Project-Based Learning: Microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip Point-of-Care Medical Tests for Engineering Undergraduates

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Mauk ◽  
Richard Y. Chiou ◽  
Carlos Ruiz ◽  
Dharma Varapula ◽  
Changchun Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Medical Diagnostics ◽  
Green Technology ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Microfluidic Chips

Point-of-care (POC) medical diagnostics tests based on instrumented microfluidic chips are instructive and highly-multidisciplinary projects for undergraduate research and Senior Design. Students can apply their knowledge of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, optics, electronics and microcontrollers, materials, prototyping and systems engineering in translating and adapting a laboratory-based test for use in non-traditional venues. We discuss the design, prototyping, and testing of POC lab-on-a-chip (LOC) systems in an educational setting, where undergraduate students develop and demonstrate novel and practical POC tests. This application area serves as an effective gateway to the medical diagnostics field for engineering students, with opportunities for providing sustainable, appropriate, and ‘green’ technology to the developing world where healthcare infrastructure is lacking.

“Collective Undergraduate Research: A Teaching / Learning Tool For MSE Students”

2000 ◽  
Vol 632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wafeek Samuel Wahby
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Learning Tool ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Eastern Illinois University ◽  
Teaching Learning

ABSTRACTA new experiment to implement and collectively publish undergraduate students' research was started at the School of Technology, Eastern Illinois University in the Fall of 1998. A summary of the procedures followed in this experiment, its assessment and its progress are presented. Collective research publications, authored by undergraduate engineering students and edited by their faculty can be used as an effective teaching / learning tool that benefits students/authors, their peers, faculty/editors, local and other institutions, and industry at large, particularly when this research is interactively posted on the Internet. Through a research study format, undergraduates learn the subject matter much better, become familiar with research methods and techniques early in their careers, and polish their technical writing abilities. As the experiment also fosters teamwork and peer collaboration and evaluation, undergraduates sharpen their oral communication skills through group discussions and in-class presentations. The experiment provided an opportunity for students to independently select and research a particular topic and helped them discover the research resources and reference materials available on the subject matter. As one of the few creative opportunities offered in a class, this experiment presented a variety of learning environments to undergraduates and helped promote their creativity and self-directed learning. It was confirmed that most undergraduate students hold unlimited potential for success as researchers, and that enthusiasm, hard work, self-motivation, and dedication of students are likely to constitute better indicators of success than the conventional grades they earned in the past.

scholarly journals Lab-on-a-Chip Systems for Aptamer-Based Biosensing

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niazul I. Khan ◽  
Edward Song
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Sensing Platforms ◽  
Personal Medicine ◽  
Paper Based Microfluidics ◽  
Recognition Elements ◽  
Analyte Detection

Aptamers are oligonucleotides or peptides that are selected from a pool of random sequences that exhibit high affinity toward a specific biomolecular species of interest. Therefore, they are ideal for use as recognition elements and ligands for binding to the target. In recent years, aptamers have gained a great deal of attention in the field of biosensing as the next-generation target receptors that could potentially replace the functions of antibodies. Consequently, it is increasingly becoming popular to integrate aptamers into a variety of sensing platforms to enhance specificity and selectivity in analyte detection. Simultaneously, as the fields of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology, point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, and personal medicine become topics of great interest, integration of such aptamer-based sensors with LOC devices are showing promising results as evidenced by the recent growth of literature in this area. The focus of this review article is to highlight the recent progress in aptamer-based biosensor development with emphasis on the integration between aptamers and the various forms of LOC devices including microfluidic chips and paper-based microfluidics. As aptamers are extremely versatile in terms of their utilization in different detection principles, a broad range of techniques are covered including electrochemical, optical, colorimetric, and gravimetric sensing as well as surface acoustics waves and transistor-based detection.

