Engineering Commons^™

Usu College Of Engineering Student Honored By Aviation Week, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The aerospace industry has its eyes on a group of young engineering professionals, including Utah State University’s Ryan Martineau, who will lead tomorrow’s innovations in space, aviation and defense.

Up In Smoke – How Changes In Egyptian Farming Can Help Preserve The Pyramids, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Along the fertile banks of the Nile River, a researcher from Utah State University is finding ways to turn a useless agricultural byproduct into something valuable, while improving the region’s air quality in the process.

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Driven By Beliefs: Understanding Challenges Physical Science Teachers Face When Integrating Engineering And Physics, Emily A. Dare, Joshua A. Ellis, Gillian H. Roehrig

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

It is difficult to ignore the increased use of technological innovations in today’s world, which has led to various calls for the integration of engineering into K-12 science standards. The need to understand how engineering is currently being brought to science classrooms is apparent and necessary in order to address these calls for integration. This multiphase, mixed-methods study investigated the classroom practices and beliefs of high school physical science teachers following an intensive professional development on physics and engineering integration.

Classroom observations showed that teachers new to incorporating engineering into their physical science classrooms often struggled to maintain focus on …

Gender Differences In The Consistency Of Middle School Students’ Interest In Engineering And Science Careers, Marsha Ing, Pamela R. Aschbacher, Sherry M. Tsai

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

This longitudinal study analyzes survey responses in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade from diverse public school students (n = 482) to explore gender differences in engineering and science career preferences. Females were far more likely to express interest in a science career (31%) than an engineering career (13%), while the reverse was true for males (58% in engineering, 39% in science). After controlling for student and school demographic characteristics, females were as consistent as males in their science career interests during the three years of the study but less consistent in their engineering career interests. Knowing an engineer significantly …

Pioneering Next-Gen Wireless Networks, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A Utah State University engineering professor is part of a collaborative team of researchers developing new technologies that will support next-generation wireless networks. Associate professor of computer and electrical engineering Rose Hu, has secured two National Science Foundation grants along with private funding from Intel to develop tomorrow’s wireless systems.

Engineering Design: A Cognitive Process Approach, Greg Joseph Strimel

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation was to identify the cognitive processes used by advanced pre-engineering students to solve complex engineering design problems. Students in technology and engineering education classrooms are often taught to use an ideal engineering design process that has been generated mostly by educators and curriculum developers. However, the review of literature showed that it is unclear as to how advanced pre-engineering students cognitively navigate solving a complex and multifaceted problem from beginning to end. Additionally, it was unclear how a student thinks and acts throughout their design process and how this affects the viability of their solution. …

Ieee Members Win Department Design Competition | Electrical And Computer Engineering | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

IEEE USU Student Branch members recently won the USU Electrical and Computer Engineering Department award for Outstanding Senior Design Project. The Autonomous Shopping Cart (ASC) stole the show despite stiff competition.

Utah State University To Break Ground For Electric Vehicle And Roadway Test Track, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University will break ground on Sept. 23 for its state-of-the-art Electric Vehicle and Roadway (EVR) Research Facility and Test Track, the first facility of its kind in the United States.

Integrating Cognitive Science With Innovative Teaching In Stem Disciplines, Mark A. Mcdaniel, Regina F. Frey, Susan M. Fitzpatrick, Henry L. Roediger Iii

Books and Monographs

This volume collects the ideas and insights discussed at a novel conference, the Integrating Cognitive Science with Innovative Teaching in STEM Disciplines Conference, which was held September 27-28, 2012 at Washington University in St. Louis. With funding from the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the conference was hosted by Washington University’s Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education (CIRCLE), a center established in 2011. Available for download as a PDF. Titles of individual chapters can be found at http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/circle_book/.

2014 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2014 ENGR333 project focused on net zero homes.

I asked the students “What would it take for a home in Grand Rapids to become net-zero?”

Customer

The customers for this project were several homeowners in the Grand Rapids area.

