Capstone Design Project Course Pathways

Capstones are open-ended undertakings where students are expected to creatively analyze, synthesize, and apply a wide-variety of learning outcomes from prior coursework. This paper discusses the structure, approach and evolution of the capstone project pathways within our College. Specifically two programs, MET and EET, have adopted different solutions towards the planning, organizing and execution. The areas of contrast among projects are: 1) sourcing, 2) type, 3) feedback and evaluation, 4) assessment methodology, 5) supplemental resources and 6) curricular strategy. For the first five, the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches are discussed along with the issues and benefits experienced by students, faculty and industry sponsors. In the sixth, a means to improve capstone readiness and performance is presented in which experiential courses within a topical area sequentially introduce challenging and open-ended assignments that foster cognitive learning

Towards Liberal Education Assessment In Engineering And Technology Programs

Our regional accrediting body, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, requires outcome assessment of core liberal education outcomes. Because of this mandate, and our new mission at the University to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to thrive and be engaged in a pluralistic, complex world, we have undertaken a project to develop and assess core liberal education outcomes. This paper describes the planning and actions taken to meet these new requirements in our engineering and technology programs. The college has expanded outcome assessment by including five “intellectual and practical skills,” specifically, critical and creative thinking, inquiry/analysis, problem-solving, and information literacy. VALUE rubrics are being incorporated into the process to ascertain the best opportunities to measure student achievement within the engineering and technology programs. An assessment framework is presented and pilot results are discussed

Retention-Oriented Curricular Design

This paper presents a retention-oriented approach to the educational value stream within the STEM undergraduate area. Faced with several strategic challenges and opportunities, a Flex Advantage Plan was developed to enhance the undergraduate engineering technology programs and better utilize the curricular flexibilities inherent in the current structure. FAP provides distinction and uniqueness to these majors by presenting students with educational choices that add depth in a chosen discipline and/or another concentration. Flex Advantage has expanded awareness and increased enrollment in secondary degrees, minors and concentrations. In the next phase, the linkages between undergraduate and graduate studies will be addressed to provide a smoother transition for current undergraduate students and more relevant alternatives for part-time students

Resonance and Tones in Dual-Stream Nozzle Flows

A dual-stream nozzle configuration was studied numerically with the objective of predicting the appearance of tones and study their sources. It was found that some of the tones traced to a coupling between Strouhal shedding from the struts, which held different pieces of the nozzle together, and various duct acoustic modes. A focus of the work was on exploring the nature of the duct modes. First, elements of the numerical procedure were studied for a 4-strut nozzle, validating the results with existing experimental data. The approach was then applied to a 3-strut geometry and four different excitation methods. The predicted tones and associated duct modes are analyzed in detail

Adaptivni potencijal pasuljevog žiška za invaziju novih biljaka domaćina: obrasci reproduktivnog ponašanja populacija koje koriste različite biljke

The goal of this work was to examine interpopulation patterns in the reproductive behavior of populations of bean weevil (Acanthoscelides obtectus Say; Coleoptera: Bruchidae) that had different levels of specialization on their native host plant – the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), as well as on a novel host plant – the chickpea (Cicer arietinum Thorn). The obtained pattern of interpopulation mating behavior seemed exactly as if the males on chickpea had evolved a specific odor and/or a courtship ritual that females of populations on bean found repulsive. Unlike females, the males of bean populations seemed to be willing to mate with females from the population on chickpea equally as with their own females. Such an asymmetric pattern of reproductive isolation between populations of a species has been often considered an initial phase of a process of speciation. Thus, our results could be a good starting point for further, thorough examination of both the role of the level of host specialization in females and the role of biochemical characteristics of male pheromone (and/or their cuticular hydrocarbones) in the evolution of pre-reproductive isolation between insect populations. As the results of this study, together those of previous studies on A. obtectus, suggest great evolutionary potential for invasions of and fast specialization on novel host plants, they could provide valuable information for the development of long-term strategies under the programmes of Integrated Pest Management.Cilj ovog eksperimenta je bio da se u populacijama pasuljevog žiška (Acanthoscelides obtectus Say; Coleoptera: Bruchidae) koje su imale različit nivo specijalizacije na prirodnog domaćina – pasulj (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) i novog domaćina – naut (Cicer arietinum Thorn), ispitaju obrasci reproduktivnog ponašanja u njihovom međusobnom ukrštanju. Dobijeni obrazac ukrštanja izgledao je tačno kao da su mužjaci iz populacije sa nauta vremenom razvili specifičan miris, i/ili ritual, pri parenju koji je za ženke iz populacija sa pasulja bio odbojan. Za razliku od ženki, mužjaci iz populacja sa pasulja bili su jednako voljni da se pare, kako sa ženkama iz svojih, tako i sa ženkama iz populacije sa nauta. Ovakav, asimetrični obrazac reproduktivnog ponašanja različitih populacija jedne vrste često se smatra početnom fazom u procesu nastanka novih vrsta. Stoga, naši rezultati mogu biti značajni kao polazna osnova za dalja, temeljna ispitivanja, kako uloge nivoa specijalizacije na biljku domaćina kod ženki, tako i uloge biohemijskih karakteristika muškog seksualnog feromona (ili kutikularnih hidrokarbona) u procesu evolucije pre-reproduktivnih mehanizama reproduktivne izolacije kod insekata. Takođe, s obzirom da ovi i rezultati prethodnih studija sprovedenih na A. obtectus govore u prilog velikog evolucionog potencijala ovog insekta za invaziju i brzu specijalizaciju na nove biljke domaćine, oni mogu poslužiti kao vredna informacija pri razvoju dugoročnih strategija u okviru programa integrativne borbe protiv štetočina

