Engineering Commons^™

The Challenge Of Postdoc’Ing In The Us: Perspectives From International Engineering Postdoctoral Scholars, Sylvia Mendez, Kathryn Watson, Jennifer Tygret

Research Papers

An intrinsic case study explores the challenges shared by international engineering postdoctoral scholars about working in the United States (US). Little research has been devoted to their experiences despite their stark increase in the postdoctoral labor force over the last decade. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight engineering postdoctoral scholars hailing from Canada, China, Colombia, Iran, Italy, and Thailand. Participant interviews were analyzed inductively and resulted in four themes: (1) Immigration concerns; (2) Strains to find a community; (3) Pressure to publish and secure funding; and (4) Inadequate career counseling. The identified themes could be particularly instructive to Ph.D. advisors …

Embedding Competencies In Sustainability And Authentic Learning Experiences In Food Science Education Through A Study Program-Driven Approach, Anita Nordeng Jakobsen, Sunniva Hoel, Ida-Johanne Jensen

Research Papers

The food sector is experiencing a substantial shift towards Industry 4.0 regarding technological solutions to ensure efficient and sustainable food production. To face the required changes and be able to influence and change existing systems, future candidates must have solid capabilities in their respective subject areas as well as generic skills such as critical thinking, reflection, communication, and teamwork skills. At NTNU, a program-driven approach for embedding sustainability and authentic learning experiences in the bachelor program of Food Science, technology and sustainability was conducted. Thematic groups of staff members developed learning outcomes and learning- and assessment methods to ensure coherence …

Is “Improving The Quality Of Life” The Only Sustainability Issue That Is Related To Engineering? - Exploring Engineering Students’ Conceptions Of Sustainability, Lillian Yun Yung Luk, Inês Direito, John Mitchell, Kate Roach

Research Papers

UNESCO’s (2021) report on engineering for sustainable development has emphasized the critical role of engineers in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, there is a lack of clarity about the conceptualization or definition of sustainability (Moore et al., 2017), which makes it difficult to integrate sustainability into the curriculum. While Walshe (2008) conducted a study on high school students’ conceptions of sustainability in the UK, there appears to be a lack of research conducted in the context of higher education. The study presented in this paper explores engineering students’ understanding of sustainability in engineering and how it is …

Using Machine Learning Methods To Develop Person-Centered Models Predicting Stem Major Choice, Marcell Nagy, Joyce Main, Roland Molontay, Amanda Griffith

Research Papers

Understanding the factors that influence the choice of a STEM major is important for developing effective strategies to increase participation in STEM fields and meet the growing demand for skilled workers. This research is based on the nationally representative data of 25,206 students surveyed in the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). The HSLS:09 includes longitudinal data from 9th-grade students through their postsecondary study. First, we use machine learning to predict who is going to opt for a STEM major. Then we use interpretable ML tools, such as SHAP values, to investigate the key factors that influence students' decisions …

Exploring Engineering Students’ Perception Of Their Career Preparedness In A Systemic Pbl Context In Denmark, Anna Overgaard Markman, Svend Hauekrog Christiansen, Xiangyun Du

Research Papers

The demand for graduates who are well-prepared for employment remains a persistent concern. This study aims to examine the perceptions of career preparedness among engineering students in a systemic problem-based learning environment, employing a gender perspective. The data for this study was collected through two focus group interviews conducted with engineering students in their eighth semester. The collected data was then coded, resulting in the identification of three main categories: (1) professional competence development, (2) career anticipation, and (3) gender role. The findings of the study reveal that collaboration with external companies and the provision of practical support play a …

A Look At Vocational And Academic Student Backgrounds In Ability To Solve Practical Problems, Gareth Thomson, Mark Prince

Research Papers

While most students in the UK will enter engineering degrees with traditional academic qualifications, a significant proportion will come from backgrounds which use vocational based qualifications to gain entry to degree level study. Indicators show that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to be among those using vocational qualifications to gain entry to University and may not progress as well. This is often linked to difficulties in traditional academic elements of the degree such as mathematics where both the content and learning approaches are much less familiar to students with a vocational background. These academic skills are not …

Exploring Women’S Teamwork Experiences In Engineering Education: A Phenomenological Analysis, Sandra Ireri Cruz Moreno, Shannon Chance, Brian Bowe

Research Papers

Teamwork, project or problem based learning, and other collaborative learning strategies are often presented as approaches that benefit women and other minorities during their studies in Science and Engineering fields of education. This is based on the assumption that underrepresented groups will respond positively to the social integration and cooperation encouraged by these learning methods. However, research also shows that gendered stereotypical presuppositions about attributes and interests can influence the performance of team members and the tasks developed, potentially providing opportunities to sexism, racism, and other exclusionary social behaviours.