Effective NEMS Education and Training in an Undergraduate Course

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nael Barakat ◽  
Heidi Jiao
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Engineering Level ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Manufacturing Techniques ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Micro Systems

Increasing demand on workforce for nanotechnology implementation has resulted in an exponential increase of demand on educational material and methods to qualify this workforce. However, nanotechnology is a field that integrates many areas of science and engineering requiring a significant amount of background knowledge in both theory and application to build upon. This challenge is significantly magnified when trying to teach nanotechnology concepts and applications at the undergraduate engineering level. A considerable amount of time is needed for an undergraduate engineering student to be able to design and build a useful device applying nanotechnology concepts, within one course time. This paper presents an actual experience in teaching hands-on applications in nanotechnology to undergraduate engineering students through an optimized model, within a normal course time. The model significantly reduces the time needed by undergraduate students to learn the necessary manufacturing techniques and apply them to produce useful products at the micro and nano levels, by ensuring that infrastructure and legwork related to the educational process are partially completed and verified, before the course starts. The model also provides improved outcomes as all its pre-course work is also tested with students working under different arrangements of professors’ supervision. The result is an optimized infrastructure setup for micro and nanotechnology design and manufacturing education, built with students in mind, to be completed within the frame of one semester course. The model was implemented at GVSU-SOE as the core hands-on part of a senior undergraduate course titled (EGR 457 nano/micro systems engineering). Students in the course were able to go through the design and build steps of different MEMS and NEMS products, while learning and utilizing cleanroom equipment and procedures. This was based on infrastructural arrangements by students preceding this class by a semester and working closely with the professors. Assessment was conducted on both sides of the model and results were collected for evaluation and improvement of the model.

A Study of Mechanical Engineering Students’ Learning Outcomes During Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Pierrakos
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Research Participation ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences

Undergraduate research experiences, which are highly promoted and supported by NSF and other agencies, present a great opportunity for our students to learn essential problem solving skills. The National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is one of the largest initiatives supporting active research participation by undergraduate students in all of the areas of research funded by NSF. The REU program, with more than 600 sites around the world, presently funds over 1000 active awards, totaling over $327 million. From these active REU awards, 384 (38% of the total active awards) are related to engineering (determined by having ‘engineering’ as a keyword in the title and abstract) and account for about $170 million, about half of the total amount of awards to date. In spite of such widespread support and belief in the value of undergraduate research, limited well-grounded research and evaluation studies exist [1]. Most of the existing literature reveals the predominance of program descriptions, explanation of models, and evaluation efforts, rather than studies grounded on research. Only recently have research and evaluation studies focused on assessing the benefits of undergraduate research [1–8]. Some of these benefits are (a) retention for underrepresented groups, (b) increased interest in the discipline, (c) gaining critical thinking skills, (d) increased self-confidence, and (e) clarification of career goals. Moreover, most of these studies on undergraduate research have focused on the sciences, whereas undergraduate research experiences in engineering have been understudied.

scholarly journals Physical therapy using robotics: A project-based learning experience for undergraduate students

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 32-42
Author(s):  
Edgar Lopez-Caudana ◽  
Christian Fernando López-Orozco ◽  
César Mendoza Bárbara ◽  
Germán Eduardo Baltazar Reyes ◽  
Pedro Ponce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Innovative Therapy ◽  
Wide Range

The dynamic society we live in requires constant adaptation and innovation on every aspect of our daily lives, allowing us to improve the necessities of different people by doing it. For this study, we used a new approach with project-based learning to go beyond the typical environment in higher education and bring solutions to real-life scenarios. The project was developed with undergraduate engineering students in collaboration with a rehabilitation institute in Mexico City to design a physical therapy routine using the NAO robot. It allowed interaction between young patients in real time and fostered empathy while developing a final usable product. The study measured the usability of the robotic platform during the rehabilitation sessions and the reproducibility of the project through Cronbach's alpha evaluation. The usability results show a higher interest in the project from both the patients and the medical staff involved while constructing the material needed to develop a product that matches the standards given by the rehabilitation institute. Implications for practice or policy: Therapists could change traditional approaches to caregiving while adopting new technological methodologies using robots. Higher education students could supplement their school curricula with real-case scenarios such as creating innovative therapy sessions for people with physical disabilities. Schools might need to collaborate with a wide range of institutions to provide technological solutions to real problems.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Research for Engineering Skills Development

