LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Freshman Engineering
Overview of the
Living with the Lab
Course Sequence
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Louisiana Tech
Seven Engineering Programs
10,607 students
1,123 students
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Motivation
Challenges
• Population growth
• Fresh water shortages
• Energy demands
• Aging infrastructure
• Global warming
• New diseases
• Security
Source: Dr. Wayne Clough
Engineer of 2020 Project
ASEE Presentation, June 2005
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
cheap technology
+
“flat” world
+
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nanotechnology
•
Breakthroughs
Sustainable Technology
more people
=
accelerating rate of change
Strong analytical skills
Practical ingenuity & creativity
Microelectronics/ telecommunications
Good communication skills
Business, management skills
High ethical standards, professionalism
Dynamic, agile, flexible & resilient
Biotechnology/
Lifelong
learners
nanomedicine
Able to put problems in their sociotechnical and operational context
Adaptive leaders
We believe that technology-enabled, project-based education helps build these attributes in
our students.
Logistics
Photonics/optics
Manufacturing
Source: Dr. Wayne Clough
Engineer of 2020 Project
ASEE Presentation, June 2005
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Fall
Course
Winter
Credits
Course
Spring
Credits
Course
Credits
ENGR 120
2
ENGR 121
2
ENGR 122
2
MATH 240
3
MATH 241
3
MATH 242
3
CHEM 100
2
CHEM 101 / 103
PHYSICS 201*
3
2/1
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Living with the Lab
• Each student owns their own “lab” consisting of
–
–
–
–
a laptop
tools (multimeter, dial caliper, wire strippers, . . .) $80
software (Mathcad, SolidWorks, MS Office)
a robot kit (the Boe-Bot) to provide a personal “lab” $100
• Student owned labs provide a way to boost
hands-on learning beyond what is possible using
traditional university laboratories
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Freshman Projects
Laboratory
Two classrooms designed to support
the curriculum
(40 students, 24 students)
Classrooms allow us to easily switch
between lecture, laboratory and shop
activities within a single 110 minute
class period.
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Seven “Threads” Define the Freshman Experience
1. SYSTEMS – one major project per quarter
2. ELECTROMECHANICAL – breadboarding, sensors, control
3. FABRICATION AND ACQUISITION – shop activities; locate, specify and purchase components
4. SOFTWARE – Excel, Mathcad, SolidWorks, Programming
5. FUNDAMENTALS
• electricity
and DC circuits
• conservation of energy
• basic chemistry and electrochemistry
• conservation of mass
• least squares fitting to calibrate sensors
• statics
• engineering economics
6. COMMUNICATION – formatting problem solutions, oral presentations, writing assignments
7. BROADENING ACTIVITES
• global
and societal issues
• professional society meetings and student functions
• teamwork and creative problem solving techniques
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
First Half of ENGR 120
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
ENGR 120 Project: Fabrication and Testing of Centrifugal Pump
teams of 2 students, turning into groups of 4 for pump performance testing
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Approximate cost per pump = $5
Two students can fabricate the pump in about 2 hours
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
ENGR 121 Project – The Fishtank
•
•
Closed loop control of temperature and salinity in a small tank
Teams of 2 initially later turning into teams of 4
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
ENGR 121 Project – The Fishtank
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
ENGR 122 – Innovative Product Design
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
No Textbook – Course Materials are on Web
www.livingwiththelab.com
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Course sections are coordinated with
common assignments and exams
433 students were taught in fall 2008
• 14 course sections (4 honors)
• 8 faculty members
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Student Notes
Instructor Notes
Several hundred pages of notes define the courses.
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Student Homework
Instructor Solutions
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
CONCLUSION: We have implemented a six
semester hour, technology-enabled, project-based
experience that impacts over 400 first-year
engineering students each year.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strong analytical skills
Practical ingenuity & creativity
Good communication skills
Business, management skills
High ethical standards, professionalism
Dynamic, agile, flexible & resilient
Lifelong learners
Able to put problems in their sociotechnical and operational context
Adaptive leaders
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM
Acknowledgments
• NSF CCLI Grant No. 0618288
• Louisiana Tech University College of
Engineering and Science
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Questions?
2008 Freshman Design Expo
May 7, 2008
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
History
• In 2002 we offered a pilot robotics-centered curriculum to 30 students
• In 2006 we received $498,000 NSF CCLI grant to expand the curriculum
to all engineering students
• In the fall of 2007 we implemented the curriculum for all students
Why?
