Graduate Courses In Engineering Research Articles

Navigating complex riskscapes: the Koudiet Eddraouch GIS substation project in Sub-Saharan Africa

Learning outcomes Risk identification and qualitative assessment are the learning outcomes. Case overview/synopsis The Bharat Bijlee Construction Limited (BBCL) was one of the largest construction companies operating in the power sector in India. After successfully completing a few projects in the Middle East, BBCL decided to expand its presence into African region. The BBCL was awarded a $85m contract for three sub-station projects to modernise Algeria’s power grid system by the “Shariket Karhaba Koudiet Eddraouch Spa”, a state-owned company in charge of power generation, transmission and distribution in Algeria. The project, which is the first of BBCL in Saharan region in Algeria’s, presents many unique situations that company had never encountered before, including sand dunes, severe weather, remote locations, supply chain & logistics, strict contractual deadlines and a high level of construction risk. The project manager for BBCL was sceptic about how well his company would perform under the present project circumstances. How could he better align himself with the client, the various on-site local contractors and the numerous suppliers spread around the world? The case emphasises the identification of various project risks that the project manager might encounter in the project. What do the PESTLE and ASCE frameworks for risk identification each represent, and how are they helpful for the project team in understanding various risks? How should the project’s qualitative risk assessment be conducted? And how can a heat map be a better tool for comprehending the criticality of each risk in the project? Complexity academic level Undergraduate and post graduate courses in project management, civil engineering and architecture domain. Supplementary material Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 2: Built Environment.

Illuminating the Teaching of Science and Engineering Graduate Courses with “Curriculum Ideology and Politics”

Illuminating the Teaching of Science and Engineering Graduate Courses with “Curriculum Ideology and Politics”

Information Literacy Instruction in Engineering Graduate Courses: Instructional Design and Reflection

Prior research on information literacy instruction in engineering graduate programs rarely considers course instructor perspectives, and instead only uses student feedback to evaluate the efficacy of information literacy instruction. This study documents the authors’ efforts to evolve the library curriculum to motivate student learning and meet the course needs. Data collected from the student survey and course instructor questionnaire found that most students reported that the instruction was engaging and satisfying, but evaluations of the usefulness of the instruction were mixed. The course instructor was satisfied with the students’ overall work in information gathering though found their project reports unsatisfactory in terms of report writing and critical thinking. The findings shed light on student needs and faculty expectations of engineering project-based graduate courses.

An integrated approach for teaching speech spectrogram analysis to engineering students.

Spectrogram analysis is a vital skill for learning speech acoustics. Spectrograms are necessary for visualizing cause-effect relationships between speech articulator movements and the resulting sound produced. However, many interpretation techniques needed to read spectrograms are counterintuitive to engineering students who have been taught to use more rigid mathematical formulas. As a result, spectrogram reading is often challenging for these students who do not have prior background in acoustic phonetics. In this paper, a structured, inclusive framework for teaching spectrogram reading to students of engineering backgrounds is presented. Findings from the implementation of these teaching methods in undergraduate and graduate engineering courses at University of California, Los Angeles are also unveiled.

Research priorities for seasonal energy storage using electrolyzers and fuel cells

Paul A. Kempler is a research assistant professor at the University of Oregon and the Associate Director for the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry (OCE). At the OCE, he has developed three graduate laboratory courses in electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering and serves as the liaison to industry partners. His current research interests include interfacial ion transfer in energy conversion and the technoeconomic analysis of decarbonized energy systems. Paul received his PhD in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology for research on catalyst integration and gas evolution in photoelectrochemical cells for water splitting. John James Slack is a senior scientist at Nikola Corporation. John specializes in developing novel materials, studying their interactions, and designing nanostructured architectures within fuel cell cores. In the first two years of his career, he authored two successful proposals worth $2.7 million and has co-authored several patents related to advancing the field of fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies. He is active in the fuel cell community, regularly presenting to the Department of Energy and to the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck Consortium. John's background is in chemical engineering, and he obtained his PhD at Vanderbilt University in 2019. Andrew M. Baker is a senior scientist at Nikola Corporation. His current research is focused on improving the performance and durability of membrane-electrode-assembly materials and accelerated stress test development for heavy-duty PEM fuel cell applications. Prior to working at Nikola, he was a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He received his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware in 2017.