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Work In Progress - Peer Directed Learning In A Project Based Model, Andrew Mcnally

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Iron Range Engineering is a new, unique, undergraduate program using problem-based learning. One guiding principle is student responsibility for learning. In order to facilitate learning, faculty and students alike have come up with several learning methods. Learning modes may include self-directed learning, peer-directed learning, one-on-one faculty directed learning, or industry mentored learning. Peer directed learning often manifests in the form of learning groups (a group of students learning similar competencies), led by either a faculty member or a student who has previously excelled in that competency and has taken an interest in pursuing advanced credit. Recently, Iron Range Engineering has …

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Vehicle Multi-Pass Rut Volume And Mobility Power Study, William W. Barbour

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This paper presents the relationship between applied power by a wheeled vehicle to soil and the rutting effects. Specifically, a strong positive relationship was found between cumulative applied power and total rut volume across multiple passes by the vehicle over the same tracks. Field-testing was conducted using a high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) and two distinct soil types. Sensors on the vehicle measured torque and angular velocity of each of the four wheels, from which applied power was calculated. A rut profile meter was used to document the shape of the rut after set numbers of passes and this profile …

Program, Franco Berruti

Thermal Barrier Coatings IV

No abstract provided.

Ethical Reasoning Development In Project-Based Learning, Elizabeth Pluskwik, Puteri S. Megat Hamari

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This paper will describe the method of ethics instruction in a specific project-based learning program with the aim to improve the current level of moral reasoning skills in the engineering students enrolled in the program. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) have endorsed efforts to improve the teaching of ethics in the engineering curriculum. Criterion 3-f of the ABET outcomes,specifically calls for student attainment of an understanding of ethical and professional responsibility. In response, engineering educators seek to develop curriculum to improve moral reasoning skills, which should lead to increased …

Where To Park? The East Campus Dilemma, Matthew Lewis

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

James Madison University's East Campus expansion has created parking problems. Student struggle to find a decent parking spot, sacrificing time to park and then perhaps more time to walk to class. This research project seeks answers to the parking problems on the east side of campus, specifically the Festival and Convocation lots. Should students spend time navigating the Festival lot looking for a spot or should they go directly to the Convocation lot? The data and research explain why the latter solution is much more efficient.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Of Cal Poly's Manufacturing Laboratory, Yoonho Mark Kim

Materials Engineering

The purpose of the study is to obtain basic understanding of the sustainability of Cal Poly IME 144 laboratory. Since the general condition of the lab prevents precise, efficient data collection, fuzzy logic is used to provide an overview of the laboratory's sustainability. Aluminum chips, brass chips, and paper waste are identified as primary waste streams. Electric usage of the laboratory is approximately calculated based on the machines' running time. Fuzzy logic system with three inputs and one output is designed in the Matlab software environment with Simulink to simulate a model for the laboratory's sustainability. Also the study suggests …

Merry-Go-Round Human Powered Generator, Sarah Lorraine Ashe, Salvador Navarro

Electrical Engineering

How do you bring electricity to families who have limited resources in a developing country? The DC House project, advised by Dr. Taufik, provides a way for kids to have fun, exercise and generate power for their homes – play-park human powered generators. This project intends to create a more efficient and cost effective way for playground equipment to be implemented for power generation. The redesigned and reconstructed merry-go-round human powered generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy to power the DC house. This was a fully functioning generator that needed a better voltage gain, as well as, a more …

Adding Vision To A Quadrotor: A Design-Build-Test Adventure, Darren Tinker

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Quadrotors are small and exceptionally agile vehicles with maneuverability that permits both indoor and outdoor flight. The vast majority of quadrotors are flown autonomously as drones or remotely by a human-operator. Applications of quadrotors range from commercial deliveries, to military and law reconnaissance as well as research tools for various fields. Our lab at Western Kentucky University built a quadrotor in 2013, and we have been exploring various modifications to refine its performance and various applications in which it could be productively employed. Recently, research has focused on the addition of a camera to add capabilities for first person view …

