imbibed Three-Dimensional Polyacrylamide/Polyacrylamide Hydrogel As A High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane With Excellent Acid Retention, Qunwei Tang, Guoging Qian, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

We herein report the use of polyacrylamide/polyacrylamide interpenetrating polymer network (PAM/PAM IPN) hydrogel as a matrix to imbibe proton conducting H3PO4, forming a robust proton exchange membrane (PEM) suitable for high-temperature PEM fuel cells by combining excellent acid retention, simple synthesis, and low cost. Its extraordinary ability to absorb large quantity of aqueous solution is fully utilized to achieve high H3PO4 loading, showing a proton conductivity of 0.0833 S cm−1 at 183 °C in dry air. The synthesized membrane also shows excellent acid retention even under mechanical load and high humidity. These profound …


Highly Sensitive X-Ray Detectors In The Low-Energy Range On N-Type 4h-Sic Epitaxial Layers, K. C. Mandal, P. G. Muzykov, J. R. Terry Jul 2012

Highly Sensitive X-Ray Detectors In The Low-Energy Range On N-Type 4h-Sic Epitaxial Layers, K. C. Mandal, P. G. Muzykov, J. R. Terry

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Solid Oxide Fuel Cells With Both High Voltage And Power Output By Utilizing Beneficial Interfacial Reaction, Chao Su, Zongping Shao, Ye Lin, Yuzhou Wu, Huanting Wang Jul 2012

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells With Both High Voltage And Power Output By Utilizing Beneficial Interfacial Reaction, Chao Su, Zongping Shao, Ye Lin, Yuzhou Wu, Huanting Wang

Faculty Publications

An intriguing cell concept by applying proton-conducting oxide as the ionic conducting phase in the anode and taking advantage of beneficial interfacial reaction between anode and electrolyte is proposed to successfully achieve both high open circuit voltage (OCV) and power output for SOFCs with thin-film samarium doped ceria (SDC) electrolyte at temperatures higher than 600 °C. The fuel cells were fabricated by conventional route without introducing an additional processing step. A very thin and dense interfacial layer (2–3 μm) with compositional gradient was created by in situ reaction between anode and electrolyte although the anode substrate had high surface roughness …


Characterization Of Ba1-X-YCaXSrYTio3 Perovskites As Pb-Free Dielectric Materials, Lingling Zhang, Siwei Wang, Xusheng Wang, Kevin Huang Jul 2012

Characterization Of Ba1-X-YCaXSrYTio3 Perovskites As Pb-Free Dielectric Materials, Lingling Zhang, Siwei Wang, Xusheng Wang, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Use of lead-containing piezoelectric components in electrical and electronic devices has been banned on the EU market since July 1st, 2006. Development of lead-free high performance piezoelectric materials to meet the strong market demand is therefore imperative. In this paper, we report a systematic study on the structural, dielectric and ferroelectric properties of one class of lead-free piezoelectric materials, Ba1-x-yCaxSryTiO3 (x = 0-0.4, and y = 0-0.2) ceramics, using techniques such as XRD, SEM, impedance analyzer, and ferroelectric analyzer. It is found that with increasing Sr concentration in Ba …


Order-Disorder Transition Of Aragonite Nanoparticles In Nacre, Zaiwang Huang, Xiaodong Li Jul 2012

Order-Disorder Transition Of Aragonite Nanoparticles In Nacre, Zaiwang Huang, Xiaodong Li

Faculty Publications

Understanding nacre’s bottom-up biomineralization mechanism, particularly, how individual aragonite platelets are formed, has long remained elusive due to its crystallographic peculiarity and structural complexity. Here we report that crystallographic order-disorder transition can be triggered within individual aragonite platelets in pristine nacre by means of heat treatment and/or inelastic deformation, offering a unique opportunity to discriminate mysterious aragonite nanoparticles in transmission electron microscopy. Our findings unambiguously uncover why aragonite nanoparticles in pristine nacre have long been inaccessible under TEM observation, which is attributed to the monocrystal-polycrystal duality of the aragonite platelet. The underlying physical mechanism for why an individual aragonite platelet …


Constrained Control And Optimization Of Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells For Extending Cell Lifetime, Ben Spivey, John Hedengren, Thomas F. Edgar Jul 2012

Constrained Control And Optimization Of Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells For Extending Cell Lifetime, Ben Spivey, John Hedengren, Thomas F. Edgar

Faculty Publications

Extending fuel cell lifetime is a necessary objective for reducing fuel cell power generation cost of electricity. Capital costs comprise the most significant fraction of the cost of electricity. Reducing the frequency of fuel cell replacement can be achieved by implementing a control strategy that prevents excursions into operating regions causing failure. In this paper we implement a constrained MIMO model predictive controller (MPC) to avoid the failure modes relevant for a high-temperature tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system while performing load-following. The primary causes of failure are catalyst poisoning, fuel or air starvation, carbon deposition, and microcracking. Prior …


Feature-Based Opinion Mining And Ranking, Magdalini Eirinaki, S. Pisal, J. Singh Jul 2012