(Invited) Computational Electrochemical Engineering

In our introductory graduate course in electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering, the overall format is traditional: We start from fundamental thermodynamics, electrode kinetics, and ionic mass transport, and follow with detailed discussion of applications. The course is intended to aid graduate students in quantitative analysis of their research involving electrochemical technologies.However, an essential focus of the course is on detailed electrochemical kinetics and transport, and because these topics tend to be mathematically intensive, a significant number of computational components are included in the course. These components start with simple plotting of electrochemical data, and are gradually extended to include interpolation, curve fitting, solution of systems of nonlinear equations, and solution of one-dimensional differential equations. All of these skills find application in electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering.Computational components use the python programming language and the Jupyter programming environment, which provides a rich interface for computational content, including explanatory text, mathematics, and interactive graphics via the web browser. Using JupyterHub, students can access materials via the web alone and do not have to install or maintain any software. Frequent in-class active learning sessions provide opportunities for supervised practice, enabling students to build fluency in both electrochemistry and computation.Of equal importance, the jupyter interface provides a rich medium for interactive demonstration of electrochemical concepts in synchronous and asynchronous lecture settings. Concepts such as Marcus kinetics, potential variations across an electrochemical cell, and primary and secondary current distributions can be demonstrated in this way.Students complete the course with a capstone project consisting of a computer-based simulation of an electrochemical system. This project assignment is open-ended in the sense that students are asked to choose a topic of study that interests them. The project can involve design, analysis, or simulation of any electrochemical system. However, the project must be focused, and must involve quantitative modeling. Results are presented via a 15-minute in-class presentation and 5-page paper. Frequent topics include models of batteries, biosensors, electrolysis processes and analysis of experimental kinetic data.

Developing reflective engineers through an arts-incorporated graduate course: A curriculum inquiry

Engineering curricula have traditionally focused on preparing students to become specialized individuals with technical knowledge, while devoting less attention to reflective thinking about real-world engineering practice, which is fraught with complex, unpredictable, and ambiguous problems that require broader skills. More recently, engineering educators have recognized the need to broaden the engineering curriculum, in part by incorporating the arts and humanities. The present study involves the development of an arts-integrated graduate course in environmental engineering. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore how engineering students have experienced this new curriculum; and second, to understand how it has enhanced their reflective thinking skills. We employed a descriptive, intrinsic case study approach using student interviews, writing assignments, and artwork collected from the course as our primary sources of data. The findings show clear potential for the arts to provide meaningful changes in engineering students’ learning to become reflective thinkers. Hence, we suggest that engineering education be re-imagined by making the arts an essential part of the engineering curriculum to develop reflective engineers who are willing and able to navigate the “swampy lowlands” of engineering practice. The course provides a model for incorporating the arts to foster reflective thinking in graduate engineering education and the study contributes to the literature a distinctive, qualitative evaluation of its potential impacts.

Chemical Engineering Graduate Courses Curriculum Development with Simulation Components

The graduate chemical engineering curriculum at our institution Elmergib University is replete with both problem-based and project-based learning components. This paper focuses on a complex methodology of inquiry-based learning (IBL), which has been proven to well prepare graduate students for a successful career in engineering. IBL requires Students to invest a considerable time during the class and after working at home learning with the aid of mentoring how to develop and answer a research question. Teaching both IBL and the development of field-specific simulation skills challenge professors. That does not allow much of the class time required to cover material reliance on mathematical tools that often hamper student understanding of the underlying phenomena and difficulty in providing immersive and exciting visuals that support in-depth learning. An IBL component was incorporated into a simulation-based design in four successive graduate courses: Advanced computational Numerical Methods, Advanced heat transfer, Advanced fluid mechanics, and Advanced transport phenomena. The courses were modified to contain Multiphysics simulations with application building that develop technical competency by developing modeling skills, deeper understanding by solving realistic problems, and writing skills by producing technical reports for each simulation. The use of the Multiphysics application building component adds a new skillset that further strengthens our program graduates. The paper shows the teaching and learning strategies efforts have been implemented, course teaching tools Apps structure, student outcome assessment, and research project exam questions and their simulation results from students’ reports.

Improving Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Learning Through Use of Online Graduate Engineering Courses During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In order to provide undergraduate students with a full, rich online learning experience we adapted pre-existing online content including graduate courses from Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals (JHU EP) program. These online courses were designed using published methodologies and held to a high level of rigor of a Masters-level curriculum. Adapting pre-existing online course material enabled us to more rapidly adapt to the COVID-19 shutdown of in-person education. We adapted content to meet the majority of lab-based learning objectives rather than generating self-recorded lecture material and allowing us to focus faculty time on addressing student needs. Here we discuss benefits, challenges, and methods for replicating these courses, and lessons to be applied in future offerings from this experience.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s43683-020-00041-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

An educational tool based on finite element method for electromagnetic study

Electromagnetism forms a mandatory topic in the syllabus of undergraduate and graduate courses in electrical engineering. This topic involves many physical and mathematical concepts like curl, divergence, gradient for field determination and representation. These concepts are not only difficult to understand but also often lead to poor learning because of the imaginations and non-visualization of electric and magnetic fields. A correct understanding of fields and its distribution is necessary to understand the working, design and optimization of electrical machines. This paper presents a finite element method (FEM) based educational tool that allows the technical students to visualize electromagnetic (EM) fields inside the EM systems. This tool therefore provides a better understanding of the design and optimization of various electrical devices. This paper shows an example of a 2-pole linear machine to visualize the distribution of the magnetic field in a non-linear circuit. This machine extends to form a linear switched reluctance motor (LSRM) using step-by-step design and optimization procedure along with the user guide interface programmed in FEM based ANSYS Maxwell software. This motor is used as an example to visualize magnetic fields using FEM software in complex circuits and can be used as a good educational tool for students. The paper incorporates the validation of the design procedure through FEM simulations.