• We wanted freshman design to be more than mousetrap cars and straw
bridges
• We wanted to progressively build skills and competence so that
freshmen could implement significant projects
• We wanted to make students more innovative
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Seven “Threads” define the freshman
experience. The outcomes that support these
threads are linked to the attributes of the
Engineer of 2020 through the curriculum
objectives.
A1. Strong analytical skills
A2. Practical ingenuity
A3. Creativity
A4. Good communication skills
A5. Lifelong learners
A6. Dynamic, agile, resilient and flexible characteristics
A7. High ethical standards
A8. Leadership skills
A9. Professionalism
A10. Business and management skills
1. SYSTEMS
5. FUNDAMENTALS
• centrifugal pump – model, fabricate and test (A1,A2,A3,A6)
• “fishtank” project – control temperature and salinity of water
(A1,A2,A3,A6)
• smart product – conceive, design and prototype (A1,A2,A3,A6)
2. ELECTROMECHANICAL
• breadboarding skills (A1, A2)
• programmable controllers (A1,A2)
• multimeters for troubleshooting and measurement (A1,A2)
• electromechanical component specifications (A1,A2)
3. FABRICATION AND ACQUISITION
• conventional manufacturing processes (A2)
• RTD (temperature sensor) – design and microfabrication (A1,A2)
• materials and components – locate, specify and purchase (A2)
•specify and purchase materials, supplies or components for projects (A2)
4. SOFTWARE
• Excel, Mathcad and SolidWorks (A1,A2)
• computer programming for sensing and control (A1,A2)
• electricity and DC circuits (A1)
• conservation of energy (A1)
• basic chemistry and electrochemistry (A1)
• conservation of mass (A1)
• least squares fitting to calibrate sensors (A1)
• statics (A1)
• engineering economics (A1)
6. COMMUNICATION
• engineering format (A1,A4)
• tables and graphs (A4)
• oral presentations (A4)
• writing assignments (A4)
7. BROADENING ACTIVITES
• global and societal issues (A5,A6,A7)
• professional society meetings and student functions (A7,A8,A9)
• multidisciplinary teams (A4,A8)
• creative problem solving techniques for product development (A3)
• time and resource management for product development (A10)
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM
ENGR 120 – Sample Assignments (Engr. of 2020 Attributes)
1. Systems: Develop a 3D model of a centrifugal pump
Analytical skills; ingenuity; creativity; dynamism & flexibility
2. Electromechanical: Breadboard a circuit and measure currents
Analytical skills; ingenuity
3. Fabrication and Acquisition: Fabricate and test a centrifugal pump
Analytical skills; ingenuity; creativity; dynamism & flexibility
4. Software: Use Mathcad to calculate efficiency of a centrifugal pump
Analytical skills; ingenuity
5. Fundamentals: Calculate power dissipated by a resistor in an electrical circuit
Analytical skills
6. Communication: Calculate the efficiency of a centrifugal pump using engineering format
Communication
7. Broadening Activities
Attend 5 professional student society meetings (high ethical standards; professionalism; dynamism)
Prepare a 2-page paper on waste management and trends for the future (lifelong learning)
Multidisciplinary teams (communication; leadership)
Time and resource management (business and management skills)
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
All students implement these sensors.
Whisker
Photoresistors
IR pairs
Temperature Sensor
Conductivity Sensor
Hall Effect Sensor
RF Keychain Transmitter and Receiver
LEDs
Buzzers
Switchable Actuators: Pumps, motors, lights, etc.
Continuous Rotation Servos
GPS sensor
Some students implement these sensors,
depending on their chosen project.
Ultrasonic Range Finder
Accelerometer
RF ID Tags and Reader
GPS Receiver
Compass
Force Sensor
Temperature and Humidity Sensor
RF Communication Modules (Boe-Bot to Boe-Bot
communication)
Embedded Blue Transceiver Appmod (add Bluetooth
capabilities to the Boe-Bot)
Color Sensor (senses RGB colors at a point)
CMUcam Vision System
Limited Rotation Servos
LCD Display Output
LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
College of Engineering
and Science
Application
Assembly
Bending
Cutting internal or external threads
Drilling
Implementing circuits on a
breadboard
Layout
Milling
Rapid Prototyping
Sawing
Soldering
Using a dial indicator
Using a lathe
Using a multimeter
Using a scale
Writing PBASIC programs
ENGR 122
(traditional
curriculum)
3.10
4.77
.55
4.29
.62
2.24
.09
.71
2.05
2.17
.17
.06
2.28
3.59
.02
ENGR
122H
(LWTL)
11.19
3.32
1.62
13.14
21.73
10.05
.36
.30
7.77
13.83
2.71
1.17
3.55
2.27
20.23