Mechanism Of Insulin Aggregation: Applied To Alzheimer's Disease, Milos Atz

Honors Scholar Theses

Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating neurodegenerative illness, is caused by the irreversible aggregation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain. In Alzheimer’s brains, the protein can become disfigured, causing it to aggregate into long, insoluble fibers that deposit on brain tissue. Studying the aggregation mechanisms of amyloid proteins can lead to a deeper understanding of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and possibly point towards a potential cure or treatment for the disease. Heat induced aggregation of insulin provides a model system to study the aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins. This study investigates the early stages of heat induced insulin aggregation using dynamic light …

Optimizing Polymer Fluorescence For Explosives Detection, Rose K. Cersonsky

Honors Scholar Theses

Pyrene is commonly used for explosives detection, as when mixed with polystyrene, the fluorescence intensity of the resulting film can be used as an indicator of the presence of nitro-aromatic, nitro-ether, or nitro-amine explosives. Previous studieshave tested a three-component system including pyrene, polystyrene, and a salt, tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAHP). From these previous studies, it has been seen that vapor pressure of the preparation area is a governing factor in the formation of excimers, which are instrumental in achieving and maintaining fluorescence intensity. In this study, three parameters – solution concentration, film thickness, and molecular weight of polystyrene are examined to …

Bs News May/June

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bio Roll-Up: Self-Assembling Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering, Chase Austyn Brisbois

Nanoscale Science & Engineering (discontinued with class year 2014)

There is an unmet need for controlled, dynamic cell scaffolds that will generate 3-D monolayers of epithelial cells for medical research and tissue engineering. Here we describe a system that uses photoimageable and biocompatible HEMA-based hydrogel bilayers that self-assemble from 2-D substrates into 3-D tube-shaped structures. These structures are patterned on top of another layer that demonstrates an ability to anchor the assembled structure and control the direction and extent of selfassembly. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay which shows material components comparable with the positive control (80-110%). Finally, the masks used in the experiments herein were redesigned to …

The Design Of A Mobile, Animatronic Bald Eagle, Eric Burns

Phi Kappa Phi Research Symposium (Archived)

Modern animatronics are used as a tool to help engage audiences in realistic and entertaining experiences. Many animatronic figures are dynamic in movement, but static in mobility. The research presented covers the beginnings of mobile animatronic research. An animatronic bald eagle, Opportunity, was designed for that purpose. Animations for Opportunity are generated by integration of Arduino, Pololu Mini Maestro, and Hitec Servo Motors. Arduino receives signals from flex sensors which cause voltage variations when “flexed”. The 1:1 scale, animatronic eagle can be perched on the arm of an “actor” who simulates an eagle’s caretaker. The flex sensors are located within …

Water Resources Systems Engineering - University Of California, Los Angeles, William Yeh

All ECSTATIC Materials

Graduate course in water resources systems engineering offered at University of California, Los Angeles in Spring 2014.

Design Of A Uv Curing Cartridge For 3d Inkjet Printing, Richard Wiswell

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

In printing multi-layer electronic circuits, each layer must be formed as a continuous pattern in high resolution from ink jetted liquid droplets and be in precise alignment with the other layers, precluding substrate removal for UV curing. This research seeks to determine the optimal method for in-situ UV curing of the ink jetted material in a single pass. The inkjet replacement cartridge designed for this purpose was constructed of aluminum, fit into the printer head assembly in good alignment with the other ink cartridges, and contained a UV LED for in-situ curing and a cooling fan to maintain safe operating …

Water Resources Systems Engineering - Technion, Avi Ostfeld

All ECSTATIC Materials

Course taught at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.

Teaching Electrical Circuits Using A Virtual Lab, Md Zahidur Rahman

Publications and Research

This paper describes an engineering professor’s first attempt at designing and implementing a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) study in a basic electrical circuits course at LaGuardia Community College. Inspired by his understanding of Lee Shulman’s (2005) concept of “signature pedagogy” and Eric Mazur’s emphasis on student-centered approaches (2009, November 12), and aware that his students did not always understand the electrical theories and concepts presented in class, the author decided to change his pedagogy. He explains his efforts to train his students to think as engineers, first by making them more “visible” and “accountable” in the classroom, and …