Re-engineering a nanodosimetry Monte Carlo code into Geant4: software design and first results

A set of physics models for nanodosimetry simulation is being re-engineered for use in Geant4-based simulations. This extension of Geant4 capabilities is part of a larger scale R&D project for multi-scale simulation involving adaptable, co-working condensed and discrete transport schemes. The project in progress reengineers the physics modeling capabilities associated with an existing FORTRAN track-structure code for nanodosimetry into a software design suitable to collaborate with an object oriented simulation kernel. The first experience and results of the ongoing re-engineering process are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures and images, to appear in proceedings of the Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference 2009, Orland

Avoiding Pitfalls in Undergraduate Simulation Courses

Simulation development has historically been a specialized skill performed by engineers with graduate-level training and industry experience. However, advances in computing technology, coupled with the rise of model-based systems engineering, have dramatically increased the usage of simulations, such that most engineers now require a working knowledge of modeling and simulation (M&S). As such, an increasing number of undergraduate engineering programs are now requiring students to complete a simulation course. These courses are intended to reinforce foundational engineering knowledge while also teaching the students useful M&S tools that they will need in industry. Yet, a number of pitfalls are associated with teaching M&S to undergraduate students. The first major pitfall is focusing on the tool or software without properly teaching the underlying methodologies. This pitfall can result in students becoming fixated on the software, limiting their broader knowledge of M&S. The second pitfall involves the use of contrived, academic tutorials as course projects, which limits students from fully understanding the simulation design process. The third and fourth pitfalls are only superficially covering verification and validation and not building upon material that was taught in other courses. Finally, the fifth pitfall is the over-reliance on group projects and tests over individual projects. These pitfalls were uncovered during academic years (AYs) 2017 and 2018 in different undergraduate simulation courses at the United States Military Academy. The combat modeling course adapted its structure and content in AY2019 to address these pitfalls, with several lessons learned that are applicable to the broader simulation education community. Generally, students gained a broader understanding of M&S and submitted higher quality work. Additionally, the course-end feedback found an overall increase in M&S knowledge, with many students choosing to use M&S to support their honors theses and capstone projects, a trend not seen in past years

Guided support for collaborative modeling, enactment and simulation of software development processes

Recently, the awareness of the importance of distributed software development has been growing in the software engineering community. Economic constraints, more and more outsourcing of development activities, and the increasing geographical distribution of companies come along with challenges of how to organize distributed development. In this article, we reason that a common process understanding is mandatory for successful distributed development. Integrated process planning, guidance and enactment are seen as enabling technologies for achieving a unique process view. We present an overview of the software process modeling environment SPEARMINT and the XCHIPS system for web-based process support. SPEARMINT offers extensive capabilities for multi-view modeling and analysis of software development processes. XCHIPS provides capabilities for distributed modeling and offers enactment and simulation functionalities. This article describes the integration of both approaches. The resulting environment provides planners and developers with collaborative planning and enactment support and advanced process guidance via electronic process guides (EPGs). Additionally, experience with the integrated environment is described. We describe, in particular, the usage of this integrated environment in the context of a case study for the development of a learning system. Finally, an overview of related work is given and future research directions are sketched.Facultad de InformáticaLaboratorio de Investigación y Formación en Informática Avanzad

Model Development of a Virtual Learning Environment to Enhance Lean Education

AbstractModern day industry is becoming leaner by the day. This demands engineers with an in-depth understanding of lean philosophies. Current methods for teaching lean include hands-on projects and simulation. However, simulation games available in the market lack simplicity, ability to store the results, and modeling power. The goal of this research is to develop a virtual simulation platform which would enable students to perform various experiments by applying lean concepts. The design addresses these deficiencies through the use of VE-Suite, a virtual engineering software. The design includes user-friendly dialogue boxes, graphical models of machines, performance display gauges, and an editable layout. The platform uses laws of operations management such as Little's law, economic order quantity (EOQ) models, and cycle time. These laws enable students to implement various lean concepts such as pull system, just-in-time (JIT), single piece flow, single minute exchange of dies (SMED), kaizen, kanban, U-layout, by modifying the process parameters such as process times, setup times, layout, number, and placement of machines. The simulation begins with a traditional push type mass production line and the students improve the line by implementing lean techniques. Thus, students experience the advantages of lean real time while facing the real life problems encountered in implementing it

Work-in-Progress: Rapid Development of Advanced Virtual Labs for In-Person and Online Education