Achieving and Sustaining Gender Balance in an Undergraduate Teaching Institution

Abstract ---Recruiting and retaining women in the STEM faculty ranks has been a national priority for many years. Recent research, sponsored by the NSF ADVANCE program, was performed mostly by doctoral institutions. However, for small undergraduate universities, the resulting challenges and decision frameworks are likely to be different. The prevalent recommendations need to be re-evaluated and re-interpreted for relevance and applicability. Multiple change agents have been identified, but it is believed that the departmental climate most strongly correlates with successful institutional transformation. The primary success factor is a set of formalized processes in: (1) teaching, scholarship and service, (2) mentoring, and (3) leadership. A secondary factor is a faculty support infrastructure capable of fostering collaborations and reducing isolation. A third factor is an introspective capability that broadens the understanding of the issues affecting women ultimately expressed in the form of better policies and procedures. There is a strong connection between gender progress on the faculty side and improving the pipeline of female students. To effectively intervene on the supply side, it is important to have networking, mentoring and role modeling processes that match student demographics and global sociological conditions. In the case of our University, this requires recruiting, developing and retaining faculty whose principal focus is undergraduate education which is challenging in STEM fields where the traditional emphasis is on research. Curricular evolution in doctoral institutions is typically driven by emerging trends and technological opportunities while the needs of regional industries and local programs are more influential among primarily undergraduate institutions. As advanced degrees become a professional requirement, baccalaureate graduates will be expected to pursue advanced studies early in their career. Hence, more undergraduate STEM programs will serve as feeders to doctoral institutions. The future supply of graduate students and ultimately faculty will become more dependent on these teaching universities. This paper describes our specific efforts and successes in the context of an undergraduate teaching institution. We have demonstrated that even with limited resources and no external funding, it is possible to improve the community culture and climate. Tangible strategies and initiatives aimed at improving the climate are presented: (1) administrative leadership commitment, (2) grants and endowments, (3) faculty development resources, (4) workshops that mirror industry successes, (5) early and mid-career planning, and (6) recruiting and retention of female faculty

Experimental and Computational Study of Tones Occurring with a Coaxial Nozzle

Tones were encountered in large-scale, multi-stream nozzle tests in the Aeoacoustics Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL). A different coaxial nozzle used in a past experiment also produced tones. In this paper, we present experimental and COMSOL results addressing the tone mechanism in the latter nozzle

UTICAJ HRANIVA I TERMINA SADNJE NA PROIZVODNE OSOBINE JAGODE (Fragaria ananassa Duch.)

The paper presents the results of the influence of terms of planting and fertilizers on the production characteristics of strawberries. Planting dates are the beginning of July and the beginning of October. The feeding programs included the use of Rosasol fertilizers (Orange Rosasol formulation 15-30-20, Blue Rosasol formulation 20-20-20 and Yellow Rosasol formulation 17-09-29) and the use of Soluveg fertilizers (Green 10-40-10 + 4MgO and Parma 16-6-27 + 3MgO + ME). The results showed that the earlier planting date influenced earlier fruiting, but also better production results (higher yield, larger fruits). In terms of fertilizers, better results have been achieved with Rosasol.Publishe

The supplementation of a high dose of fish oil during pregnancy and lactation led to an elevation in Mfsd2a expression without any changes in docosahexaenoic acid levels in the retina of healthy 2-month-old mouse offspring

IntroductionDuring fetal development, the proper development of neural and visual systems relies on the maternal supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids through placental transfer. Pregnant women are strongly advised to augment their diet with additional sources of omega-3, such as fish oil (FO). This supplementation has been linked to a reduced risk of preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, and perinatal depression. Recently, higher doses of omega-3 supplementation have been recommended for pregnant women. Considering that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play a crucial role in maintaining the delicate homeostasis required for the proper functioning of the retina and photoreceptors the effects of high-dose fish oil (FO) supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on the retina and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) in healthy offspring warrant better understanding.MethodsThe fatty acid content and the changes in the expression of the genes regulating cholesterol homeostasis and DHA transport in the retina and RPE were evaluated following the high-dose FO supplementation.ResultsOur study demonstrated that despite the high-dose FO treatment during pregnancy and lactation, the rigorous DHA homeostasis in the retina and RPE of the two-month-old offspring remained balanced. Another significant finding of this study is the increase in the expression levels of major facilitator superfamily domain-containing protein (Mfsd2a), a primary DHA transporter. Mfsd2a also serves as a major regulator of transcytosis during development, and a reduction in Mfsd2a levels poses a major risk for the development of leaky blood vessels.ConclusionImpairment of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) is associated with the development of numerous ocular diseases, and a better understanding of how to manipulate transcytosis in the BRB during development can enhance drug delivery through the BRB or contribute to the repair of central nervous system (CNS) barriers

Anthropometric study of the facial index in the population of Central Serbia

The aim of this study was to determine the craniofacial parameters in the population of the central part of Serbia. The research was conducted on 700 persons (360 males and 340 females), aged 18-65 years, selected randomly. The measured parameters were morphological facial height and breadth. The standard spreading caliper with scale was used for the measurement of facial parameters. There were significant differences in the facial parameters of male compared to female subjects in all observed parameters. The mean value of the morphological facial height in the study population was 116.8 mm ± 7.28, maximum facial breadth 124.12 mm ± 8.44, while the mean value of the total facial index was 93.68 ± 6.86. The total facial index was calculated according to the formula and the obtained results were analyzed statistically using the t-test. The dominant phenotype in the studied population was leptoprosopic. The data obtained in our study may be useful in anthropological research, forensics, genetic research, as well as in medical clinical practice