Exploring the practical use of a collaborative robot for academic purposes

This article presents a set of experiences related to the setup and exploration of potential educational uses of a collaborative robot (cobot). The basic principles that have guided the work carried out have been three. First and foremost, study of all the functionalities offered by the robot and exploration of its potential academic uses both in subjects focused on industrial robotics and in subjects of related disciplines (automation, communications, computer vision). Second, achieve the total integration of the cobot at the laboratory, seeking not only independent uses of it but also seeking for applications (laboratory practices) in which the cobot interacts with some of the other devices already existing at the laboratory (other industrial robots and a flexible manufacturing system). Third, reuse of some available components and minimization of the number and associated cost of required new components. The experiences, carried out following a project-based learning methodology under the framework of bachelor and master subjects and thesis, have focused on the integration of mechanical, electronic and programming aspects in new design solutions (end effector, cooperative workspace, artificial vision system integration) and case studies (advanced task programming, cybersecure communication, remote access). These experiences have consolidated the students' acquisition of skills in the transition to professional life by having the close collaboration of the university faculty with the experts of the robotics company.Postprint (published version

PBL Student Projects and Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study

Working with the Sustainable Development Goals can be a highly motivating factor in Problem Based Learning, especially if the solutions produced can be used afterwards and have an actual impact on people and communities. This paper describes how three engineering students from Aalborg University, Denmark, collaborated with the South African Organisation Green Shoots on bringing IT-supported Math education out to some of the most disadvantaged learners from townships and rural areas of the Western Cape. The project provided the Danish students with a unique learning experience and have a lasting impact on the communities involved. While the content of the project focused on bringing IT-supported Math education to learners in previously disadvantaged areas around the Western Cape, the project also provided valuable insight into how such students’ projects, where the outcomes benefit people and communities suffering from socio-economic challenges e.g. poverty, can be carried out. In addition to demonstrate that such projects are actually possible, we studied three critical aspects: How to ensure a good fit between learning objectives and project outcome, how to ensure that the project creates value for the partner organisation and communities, and how to ensure that the projects can be conducted without overloading the university supervisors. We believe that student projects focusing on SDGs have a big potential in terms of providing highly motivating student projects yet at the same time contribute to a better world through solutions that are being used even afterwards. However, our study was just a single case with one group of three students. We hope it will serve as inspiration for larger studies, where more quantitative data could be gathered in terms of how to establish a good framework around such projects, and in order to demonstrate the value for students and societies

Makers at School, Educational Robotics and Innovative Learning Environments

This open access book contains observations, outlines, and analyses of educational robotics methodologies and activities, and developments in the field of educational robotics emerging from the findings presented at FabLearn Italy 2019, the international conference that brought together researchers, teachers, educators and practitioners to discuss the principles of Making and educational robotics in formal, non-formal and informal education. The editors’ analysis of these extended versions of papers presented at FabLearn Italy 2019 highlight the latest findings on learning models based on Making and educational robotics. The authors investigate how innovative educational tools and methodologies can support a novel, more effective and more inclusive learner-centered approach to education. The following key topics are the focus of discussion: Makerspaces and Fab Labs in schools, a maker approach to teaching and learning; laboratory teaching and the maker approach, models, methods and instruments; curricular and non-curricular robotics in formal, non-formal and informal education; social and assistive robotics in education; the effect of innovative spaces and learning environments on the innovation of teaching, good practices and pilot projects

International Student Projects and Sustainable Development Goals: A Perfect Match

Engineering Education is currently going through a transformation, driven by the need for educating better engineers and more engineers, and largely build on elements such as problem orientation, interdisciplinarity, internationalization, digitalization and sustainability. In 2020, the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership EPIC (Improving Employability Through Internationalization and Collaboration) has combined all these elements, and demonstrated how international and interdisciplinary student projects, focusing on solving real-world problems related to sustainability, can be carried out in a setting where students mainly work together online. A total of 56 students from 7 EU and 2 international universities, with backgrounds ranging from Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering to Textile Technologies and Business Informatics were working on 9 different projects throughout the spring of 2020. The paper presents the experiences from the setup and discusses some general recommendations for setting up this type of projects. The paper goes through the stages of defining and carrying out the projects: Defining the overall framework, identifying problems/project proposals in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, identifying the students and assigning students to projects, preparing students and supervisors, organising the physical kick-off seminar, and supporting the online collaboration. We also discuss evaluation and hand-over of the solutions, to ensure the projects have a lasting impact. We conclude that the sustainable development goals provide a highly motivating framework for interdisciplinary, international student projects based on problem-based learning. We also note that a careful design and execution of the all the preparatory stages are crucial in order for the projects to succeed, and discuss specific recommendations for these.</p

10th Annual Research Week- Event Proceedings

10th Annual Research Week Research Reconsidered: A Decade of Inquir

Makers at School, Educational Robotics and Innovative Learning Environments

This open access book contains observations, outlines, and analyses of educational robotics methodologies and activities, and developments in the field of educational robotics emerging from the findings presented at FabLearn Italy 2019, the international conference that brought together researchers, teachers, educators and practitioners to discuss the principles of Making and educational robotics in formal, non-formal and informal education. The editors’ analysis of these extended versions of papers presented at FabLearn Italy 2019 highlight the latest findings on learning models based on Making and educational robotics. The authors investigate how innovative educational tools and methodologies can support a novel, more effective and more inclusive learner-centered approach to education. The following key topics are the focus of discussion: Makerspaces and Fab Labs in schools, a maker approach to teaching and learning; laboratory teaching and the maker approach, models, methods and instruments; curricular and non-curricular robotics in formal, non-formal and informal education; social and assistive robotics in education; the effect of innovative spaces and learning environments on the innovation of teaching, good practices and pilot projects