The Stability Of Pre-Enrolment Prediction Of Academic Achievement: Criterion-Referencing Versus Norm-Referencing, Jolan Hanssens, Carolien Van Soom, Greet Langie

Research Papers

Positioning tests are organized in Flanders for prospective STEM students. They provide a low-stakes opportunity to assess their level of starting competences before enrolment. Predictive validity for subsequent academic achievement is an important quality measure of these positioning tests. However, the content of the tests varies over the years. This could be problematic for making accurate predictions based on data from previous years. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare the stability over time of the predictions of academic achievement using either criterionreferenced (absolute grading) or norm-referenced (relative grading) positioning test grades of engineering and science students. Comparisons …

Tell It With Commits To Git, Pia Niemelä, Jenni Hukkanen, Mikko Nurminen, Antti Sand, Hannu-Matti Järvinen

Research Papers

In the realm of higher education, team work is considered a crucial factor in facilitating the development of collaborative and work-life skills among students. Studies have shown that collaborative tasks promote a sense of community, belonging, and wellbeing among students. However, uneven work distribution and vague team roles can lead to dissatisfaction and reduced commitment, ultimately resulting in assignment failure and impeding progress towards graduation. This paper examines students’ feedback on Britton et al.’s (2017) team quality questionnaire, along with their contributions to team performance. Additional questions were added to gauge how students communicate and organize their work within their …

Interconnectedness Of Geometric, Linguistic, And Algebraic Thinking In Student Performance Measures: An Association Rules Approach, Bence Sipos, Brigitta Szilágyi

Research Papers

Assessing student performance is crucial in education for evaluating knowledge acquisition and competency development. Traditional grading systems often overlook the interconnectedness of learning domains, which can provide valuable insights into student understanding. This study investigates the associations between geometric, linguistic, and algebraic thinking and their impact on student performance measures and grading using association rules. We analyzed a dataset comprising student responses to geometric, linguistic, and algebraic questions by applying association rule mining techniques. The extracted rules were used to evaluate question similarity, revealing deeper insights into student performance and problem-solving strategies. Our findings demonstrate significant interconnectedness between geometric, linguistic, …

Conceptualizing Socially Shared Regulation In Challenge-Based Learning, Karolina Doulougeri, Gunter Bombaerts, Michael Bots, Jan D. Vermunt

Research Papers

Students in Challenge-based learning (CBL) courses work in multidisciplinary groups to develop a solution to an open-ended and ill-defined challenge.Thus, in CBL, students need to regulate their learning individually and collectively to learn. Socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) refers to the development of collective and coconstructed task perceptions or shared goals by multiple students working as a group. Existing knowledge about conceptualizing and researching SSRL in CBL is currently lacking. In this paper, we provide evidence from a qualitative study we conducted in a CBL course, using analysis of individual learning portfolios and in-depth interviews about students’ perceptions of …

Self-Assessment Or Peer Assessment? Which Is Better Predictor Of Test Results, Nárcisz Kulcsár

Research Papers

Internationally accredited engineering programmes are becoming increasingly important in the internationalisation agenda of universities. ABET has highlighted transversal skills in its accreditation criteria for engineering degrees. Preferred transferable skills include the ability of students to reflect on their own performance, the ability to give constructive feedback and the ability to make judgements. Students' self- and peer-assessment was examined in the context of a basic mathematics course. During the maths midterm tests, students self-assessed on each task, and assessed another student’s test. These assessments were compared with the points given by the teacher. 84% of students overestimated their actual performance and …

Campfire Talk Game, An Unsupervised Intervision Game For Students And Staff, Pleun Hermsen, Sjoerd Van Dommelen, Paula Hueso Espinosa

Workshops

Are you witnessing students facing concerns, difficulties, and problems throughout their educational journey? Perhaps you know PhDs, lecturers, or support staff who encounter challenges in their educational, research, or teaching paths. Openly addressing these issues can prove beneficial in all of these scenarios! While coaching is a potential solution, it can be time-consuming and demanding, right? Instead, let them have a Campfire Talk: a non-intrusive and socially safe serious game that requires no supervision. It provides a platform for discussing struggles that in practice are often difficult to address or overlooked but can deeply affect individual or group behavior. During …

Democratic Education Within The Standard Curriculum At Tu Berlin - A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis, André Baier, Noemi Tenhagen

Research Papers

Introduction - Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) was founded after the Second World War on the ruins of its predecessor. At its inauguration it was bound to promote democracy through its education. This view is further held up through the university law of the federal state of Berlin which states that the disciplinary competences are to be acquired in such a way so that students are able to act democratically. This spirit is still alive at TU Berlin and over the past decades it led to several educational concepts which reach beyond traditional methods of teaching/learning and which expand the …