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel E. González-Lizardo
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Life Problems ◽  
Engineering And Technology

This work reports the results of an ad hoc interdisciplinary research experience for undergraduate engineering students at the Plasma Engineering Laboratory (PEL) of the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico (PUPR). The strong features of this experience and their relationship with Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) outcomes are pointed out, and a qualitative description of the results is discussed, in terms of the performance of the students during the experience and after it. An example of the different activities performed by a team of undergraduate students, and their relationship with the ABET outcomes is presented. The undergraduate research at the PEL provides the students with a unique opportunity to practice engineering before graduation through real life problems, innovation, collaboration with other institutions, and presentation of their work for engineering and scientific audiences.

scholarly journals Service Learning Versus Traditional Project-Based Learning: A Comparison Study in a First Year Industrial and Systems Engineering Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Scherrer ◽  
Jennifer Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Management Communication ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Real Community ◽  
Service Learning Projects

Service learning involves solving a real community problem while meeting course learning outcomes. Participation in service learning is hypothesized to improve undergraduate student engagement and retention, but little research has been done to measure its impact specifically on beginning engineering students. This study compares two sections of an introduction to industrial and systems engineering course; one with a service learning term project and one with a traditional project-based term project. The service learning project was designed to be a hands-on approach to the material in the project management, communication, and teamwork modules of the course, in addition to giving students the opportunity to practice industrial and systems engineering functions related to their community partner’s defined problem. Surveys, grade data and interviews provide evidence that service learning projects improved students’ perceptions of their preparation for a successful academic and professional career and also lend limited support to improved engagement and retention in engineering compared to the students in the traditional project section.

Workforce Development for Global Aircraft Design

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Koster ◽  
Ewald Kraemer ◽  
Claus-Dieter Munz ◽  
Dries Verstraete ◽  
K. C. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Workforce Development ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Aircraft Design ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
University Of Colorado ◽  
The University

A delocalized international team of Graduate and Undergraduate students conceive, design, implement, and operate a 3 meter wingspan aircraft with the intent to investigate numerous new ‘green’ aircraft technologies. The project, known as Hyperion, teaches essential systems engineering skills through long-distance design collaborations with multidisciplinary teams of engineering students located around the world. Project partners are the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, the University of Sydney, Australia, and the University of Stuttgart, Germany. The teams on three continents are distributed 8 hours apart; students can relay select work daily so that progress can “Follow The Sun (FTS).” As a result three workdays are packaged in one 24 hour period. The student teams operate as a single, independent entity; structuring themselves as a simulated industry operation. Thus, project management and systems engineering principles are learned through a real-world design and deliver experience. The project also teaches delocalized manufacturing: select components are manufactured by each team and integrated both in Stuttgart and Colorado, giving the students an opportunity to learn multifaceted design for manufacturing. The project incubated many problems which lead to mitigation techniques for global collaboration as well as generating a better educated workforce to enter modern industry.

scholarly journals Promoting a Research-Based Education through Undergraduate Research Experience for Engineering Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 968-973
Author(s):  
Maya Abi Akl ◽  
Othmane Bouhali ◽  
Yassine Toufique
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Medical Physics ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
American University ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The Impact

Various studies have shown the crucial and strong impact that undergraduate research has on the learning outcome of students and its role in clarifying their career path. Therefore, many colleges and universities are promoting undergraduate research experience amongst their students. Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), a branch campus of Texas A&M University in College Station in the state of Texas and one of the six American University campuses in Education City, Qatar is actively involving its engineering students in research projects spanning different disciplines across its academic programs. This paper describes how the High Energy and Medical Physics Group at TAMUQ supports and engages the undergraduate students in research activities, summarizes the outcomes of their work and the impact on their career.

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