Using Student Knowledge of Linear Systems Theory to Facilitate the Learning of Optical Engineering

For students learning a new topic, being able to use existing knowledge and mental models in the context of the new topic leads to faster learning and a deeper understanding of the new concepts. This paper describes how teaching a graduate-level course providing an introduction to optical engineering for students from multiple engineering majors can be facilitated by using existing concepts and knowledge of linear systems theory, which are common to them all

Using IR Cameras Beyond Outreach: Motivational Projects for Engineering Students

Affordable infrared (IR) cameras provide a unique opportunity to motivate and enhance the education of engineering students. We used both IR and visible images from a FLIR E60 camera as an instructional vehicle in a digital image processing course, where students came from several engineering majors. These IR and visible images were used as the basis for an open-ended final project in the course. Assessment via both pre- and post-project questionnaires showed the project was a positive experience for the students, and helped motivate them to learn the material. This paper discusses the course, the camera, the project, and how effective it was to add this project to the course

Seeing in the Dark and Through Walls: Using IR Cameras in STEM Outreach

The recent introduction of affordable infrared (IR) cameras and IR imaging attachments for smartphones has provided a unique opportunity to enhance the education of K-12 students. We have acquired a number of different IR cameras and IR camera attachments and discuss the utilization of these devices in both a college course and in our STEM and STEAM outreach efforts. While our outreach efforts have placed us in a classroom for just an hour or two at a time, thanks to local IEEE Chapter support, we have placed IR cameras in these classrooms for several weeks at a time. This paper discusses the outreach efforts and the utilization of IR cameras by 5th grade elementary school students and their classroom teachers after our departure and the wild enthusiasm that this approach has generated. A comparison of the different IR systems is also made

A systematic approach for integrated product, materials, and design-process design

Designers are challenged to manage customer, technology, and socio-economic uncertainty causing dynamic, unquenchable demands on limited resources. In this context, increased concept flexibility, referring to a designer s ability to generate concepts, is crucial. Concept flexibility can be significantly increased through the integrated design of product and material concepts. Hence, the challenge is to leverage knowledge of material structure-property relations that significantly affect system concepts for function-based, systematic design of product and materials concepts in an integrated fashion. However, having selected an integrated product and material system concept, managing complexity in embodiment design-processes is important. Facing a complex network of decisions and evolving analysis models a designer needs the flexibility to systematically generate and evaluate embodiment design-process alternatives. In order to address these challenges and respond to the primary research question of how to increase a designer s concept and design-process flexibility to enhance product creation in the conceptual and early embodiment design phases, the primary hypothesis in this dissertation is embodied as a systematic approach for integrated product, materials and design-process design. The systematic approach consists of two components i) a function-based, systematic approach to the integrated design of product and material concepts from a systems perspective, and ii) a systematic strategy to design-process generation and selection based on a decision-centric perspective and a value-of-information-based Process Performance Indicator. The systematic approach is validated using the validation-square approach that consists of theoretical and empirical validation. Empirical validation of the framework is carried out using various examples including: i) design of a reactive material containment system, and ii) design of an optoelectronic communication system.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Allen, Janet K.; Committee Member: Aidun, Cyrus K.; Committee Member: Klein, Benjamin; Committee Member: McDowell, David L.; Committee Member: Mistree, Farrokh; Committee Member: Yoder, Douglas P

Electrical and Computer Engineering Research Report 2009

Department Research Publications Enterprisehttps://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/ece-annualreports/1004/thumbnail.jp

Analytical modeling of silicon microring and microdisk modulators with electrical and optical dynamics

We propose an analytical time-domain model for microring and microdisk modulators, which considers both their electrical and optical properties. Theory of the dynamics of microring/microdisk is discussed, and general solutions to the transfer matrix representation are presented. Both static and dynamic predictions from the model are compared to measurement results to demonstrate the accuracy of our model. Static predictions and measurements are presented for power and phase responses, whereas dynamic predictions and measurements are presented for small-signal and large-signal operations. The model verifies that the chirping and modulation bandwidth of the modulators depend on the detuning state. Finally, the accuracy and scalability of several techniques employed in the model are discussed