Reflection On Your Personal Perspective Through Other Perspectives. A Step In Dealing With Wicked Problems, Pleun Hermsen, Sjoerd Van Dommelen, Paula Hueso Espinosa

Workshops

Don’t we all sometimes seek the perspective of someone unrelated to our work, to get unstuck, or when we seek creativity? Engineers, educators, and students put their trust into science, protocols, procedures and models. Rightfully so, from the perspective of the laws of engineering this makes sense. This also explains why when people deal with challenges, they often tackle them (consciously or unconsciously) with their preferred strategies (Hayashi 2018) (Mezirow 2000). However, these preferred strategies might offer a false sense of security because they oversimplify the complicated nature of the challenge. People might focus on a part of problem which …

How To Make Calculus Assignments Not Boring? Designing Calculus Assessment With The Constructive, Contextual, Collaborative, And Self-Directed Principles Of Problem-Based Learning., Martijn Boussé, Gavin Phillips, Stefan Jongen, Lonneke Bevers

Workshops

No abstract provided.

Promoting Engineering To K12 Students Through Spatially Challenging Making And Outreach Activities, Gavin Duffy, Marten Westerhof, Deborah Keogh, Colm O'Kane

Workshops

Outreach activities are an important and valuable approach to promoting engineering education and careers to young people. They provide an excellent way to show that engineering can be fun, challenging and rewarding. With some careful thinking, they can also be used to promote and develop spatial ability, a cognitive ability that is very important to engineering. The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate examples of outreach activities that are the result of such careful thinking. Those who attend this workshop will be able to:

1. Explain why and how spatial ability is so important to success in engineering education
2. Summarise …

Building Collaboration And Learning Mechanisms For Sustainable Development, Aida Guerra, Dan Jiang

Workshops

No abstract provided.

Future Perspectives Of Capacity Building In Engineering Education, Jennifer Ann Griffiths, Yousef Jalali, Aniko Kálmán, Klara Kövesi, Greet Langie, Johanna Lönngren, John Mitchell, Madeline Polmear

Workshops

No abstract provided.

Using Technology To Teach/Learn Mathematics, How Are We As Teachers Fostering Mathematics Education Mobility?, Deolinda Maria L. Dias Rasteiro, Ascensión Hernandez Encinas, Araceli Queiruga-Dios, María Jesús Santos Sánchez, Agustin Martín, Luis Hernández-Álvarez, Miguel Ángel González De La Torre, Alicia Pose Díez De La Lastra

Workshops

No abstract provided.

Cyber-Physical Multi-Robot Systems In A Smart Factory: A Networked Ai Agents Approach, Zixiang Nie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on addressing the technical challenges of non-stationarity in smart factories through the use of cyber-physical AI agents. Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing with smart factories as a central role, have a growing demand for Just-in-Time (JIT) and on-demand production, as well as mass customization—all while maintaining high productivity, resource efficiency and resilience. This research positions Multi-Robot Systems (MRS)-driven smart factories. The heterogeneous production and transportation robots in an MRS collaborate to form multiple real-time adjusted production flows achieving the flexibility to accommodate such on-demand, mass customization.

However, the implementation of MRS introduces new sets of challenges, including …

Peanut Shell Powder As A Sustainable Modifier And Its Influence On Self-Healing Properties Of Asphalt, Bo Wang, Junan Shen, Shuang Li, Wei Wang

Civil Engineering & Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper investigated, for the first time, the feasibility of using peanut shell powder, a plant waste residue, as a modifier for asphalt, particularly its self-healing ability. Modified asphalt samples were prepared using varying particle size ranges and concentrations of peanut shell powder. Various tests, including fatigue–healing–fatigue tests, high- and low-temperature rheological property tests, penetration tests for conventional performance, and atomic force microscopy scans, were conducted to investigate the effects of peanut shell powder on the self-healing performance and other properties of asphalt. The results showed that the porous structure of peanut shell powder was able to absorb light components …

A Portable And Reliable Tool For On-Site Physical Reaction Time (Rt) Measurement, Brent Harper, Michael Shiraishi, Rahul Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

The drop-stick test system (DTS) invention has the capability to measure reaction accurately for sideline mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) assessment. The reaction time (RT) measurements showed moderate to good inter-instrument reliability with an overall ICC of 0.82 (95 % CI 0.78–0.85). RT is a useful biomarker of mTBI or concussion, but existing technologies in controlled laboratory environments are not feasible for assessments in the field. With wearable technologies and wireless connection with smartphones, it is now easier to conduct RT assessments on the field. The purpose was to develop a portable DTS involving wearable inertial sensors translatable from the …