During the closure of K-12 schools and universities thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many educators turned to web conferencing tools such as Zoom and WebEx to deliver online lectures. For courses with labs, some teachers provide recorded videos of real labs. Watching recorded lab videos is a passive experience, as the procedures and point of view are fixed, and students do not have any control of the lab and thus miss the opportunity to explore different options, including making mistakes that is important part of the learning process. One approach that holds great potential to enhance laboratory experience for online education is the use of computer-based modeling and simulation tools. Simulation based virtual laboratories emulate lab equipment and configurations in highly realistic 3D environments and can provide very effective learning experiences. While there exist limited interactive lab computer simulations for various subjects, their presentations are still very primitive and often lack realism and complexity. This paper presents methodologies and preliminary findings on rapid development of advanced virtual labs using modeling and simulation for in-person and online education. The importance of modeling and simulation has long been recognized by the scientific community and agencies such as DoD and NSF. However, high-quality simulations are not commonplace, and simulations have not been widely employed in education. Existing simulations for education lack interoperability and compatibility. While there are sporadic uses of computer-based simulations in education that were developed in a piecemeal fashion, there was never systematic development at an industry level for such purposes. Virtual lab development usually require substantial amount of effort and lack of systematic research on rapid virtual lab development hinders their wide use in education. This paper proposes a wholistic and systematic approach for addressing the issues in rapid lab simulation development from several perspectives, including rapid generation of virtual environment, integration of state-of-the-art industry leading software tools, advanced software design techniques that enables large scale software reuse, and innovative user interface design that facilitate the configuration and use of virtual labs by instructors and students. This paper will implement a virtual circuit lab that emulates a circuit lab for the course XXX offered at XXX University and will be used to elucidate the crucial methodologies for rapid virtual lab development. The virtual lab contains highly realistic visual renderings and accurate functional representations of sophisticated equipment, such as digital oscilloscopes, function generator, and digital multimeters, and authentic rendition of the lab space. The virtual lab allows advanced analog and digital circuit simulation by integrating the de-facto industry standard circuit simulation engine SPICE and Xspice, supporting the circuit labs in the course XXX. The Unity game engine is used to develop the front end of the virtual lab. Advanced software development methodologies will be investigated to facilitate software reuse and rapid development, e.g., the same simulation code can be used to support equipment manufactured by different vendors. The paper will also investigate the impact of fidelity of the virtual lab, e.g., equipment and lab room, on student learning outcomes and efficacy

Zipping Towards STEM: Simulation Wind Tunnel

The simulation wind tunnel was created to be integrated into a larger project funded by the National Science Foundation titled Zipping Towards STEM: Integrating Engineering Design into the Middle School Physical Science Curriculum. The goal of this project is to integrate the engineering design process of computer modeling, simulation, rapid prototyping, and testing into the 8th grade level curriculum by letting students design and test their own mini soap box derby cars. The simulation wind tunnel will be used to help the students understand the basics of aerodynamics so they can design an aerodynamic mini soap box derby car. The simulation wind tunnel code and graphics user interface (GUI) were created using MATLAB. This software was selected because the team had the most experience with Matlab and it has the capability of creating a standalone executable. This executable could then be downloaded onto the middle school computers for free without having to purchase MATLAB licenses.The simulation wind tunnel has 2D and 3D capabilities. The 2D functionality will be used to teach the students about aerodynamics by showing airflow around predetermined 2D figures. The 3D functionality will then be used for students to import their own 3D modeled soap box cars into the software to test their design so they can make improvements and then re-test their new and improved design. The software has many visual outputs that help students identify which objects are more aerodynamic than others. These visual outputs include streamlines, velocity field plot, pressure map, and most importantly drag. This software was able to have a balance of speed and accuracy so it can run in a short amount of time to keep the attention of the studentsbut also be accurate enough to be a reliable simulation tool that can be used in the design process. The Zipping Towards STEM curriculum will be tested during the 2016-2017 school year with a select number of Akron Public middle schools. The following year, the program will be spread to all Akron Public schools to help integrate engineering design education. If the program is a success it has the possibility to spread throughout the state and hopefully throughout the nation

NX 10 for Engineering Design -- Learning Edition

NX is one of the world’s most advanced and tightly integrated CAD/CAM/CAE product development solution. Spanning the entire range of product development, NX delivers immense value to enterprises of all sizes. It simplifies complex product designs, thus speeding up the process of introducing products to the market. The NX software integrates knowledge-based principles, industrial design, geometric modeling, advanced analysis, graphic simulation, and concurrent engineering. The software has powerful hybrid modeling capabilities by integrating constraint-based feature modeling and explicit geometric modeling. In addition to modeling standard geometry parts, it allows the user to design complex free-form shapes such as airfoils and manifolds. It also merges solid and surface modeling techniques into one powerful tool set. This self-guiding tutorial provides a step-by-step approach for users to learn NX 10. It is intended for those with no previous experience with NX. However, users of previous versions of NX may also find this tutorial useful for them to learn the new user interfaces and functions. The user will be guided from starting an NX 10 session to creating models and designs that have various applications. Each chapter has components explained with the help of various dialog boxes and screen images. These components are later used in the assembly modeling, machining and finite element analysis. The files of components are also available online to download and use. We first released the tutorial for Unigraphics 18 and later updated for NX 2 followed by the updates for NX 3, NX 5, NX 7 and NX 9. This write-up further updates to NX 10. Our previous efforts to prepare the NX self-guiding tutorial were funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program and by the Partners of the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) program