PROGRAM and PROCEEDINGS THE NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: 139th Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Twenty-Ninth Annual Meeting, April 12, 2019, NEBRASKA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019 7:30 a.m. REGISTRATION OPENS - Lobby of Lecture Wing, Olin Hall 8:00 Aeronautics and Space Science, Session A – Acklie 109 Aeronautics and Space Science, Session B – Acklie 111 Collegiate Academy; Biology, Session B - Olin B Biological and Medical Sciences, Session A - Olin 112 Biological and Medical Sciences, Session B - Smith Callen Conference Center Chemistry and Physics; Chemistry - Olin A 8:00 “Teaching and Learning the Dynamics of Cellular Respiration Using Interactive Computer Simulations” Workshop – Olin 110 9:30 “Life After College: Building Your Resume for the Future” Workshop – Acklie 218 8:25 Collegiate Academy; Chemistry and Physics, Session A – Acklie 007 8:36 Collegiate Academy; Biology, Session A - Olin 111 9:00 Chemistry and Physics; Physics – Acklie 320 9:10 Aeronautics and Space Science, Poster Session – Acklie 109 & 111 10:30 Aeronautics and Space Science, Poster Session – Acklie 109 & 111 11:00 MAIBEN MEMORIAL LECTURE: Dr David Swanson - OLIN B Scholarship and Friend of Science Award announcements 12:00 p.m. LUNCH – WESLEYAN CAFETERIA Round-Table Discussion – “Assessing the Academy: Current Issues and Avenues for Growth” led by Todd Young – Sunflower Room 12:50 Anthropology – Acklie 109 1:00 Applied Science and Technology - Olin 111 Biological and Medical Sciences, Session C - Olin 112 Biological and Medical Sciences, Session D - Smith Callen Conference Center Chemistry and Physics; Chemistry - Olin A Collegiate Academy; Biology, Session B - Olin B Earth Science – Acklie 007 Environmental Sciences – Acklie 111 Teaching of Science and Math – Acklie 218 1:20 Chemistry and Physics; Physics – Acklie 320 4:30 BUSINESS MEETING - OLIN B NEBRASKA ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SCIENCE (NATS) The 2019 Fall Conference of the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science (NATS) will be held at the Younes Conference Center, Kearney, NE, September 19-21, 2019. President: Betsy Barent, Norris Public Schools, Firth, NE President-Elect: Anya Covarrubias, Grand Island Public Schools, Grand Island, NE AFFILIATED SOCIETIES OF THE NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, INC. 1. American Association of Physics Teachers, Nebraska Section Web site: http://www.aapt.org/sections/officers.cfm?section=Nebraska 2. Friends of Loren Eiseley Web site: http://www.eiseley.org/ 3. Lincoln Gem & Mineral Club Web site: http://www.lincolngemmineralclub.org/ 4. Nebraska Chapter, National Council for Geographic Education 5. Nebraska Geological Society Web site: http://www.nebraskageologicalsociety.org Sponsors of a $50 award to the outstanding student paper presented at the Nebraska Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Earth Science /Nebraska Chapter, Nat\u27l Council Sections 6. Nebraska Graduate Women in Science 7. Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences Web site: http://www.nebraskajunioracademyofsciences.org/ 8. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Web site: http://www.noubirds.org/ 9. Nebraska Psychological Association http://www.nebpsych.org/ 10. Nebraska-Southeast South Dakota Section Mathematical Association of America Web site: http://sections.maa.org/nesesd/ 11. Nebraska Space Grant Consortium Web site: http://www.ne.spacegrant.org

Breathing life into the wooden model: a participant observation study of technical change

This thesis reports the results of fifteen m onths ofparticipant observation study of a major technological research and development project. The project, in the area of advanced factory automation, was part of the British government's Alvey Programme.The findings bear upon two main bodies of theorectical literature. The first is Marxist literature on technology, the state and the labour process. Participant observation study of this project reveals technological change to be a much more chaotic process than this literature assumes. The process, for example, is not guided by clear capitalist interests. The other body ofliterature is the 'actor-network' approach of Callon, Latour andLaw. In common with them, it is found that technological change is not merely a technical process - it is 'heterogeneous engineering' of both 'technical' and the 'social' simultaneously.However, the actor network theorists overstate the possibilities for this 'heterogeneous engineering'. It is neither as thoroughgoing or as successful as these writers might be read as asserting.A further conclusion is that the significance of gender for participant observation studies of science and technology has been underestim ated. In particular, the gender of the researcher appears to have an important bearing on the research process

Research in Technology Education

Due to the laboratory-based nature of technology and engineering education programs, professionals in our field have often focused on the resources in our classrooms and laboratories and the instructional methodologies used to address specific concepts. Formal research into content and practice has often given way to “what seems right”. New curriculum is constantly being introduced (based on what is occurring in business and industry), yet the inclusion for those evolving concepts in courses and programs is typically not verified. Hence, the importance of the 2010 CTTE yearbook and its focus on the dire need for an aggressive research agenda in your field. This publication is designed to help direct the professional efforts of researchers, classroom educators, administrators, and curriculum specialists. Each chapter draws attention to a different aspect of investigative thought and action.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/stemps_books/1002/thumbnail.jp

Reports to the President

A compilation of annual reports for the 1985-1986 academic year, including a report from the President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as reports from the academic and administrative units of the Institute. The reports outline the year's goals, accomplishments, honors and awards, and future plans