Thermal Transport And Rheological Properties Of Hybrid Nanofluids Based On Vegetable Lubricants, Helio Ribeiro, Jaime Taha-Tijerina, Ofelia Gomez, Ever Acosta, Gabriel M. Pinto, Lorena R. C. Moraes, Guilhermino J. M. Fechine, Ricardo J. E. Andrade, Jefferson Reinoza, Victoria Padilla, Karen Lozano

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Nanofluids based on vegetal oil with different wt.% of carbon nanotubes (CNT), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and its hybrid (h-BN@CNT) were produced to investigate the effects of these nano-additives on the thermal conductivity and rheological properties of nanofluids. Stable suspensions of these oil/nanostructures were produced without the use of stabilizing agents. The dispersed nanostructures were investigated by SEM, EDS, XRD, and XPS, while the thermal conductivity and rheological characteristics were studied by a transient hot-wire method and steady-state flow tests, respectively. Increases in thermal conductivity of up to 39% were observed for fluids produced with 0.5 wt.% of the hybrid …

Exploration Of Corona Charge As A Novel In Vitro Human T Cell Dna Transfection Method, Molly A. Skinner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With gene-based immunotherapies on the rise to treat a multitude of diseases, the ability to genetically modify cells in a rapid and efficient fashion is necessary to keep up with demand. Gene electrotransfer (gene transfer by electroporation) is an appealing transfection method due to its low cost, high efficiency compared to other physical forms of gene delivery, and low toxicity compared to liposomal or viral vectors.

Traditional gene delivery via electroporation is done within a cuvette where the cell suspension is placed between two plate electrodes. This method requires cells to be moved from the treatment cuvette to a growth …

Neutronic Analysis Of The Byu Molten Salt Micro Reactor, Collin Bradford, Edward Mercado, Braden Clayton, Lagrande Gunnell, Andrew Larsen, Matthew Memmott

Faculty Publications

Background: With the rising need for reliable and clean energy, researchers at Brigham Young University created a molten salt microreactor (MSMR) concept to help meet the world’s growing energy demands. The MSMR is rated at 45 MWth and is uniquely capable of passively dissipating all decay heat using conduction only.

Methods: This work presents the results of the simulated neutronic behavior of the MSMR using the Monte Carlo neutronics code OpenMC with the ENDF/B-VII.1 cross-section library at steady state conditions. The specific characteristics discussed in this work are: keff, power profile, axial and radial peak power factors, Doppler coefficient of …

A Positioning Theory Analysis Of Interaction Surrounding Design Failures In An Elementary Engineering Club, Katarina N. Silvestri, Mary B. Mcvee, Lynn E. Shanahan, Kenneth English

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This qualitative study applies Positioning Theory to identify positions that mediate the experiences of design failure within the context of an afterschool engineering club (EC) with elementary students diverse in language, race, ethnicity, gender, and academic abilities. We ask: (1) What kinds of structural design failure and failure responses did participants in EC experience? and (2) What are students’ and teachers’ positions in relation to responses to design failure? Types of positions (e.g., builder, tinkerer, idea-elicitor, director, observer) were identified in relation to children’s and teachers’ actions and speech in response to structural design failure during EC. Participants included 12 …

Semi-Supervised Learning Method For The Augmentation Of An Incomplete Image-Based Inventory Of Earthquake-Induced Soil Liquefaction Surface Effects, Adel Asadi, Laurie Gaskins Baise, Christina Sanon, Magaly Koch, Snehamoy Chatterjee, Babak Moaveni

Michigan Tech Publications

Soil liquefaction often occurs as a secondary hazard during earthquakes and can lead to significant structural and infrastructure damage. Liquefaction is most often documented through field reconnaissance and recorded as point locations. Complete liquefaction inventories across the impacted area are rare but valuable for developing empirical liquefaction prediction models. Remote sensing analysis can be used to rapidly produce the full spatial extent of liquefaction ejecta after an event to inform and supplement field investigations. Visually labeling liquefaction ejecta from remotely sensed imagery is time-consuming and prone to human error and inconsistency. This study uses a partially labeled liquefaction inventory created …

10.09.2023 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Metabolomic Insights Into Tuberculosis: Machine Learning Approaches For Biomarker Identification, Miftahul Khair Akbar, Arief Aulia Rahman

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

The lung parenchyma is largely impacted by the infectious condition known as pulmonary tuberculosis (pulmonary TB) when the immune system creates a wall around the germs in the lungs, a tiny, hard bulge known as a tubercle develops, earning the disease the name tuberculosis. Although the majority of TB germs target the lungs, they can also harm other bodily organs. The identification of TB biomarkers, which are crucial for diagnosis, treatment monitoring, risk analysis, and prognosis, has been the subject of extensive research. Differences in metabolites between normal cells and tuberculosis are considered to be able to support the diagnosis …