Feature-Based Opinion Mining And Ranking, Magdalini Eirinaki, S. Pisal, J. Singh

Faculty Publications

The proliferation of blogs and social networks presents a new set of challenges and opportunities in the way information is searched and retrieved. Even though facts still play a very important role when information is sought on a topic, opinions have become increasingly important as well. Opinions expressed in blogs and social networks are playing an important role influencing everything from the products people buy to the presidential candidate they support. Thus, there is a need for a new type of search engine which will not only retrieve facts, but will also enable the retrieval of opinions. Such a search …


Half-Life Learning Curves In The Defense Acquisition Life Cycle, Adedeji B. Badiru Jul 2012

Half-Life Learning Curves In The Defense Acquisition Life Cycle, Adedeji B. Badiru

Faculty Publications

Learning curves are useful for assessing performance improvement due to the positive impact of learning. In recent years, the deleterious effects of forgetting have also been recognized. Workers experience forgetting or decline in performance over time. Consequently, contemporary learning curves have attempted to incorporate forgetting components into learning curves. An area of increasing interest is the study of how fast and how far the forgetting impact can influence overall performance. This article introduces the concept of half-life analysis of learning curves using the concept of growth and decay, with particular emphasis on applications in the defense acquisition process. The computational …


Design And Analysis Of A Dynamically Configured Log-Based Distributed Security Event Detection Methodology, Michael R. Grimaila, Justin M. Myers, Robert F. Mills, Gilbert L. Peterson Jul 2012

Design And Analysis Of A Dynamically Configured Log-Based Distributed Security Event Detection Methodology, Michael R. Grimaila, Justin M. Myers, Robert F. Mills, Gilbert L. Peterson

Faculty Publications

Military and defense organizations rely upon the security of data stored in, and communicated through, their cyber infrastructure to fulfill their mission objectives. It is essential to identify threats to the cyber infrastructure in a timely manner, so that mission risks can be recognized and mitigated. Centralized event logging and correlation is a proven method for identifying threats to cyber resources. However, centralized event logging is inflexible and does not scale well, because it consumes excessive network bandwidth and imposes significant storage and processing requirements on the central event log server. In this paper, we present a flexible, distributed event …


Using Modeling And Simulation To Examine The Benefits Of A Network Tasking Order, Matthew D. Compton, Kenneth M. Hopkinson, Gilbert L. Peterson, James T. Moore Jul 2012

Using Modeling And Simulation To Examine The Benefits Of A Network Tasking Order, Matthew D. Compton, Kenneth M. Hopkinson, Gilbert L. Peterson, James T. Moore

Faculty Publications

The Global Information Grid (GIG) is the military’s computer and communications network which supports the myriad of military missions. Military missions are highly planned, passing through many hands in the strategy-to-task methodology to ensure completeness, accuracy, coordination, cohesion, and appropriateness. A benefit of this planning is the possibility to collect knowledge of future conditions that could be of use to network designers whose goals include optimizing and protecting the GIG. This advanced knowledge includes which networked military equipment will be involved, what their capabilities are, where they will be, when they will be there, and particulars on the required data …


Using Inductance As A Tuning Parameter For Rf Meta-Atoms, Derrick Langley, Ronald Coutu Jr., Peter J. Collins Jun 2012

Using Inductance As A Tuning Parameter For Rf Meta-Atoms, Derrick Langley, Ronald Coutu Jr., Peter J. Collins

Faculty Publications

The resonant frequency of metamaterials structured with split ring resonator (SRR) meta-atoms is determined primarily through the capacitance and inductance of the individual meta-atoms. Two designs that vary inductance incrementally were modeled, simulated, fabricated, and tested to investigate the role inductance plays in metamaterial designs. The designs consisted of strategically adding sections to the SRR to increase the inductance, but in a manner that minimized capacitance variations. Each design showed a shift in resonant frequency that was proportional to the length of the added section. As the length of each section was increased, the resonant frequency shifted from 2.78 GHz …


Multiple Molecule Effects On The Cooperativity Of Protein Folding Transitions In Simulations, Jacob I. Lewis, Devin J. Moss, Thomas A. Knotts Iv Jun 2012

Multiple Molecule Effects On The Cooperativity Of Protein Folding Transitions In Simulations, Jacob I. Lewis, Devin J. Moss, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

Though molecular simulation of proteins has made notable contributions to the study of protein folding and kinetics, disagreement between simulation and experiment still exists. One of the criticisms levied against simulation is its failure to reproduce cooperative protein folding transitions. This weakness has been attributed to many factors such as a lack of polarizability and adequate capturing of solvent effects. This work, however, investigates how increasing the number of proteins simulated simultaneously can affect the cooperativity of folding transitions — a topic that has received little attention previously. Two proteins are studied in this work: phage T4 lysozyme (Protein Data …


High Co2 Permeation Flux Enabled By Highly Interconnected Three-Dimensional Ionic Channels In Selective Co2 Separation Membranes, Lingling Zhang, Nansheng Xu, Xue Li, Siwei Wang, Kevin Huang, William H. Harris, Wilson K. S. Chiu Jun 2012

