Pre-College Engineering Activities with Electronic Circuits (Work-in-Progress)

Projects involving engineering experimentation, design, and measurement can be effective content for pre-college STEM outreach. Such applications-oriented activities can promote literacy and interest in technical topics and careers and have the added benefit of showing the relevance of science and mathematics. Exposure to electrical engineering concepts is discussed using the 555 timer integrated circuit. This low-cost device can be used for modular activities involving the production of light, sound, and motion. Specific projects are presented that are appropriate for pre-college students from 9th-grade through 12th-grade

Hypothetical Cases in Engineering Ethics

An important educational subject for engineering students is engineering ethics. Common instructional objectives are to develop knowledge of ethical principles, e.g. professional codes, and to apply these principles to specific situations. Case studies are useful instructional examples and exercises and cases are central to student ethics competitions. Historical case studies emphasize the relevance of ethics in engineering work. Hypothetical case studies can address specific ethical principles and provide great design flexibility. This paper discusses hypothetical cases in engineering ethics in the context of instructional exercises or student competitions. Recommendations are given for the development of versatile cases and for approaching a case study or analysis. Three custom cases that were used in the IEEE Student Ethics Competition are presented as examples

A study of shadow contrast for a grating

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the causes of the reduction of the contrast in the shadow of a grating has been made. The variation of the shadow contrast is shown to be different for the two causes--diffraction and divergence. The conditions which determine the dominant effect are presented. Also, the contrast pattern due to diffraction is shown to have a squared scaling law while the divergence pattern is shown to scale linearly. This understanding of the shadow contrast increases the versatility and usefulness of the shadow moire technique, an optical method for determining the topography of surfaces --Abstract, page ii

Smart Bridges with Fiber-Optic Sensors

This article describes an approach to bridge improvements that uses smart structures, introduces key technologies for health monitoring systems based on fiber optics and gives an overview of two instrumented bridges. A sensing system in one application monitors general performance and health of the structure, while the system in a second application interrogates the behavior of a major structural repair

An Engineering Physics Introduction to Electronics for ECE Sophomores

Electronic devices and circuits are fundamental parts of undergraduate curricula in electrical engineering and computer engineering (ECE). A sophomore-level course that gives a balanced treatment of semiconductor device physics and electronic circuit analysis is described. The course topics are semiconductor physics, diodes, transistors, operational amplifiers, and optoelectronics. The course is a prerequisite for upper-level electronics, semiconductor physics, and semiconductor circuit layout curricula. A stronger link between physical principles and device behavior and an improved sequence in electronics instruction are outcomes

Teaching Engineering Ethics

Instruction in engineering ethics is an important aspect of professional development. For universities, it is an element of program assessment and is considered for accreditation. For engineering students, it addresses relationships in professional life and is a topic for professional licensure. A common instructional objective is for students to have an ability to continue developing their ethical knowledge and judgment. Topical content typically includes an introduction to principles of applied ethics with supporting examples of related engineering situations. This paper discusses the organization of the ethics component in a senior seminar course. Key topics are ethics principles in the context of the engineering profession, codes of ethics as developed by professional societies, and ethical judgment in case studies

Software Education for Changing Computing Technology

Software education has been dominated by procedural-based programming languages such as BASIC, FORTRAN and C, and before that, the assembly languages. The primary reason that this methodology has held such sway in education was that it allowed quick action for the first major users of computers. This approach was the most straight-forward means of utilizing hardware that, over the last 60 years, has gotten faster and more complex through smaller and more densely packed elements. However, traditional advances as described by Moore’s law are now reaching both physical and economic limits. Pure object-oriented programming approaches offer benefits for hardware that is highly parallel and that is of non-traditional design. This work describes the evolution of computational technology, explores features of pure object-oriented languages such as Squeak Smalltalk, and discusses proactive curricula options

Video Surveillance Analysis as a Context for Embedded Systems and Artificial Intelligence Education

Video surveillance analysis is an exciting, active research area and an important industry application. It is a multidisciplinary field that draws on signal processing, embedded systems, and artificial intelligence topics, and is well suited to motivate student engagement in all of these areas. This paper describes the benefits of the convergence of these topics, presents a versatile video surveillance analysis process that can be used as the basis for many investigations, and presents two template exercises in tracking detected targets and in evaluating runtime efficiency. The processing chain consists of detecting changes in a scene and locating and characterizing the resulting targets. The analysis is illustrated for targets in outdoor scenes using a variety of classification features. Also, sample code for processing is included

Work In Progress - Virtual Facilitation And Procedural Knowledge Education

Engineering students acquire both conceptual and procedural knowledge as part of their education. While conceptual knowledge, such as understanding why certain design practices are required or having knowledge of the general principles of engineering development, is essential, procedural knowledge to enact specific engineering practices is also needed. This kind of knowledge, such as balancing chemical equations, solving calculus problems, or finding Thevenin-Norton equivalents, is usually taught through rote problem solving, sometimes with the guidance of teaching assistants or aid from the instructor if students find themselves stuck . However, a Virtual Facilitator, designed to help students develop team skills, can also be used to guide students through the solution of specific problems. This Work In Process paper describes the process for developing the needed procedural rules using an example problem from electrical engineering - finding a Thevenin equivalent circuit. © 2011 IEEE

Workshop - Building Reflective Team Skills with a T-Group

ABET criteria require that engineering graduates have the ability to function on multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively . An important component of these skills is the ability to reflect on one\u27s personal actions and the dynamics occurring within the group. This workshop is intended to provide participants with a practical exercise that can help students become more self-reflective and aware of group dynamics, while demonstrating the use of the virtual facilitator system to improve group dialogue. The workshop will engage the participants in a self- directed learning exercise modeled after T-Groups. This exercise will help participants: 1) Become aware of their own patterns of behavior 2) Learn about the impact of their behavior on others 3) Evaluate the impact of others\u27 behavior on one\u27s self 4) Become more effective in interpersonal interactions During the exercise participants may use a computationally intelligent virtual facilitator . It can be used in student exercises or project teams to help students learn communication skills. This workshop will be of interest to engineering educators who desire to incorporate learner-centered approaches to learning but have found that their students need to gain awareness of team dynamics. It will be of particular interest to those open to non-traditional methods