Nanofacture: Senior Design Experience in Nanotechnology

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Szabó ◽  
Eniko T. Enikov ◽  
Rudolf Kyselica
Keyword(s):  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Biomedical Application ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Team Meetings ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
College Of Engineering ◽  
Design Experience ◽  
Capstone Design

This paper describes the outcomes of an NSF-funded undergraduate engineering training project launched at the University of Arizona - College of Engineering. The program aims to engage senior-year students in a capstone design project focused on biomedical applications of nanotechnology. The senior design team has previously attended a micro- and nanofabrication and a mechatronics technical elective courses. Both courses have been adjusted to better suit the goals of the program. Modifications include a self-guided research component, requirement to utilize a nanotechnology based sensors or actuators in a biomedical application. Formative evaluation data has been gathered through personal interviews to assess changes of students attitudes towards nanotechnology. Data includes reports from junior-year members of the technical elective classes, along with graduate assistants serving as mentors of the undergraduate participants. Results indicate that students who enrolled in Fabrication Techniques for Micro- and Nano-devices gained formal knowledge about nanotechnology through lectures and hands-on activities, while those who joined a senior design team learned about nanotechnology by interfacing regularly with the faculty advisor who imparted his knowledge and enthusiasm about nanotechnology applications during design team meetings. Students who took the first course in the sequence, Guided Self-Studies in Mechatronics prior to the capstone design experience benefited most.

Structure and Management of an Engineering Senior Design Course

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin L. Tanaka ◽  
Kenneth J. Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Team Leadership ◽  
Business Culture ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Capstone Course ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Attention To Detail

The design of products and processes is an important area in engineering. Students in engineering schools learn fundamental principles in their courses but often lack an opportunity to apply these methods to real-world problems until their senior year. This article describes important elements that should be incorporated into a senior capstone design course. It includes a description of the general principles used in engineering design and a discussion of why students often have difficulty with application and revert to trial and error methods. The structure of a properly designed capstone course is dissected and its individual components are evaluated. Major components include assessing resources, identifying projects, establishing teams, understanding requirements, developing conceptual designs, creating detailed designs, building prototypes, testing performance, and final presentations. In addition to the course design, team management and effective mentoring are critical to success. This article includes suggested guidelines and tips for effective design team leadership, attention to detail, investment of time, and managing project scope. Furthermore, the importance of understanding business culture, displaying professionalism, and considerations of different types of senior projects is discussed. Through a well-designed course and proper mentoring, students will learn to apply their engineering skills and gain basic business knowledge that will prepare them for entry-level positions in industry.

scholarly journals Preparation of Engineering Students for Capstone Design Experience through a Microprocessors Course

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed El-Abd
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Project Area ◽  
Capstone Courses ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Project Outcomes ◽  
Course Offerings ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Design Experience ◽  
Capstone Design

This paper presents the outcomes of a developed methodology to handle the project component in a higher-level undergraduate course. The approach relies on providing the students the freedom to choose their own project area as well as the utilized technology. At the same time, the students have to follow certain regulation to allow for the creation of a semi-capstone experience. We illustrate how this approach has a positive effect, not only on the project outcomes at the course level, but also on the students’ performances in subsequent capstone courses. Data collected, over five consecutive course offerings, shows that this approach is an effective method to prepare engineering students for their senior design capstone courses.

NASA Student Programs and Senior Capstone Design Experience

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Parang ◽  
V. I. Naumov ◽  
L. A. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Majors ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Engineering Department ◽  
Design Skills ◽  
The University ◽  
Senior Students ◽  
Design Experience ◽  
Capstone Design

A significant way to attract engineering students, especially aerospace and mechanical engineering majors, to space issues is to implement exciting NASA student programs into the senior-year capstone design experience. Three years ago the University of Tennessee’s Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Department offered two new projects, named “Microgravity” and “Lunar Rover Vehicle”, as senior capstone design projects. Both require participation, on a competitive basis, in two corresponding NASA programs: “The Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program” and “The Great Moonbuggy Race”. Three years of experience have demonstrated that both programs are very suitable in offering senior students unique opportunities to improve their analytical abilities, develop design skills, gain experience in working in multi-disciplinary teams, solve cutting-edge engineering problems, and familiarize themselves with space issues and technical problems.

Correlating Student Motivation to Course Performance in Capstone Design

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Bessette ◽  
Vitalis Okafor ◽  
Beshoy Morkos
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Student Motivation ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Capstone Design

This paper presents the preliminary results of a motivational study of students enrolled in their capstone design course during their senior year in mechanical engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. Student teams are assigned a project and teams are tasked with completing a design project over a one-year (2 semesters) span. Data is collected during the beginning of the fall semester and during the end of the spring semester. Two methods were used to collect the data of the class. A live interview was conducted for each of the capstone teams. Within this interview, a range of questions are asked to facilitate an understanding of what motivates the student. An adaptation of the Motivated Learning Strategies Questionnaire (MSLQ) survey instrument was also administered to the students to collect quantitative data. The MSLQ framework divides the instruments into two sets of questions to address motivation and learning. Motivation is comprised of three factors: test anxiety, self-efficacy, and intrinsic value. Statistical analysis is performed on the quantitative data to determine significance or correlation between student motivation and performance. Performance is measured through the student’s grade (evaluated by instructor) and peer evaluation (evaluated by team). The analysis is performed through segmenting the sample into international versus domestic, and males versus females; to identify any differences in motivation between the groups. Results indicate there are differences between international and domestic students along all motivational factors. Further, differences are identified between males and females for intrinsic anxiety motivational factors.

Incorporating 3D Printing to Bridge Two Introductory Courses in Mechanical Engineering

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onur Denizhan ◽  
Meng-Sang Chew
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Introductory Courses ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Early Start ◽  
Lehigh University ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Fundamental Understanding ◽  
Engineering Drawings

Abstract A course in Computer Graphics using SolidWorks™ is one of the very first courses that a Mechanical Engineering major would take within the department at Lehigh University. In this course, students learn the basics of engineering graphics with a view towards engineering design. Such a course gives students an overall view of not just the mechanics of creating engineering drawings using SolidWorks, but also one of understanding the consequences of their drawings as they affect tolerances, material selection, fabrication processes as well as the viability of their designs. The very next introductory mechanical engineering course is a laboratory dealing with engineering measurements, data acquisition and testing. This article reports on the use of a 3-D printing exercise to bridge these two somewhat very different courses with different objectives, thereby giving students an early start into understanding the process of design; from a concept to its design and fabrication, and finally, testing and analysis of data. Moreover, it gives a fundamental understanding of the use of 3-D printing that many students would end up using for their Senior Design course in their senior year.

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