High Co2 Permeation Flux Enabled By Highly Interconnected Three-Dimensional Ionic Channels In Selective Co2 Separation Membranes, Lingling Zhang, Nansheng Xu, Xue Li, Siwei Wang, Kevin Huang, William H. Harris, Wilson K. S. Chiu

Faculty Publications

Abatement of CO2 emissions from existing fossil-fueled power plants is currently the sole near-term solution to stabilize CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Separation and capture of CO2from process streams of these power plants is the first step toward this effort. In this paper, we report a high flux membrane consisting of highly and efficiently interconnected three-dimensional ionic channels prepared from a combined “co-precipitation” and “sacrificial-template” synthesis. The membranes exhibit remarkable CO2 permeation characteristic, achieving a CO2 flux density two orders of magnitude higher than other similar systems reported in the literature. The experimental results …


Work-In-Progress: Linking A Geographically Distributed Reu Program With Networking And Collaboration Tools, Thalia Anagnos, Alicia Lyman-Holt, Sean Brophy Jun 2012

Work-In-Progress: Linking A Geographically Distributed Reu Program With Networking And Collaboration Tools, Thalia Anagnos, Alicia Lyman-Holt, Sean Brophy

Faculty Publications

The George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation coordinates a geographically distributed REU program with up to 30 students at 5 to 7 research sites each summer. Creating a sense of cohort and providing opportunities for the students to interact is challenging. The program coordinators have leveraged the NEES hub cyberinfrastructure to engage students in professional development and peer-to-peer interaction. Some experimentation with Facebook to sustain engagement with alumni is underway. Resources include a course management system (Moodle embedded in NEES hub) and a virtual world called Quake Quest. Through the course management system students post a variety …


A New Assessment Method To Easily Identify Areas Needing Improvement In Course-Level Learning Outcomes, Thomas Knotts, W. Vincent Wilding, William G. Pitt, Morris D. Argyle Jun 2012

A New Assessment Method To Easily Identify Areas Needing Improvement In Course-Level Learning Outcomes, Thomas Knotts, W. Vincent Wilding, William G. Pitt, Morris D. Argyle

Faculty Publications

A New Assessment Method to Easily Identify Areas Needing Improvement Course‐level Learning Outcomes Thomas A. Knotts IV, W. Vincent Wilding, William G. Pitt, and Morris D. Argyle Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University Assessment of student proficiency in expected outcomes, whether on the course or program level, is an important aspect of curriculum development in engineering programs. The reasons for such assessment range from desires to improve student learning to fulfilling requirements of various accreditation bodies. But regardless of the reasons, the challenge is to develop suitable metrics which can clearly identify areas which need improvement. In order to …


Developing And Assessing Leadership In Engineering Students, W. Vincent Wilding, Thomas A. Knotts, William G. Pitt, Morris D. Argyle Jun 2012

Developing And Assessing Leadership In Engineering Students, W. Vincent Wilding, Thomas A. Knotts, William G. Pitt, Morris D. Argyle

Faculty Publications

Developing and Assessing Leadership in Engineering Students W. Vincent Wilding, Thomas A. Knotts IV, William G. Pitt, and Morris D. Argyle Department of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University The Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology at Brigham Young University is focusing on five initiatives: Leadership, Innovation, Global Awareness, Character, Technical Excellence. Efforts in the realm of leadership include freshmen leadership seminars and a required sophomore course entitled Global Leadership in a Technological World. Departments within the college are expected to build on this foundation in the junior and senior years. The Chemical Engineering Department has developed an effective …


Global Technology Initiative At San Jose State University: Results Of Seven Years Of An International Experience For Students, Belle Wei, Patricia Backer, Wenchiang Chung, Andrew Wood Jun 2012

Global Technology Initiative At San Jose State University: Results Of Seven Years Of An International Experience For Students, Belle Wei, Patricia Backer, Wenchiang Chung, Andrew Wood

Faculty Publications

For XXX students to thrive in the highly competitive global economy, it is critical to develop international perspectives and knowledge. The $1 million Global Technology Initiative (GTI), established in 2004, provides SJSU students with an opportunity to gain a global perspective of the world by learning about technology and business developments in the Asia Pacific region. GTI donors are high-tech business leaders with strong business ties in Silicon Valley and the Asia Pacific region. Given the current trend of engineering globalization in the global economy, particularly the trend of outsourcing Silicon Valley manufacturing, development, and design work to foreign countries, …


Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Interest And Choice In Engineering Study And Careers For Undergraduate Women Engineering Students, Patricia Backer, Rona Halualani Jun 2012

Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Interest And Choice In Engineering Study And Careers For Undergraduate Women Engineering Students, Patricia Backer, Rona Halualani

Faculty Publications

Self-efficacy refers to the belief in a persons’ ability to perform a specific task. Starting in middle school, girls tend to underestimate their abilities in STEM. This confidence gap among girls persists through high school into college. This gap is presumed to be partially responsible for the gender gap in engineering and other STEM fields (e.g. computer science, physics). In 2006, women only earned 19.5% of the undergraduate BS engineering degrees in the U.S. This paper investigates the motivations of women students at XXX to pursue engineering careers, including their level of self-efficacy and sources of academic support, and the …