Experiments and other methods for developing expertise with design of experiments in a classroom setting

The only way to gain genuine expertise in Statistical Process Control (SPC) and the design of experiments (DOX) is with repeated practice, but not on canned problems with dead data sets. Rather, one must negotiate a wide variety of problems each with its own peculiarities and its own constantly changing data. The problems should not be of the type for which there is a single, well-defined answer that can be looked up in a fraternity file or in some text. The problems should match as closely as possible the open-ended types for which there is always an abundance of uncertainty. These are the only kinds that arise in real research, whether that be basic research in academe or engineering research in industry. To gain this kind of experience, either as a professional consultant or as an industrial employee, takes years. Vast amounts of money, not to mention careers, must be put at risk. The purpose here is to outline some realistic simulation-type lab exercises that are so simple and inexpensive to run that the students can repeat them as often as desired at virtually no cost. Simulations also allow the instructor to design problems whose outcomes are as noisy as desired but still predictable within limits. Also the instructor and the students can learn a great deal more from the postmortum conducted after the exercise is completed. One never knows for sure what the true data should have been when dealing only with real life experiments. To add a bit more realism to the exercises, it is sometimes desirable to make the students pay for each experimental result from a make-believe budget allocation for the problem

An Engineer Looks at the Creationist Movement

This paper is based on a presentation given in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to the Iowa Academy of Sciences on Saturday, April 25, 1981. The observations are derived from the extensive interactions I\u27ve had with creationists and anti-creationists over the past 3 to 4 years. These interactions include written correspondence, careful evaluation of manuscripts and published papers, many conversations, attendance at hearings and debates on creationism, and participation in two creation/evolution debates. The opinions expressed are my own, not those of my university or department

Iowa Natural Resources: Issues in the 80\u27s (A Symposium at the 1982 Annual Academy Meeting)

This symposium was originally conceived in an organizational meeting at U.N.I. on September 10, 1981. At that time the prospective topic was designated merely as resource depletion , so as to attract contributed papers from as wide a cross section of I.A.S. members as possible. Partly because of my backgrounds in mining and metallurgical engineering, I was later drafted to organize the symposium. Hence, I began to seek colleagues who could outline the shortage problems being anticipated by the U.S. for critical strategic metals. Professor O. Norman Carlson of I.S.U. was invited to speak on that subject (see abstract below). I also contacted Jean C. Prior of the Iowa Geological Survey who invited State Geologist Donald Koch to speak about the depletion of Iowa\u27s mineral resources

Comparison of Three Equations for Predicting Stress Wave Velocity As A Function of Grain Angle

Assessment of a nondestructive test system for detecting defects in the gluelines of edge-glued hardwood panels required development of a mathematical relationship for predicting stress wave velocity as a function of grain angle. This relationship was necessary to understand better how stress waves propagated around gaps or flaws in a glueline. In addition, the relationship was needed to assess the influence of specimen geometry upon the effectiveness of the stress wave technique.Equations were generated by a statistical regression analysis software package and compared to Hankinson's equation. Equations were based upon measured velocity of stress waves traveling at angles between 0 and 90 degrees to the grain at 15 degree intervals in birch, black cherry, red oak, yellow-poplar, and western white pine boards. Regression analyses indicated that the best correlations were found with second order hyperbolic and parabolic equations. The two equations were compared to Hankinson's equation and to each other by using Absolute Average Error (AAE) for each equation for each species and for all species combined at each of the grain angles for which data were collected. Hankinson's equation produces the least AAE of the three equations although the hyperbolic and parabolic equations must also be considered reasonable predictors of stress wave velocity at most angles to the grain

Application of Sinboron Fibrous Monoliths for Air Breathing Engine Applications

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76640/1/AIAA-2005-3646-549.pd

Reviews

The following publications have been reviewed by the mentioned authors;A History of Hot Aid and Caloric Engines by Robert Sier, reviewed by Francis CeloriaMachines in Motion by Leonard Maunder, reviewed by Jim PattersonLettering and Typography by Tony Potter, reviewed by John LancasterTechnical Draughtsmanship by Eanna O-Brien, reviewed by Martin PattersonThe story of Perspex by Alex Harness, reviewed by J. W. ThompsonHot Air Balloons - Pupil Workcards and Teacher's Guide by E. J. Arnold, reviewed by Mal EvansTeaching Materials available from Industry and Commerce, reviewed by William RichardsonStarting Technology - The Simple Approach by Paul Shallcross, reviewed by Stan Shaw

Nodulation, Nitrogen Fixation, and Organ Dry Weight of Soybean Infested with Southern Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Larvae

Nitrogen fixation, nodulation, and organ dry weights of soybean infested with the larvae of the southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber, were estimated under controlled conditions. Larval southern com rootworm reduced the nitrogen-fixing activity of mid-vegetative and early reproductive soybean, Glycine max Merrill. Soybean of both stages responded to the infestation and subsequent injury by increasing nodulation and organ dry weights of below-ground tissues relative to above-ground tissues. Infestation increased the dry weight of small nodules on vegetative plants and caused a 78.6% increase in the total number of nodules on R5 plants. Leaf area as well as leaf and stem dry weight was reduced in vegetative plants by infestatio

Annular Engine Development Status

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106479/1/AIAA2013-3892.pd