Frenemies: OPM and SysML Together in an MBSE Model

AbstractA Frenemy is “a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry.” (OED, 2018). The Systems Modeling Language (SysML) and the Object Process Methodology (OPM) are two such frenemies. OPM and SysML are different means of achieving Model‐Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), each with their own benefits, issues, supporters and detractors. The National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) defines MBSE as “an approach to engineering that uses models as an integral part of the technical baseline that includes the requirements, analysis, design, implementation, and verification of a capability, system, and/or product throughout the acquisition life cycle.” (NDIA, 2011) SysML is based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and includes diagrams that can be used to specify system requirements, behavior, structure and parametric relationships. SysML provides a means of defining high‐level abstract systems down to detailed physical systems. OPM is a “conceptual modeling language and methodology for capturing knowledge and designing systems. Based on a minimal universal ontology of stateful objects and processes that transform them, OPM can be used to formally specify the function, structure, and behavior of artificial and natural systems in a large variety of domains.” (ISO, 2015) OPM is used in some systems engineering graduate courses. Students graduating from these institutions are struggling to integrate the differing styles, philosophies, concepts and processes of SysML and OPM. A literature search reveals some papers that contrast SysML and OPM, but none that describe how the two can work together. This paper discusses a synergy of SysML and OPM in a SysML tool rather than promoting one language over another.

Service Learning for De La Salle University Civil Engineering Graduate Courses

Service Learning for De La Salle University Civil Engineering Graduate Courses

Introduction to the New Assessment Methodology in Educational Settings: Use of KWM in an Engineering Graduate Course

Introduction to the New Assessment Methodology in Educational Settings: Use of KWM in an Engineering Graduate Course

Políticas públicas de pós-graduação no estado de São Paulo: uma análise dos cursos de Engenharia Elétrica reconhecidos pela Capes

Este artigo analisa os cursos de pós-graduação stricto sensu na área de Engenharia Elétrica no estado de São Paulo entre 2002 e 2014. A pesquisa descritiva e exploratória utiliza a base de dados da Capes – GeoCapes – para construir conhecimentos sobre a quantidade de alunos titulados nas universidades paulistas, verificar a participação de cada uma destas na formação de profissionais e analisar comparativamente os resultados, considerando a distribuição geográfica das instituições. Assim, identifica-se o cenário de atuação da política pública educacional de formação na pós-graduação, além de fazer uma breve contextualização das dificuldades de capacitação no segmento. Conclui-se que o número de programas aumentou no período, com preponderância das três universidades estaduais na formação de estudantes de mestrado e doutorado na área, porém com uma distribuição concentrada em poucas cidades e regiões administrativas.

Learning and researching based on local experience and simulation software for graduate and undergraduate courses in chemical and environmental engineering

This work deals with the use of a commercial simulation package, ASPEN Plus®, to design and assess a biorefinery based on olive-derived biomass. The starting point was the selection of the raw material itself, which is one of the most abundant in Mediterranean countries and well known by the students to whom the study is addressed. Moreover, the work was based on the research activities performed by the authors in the topic of renewable compounds production from agricultural residues. One of the main objectives was to take advantage of the fact that students are familiar with the raw materials to foster their interest in research and to improve their understanding of the basic concepts of Chemical Engineering. This was demonstrated by the survey students did along three years, where they showed their satisfaction with the work. The procedure could be applied to other raw materials, the ones typically found somewhere else, with probably similar results.

Mapeamento e análise de desempenho da graduação e da pós-graduação em Engenharia de Produção no Brasil

A universidade se afirma como instituição por excelência, em todas as suas dimensões, para o cultivo do saber num constante processo de construção e reconstrução, em busca do desenvolvimento da cultura e pensamento. Nesse sentido, este artigo tem como objetivo analisar os cursos brasileiros de graduação e de pós-graduação em Engenharia de Produção, considerando a ênfase do curso, as áreas de pesquisa, a situação geográfica e a sua classificação. Para isso, desenvolveu-se um estudo qualitativo e quantitativo, do tipo descritivo, tendo como plano de coleta dos dados uma pesquisa bibliográfica a partir dos dados disponibilizados nos sitesda Associação Brasileira de Engenharia de Produção (ABEPRO) e do Ministério da Educação (e-MEC). O estudo aponta que, apesar do curso de graduação e de pós em Engenharia de Produção terem se desenvolvido no país, a sua distribuição é heterogênea e a qualidade se encontra aquém das necessidades do mercado.

Embedding Sustainability in Education through Experiential Learning Using Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In this pedagogical study, we introduce the design and findings of a pilot study on the effectiveness of a new Engineering graduate course, “Total Sustainability Management”, in teaching and learning sustainability, both at the cognitive and the management level. The design of an “arms-length” anonymized pre- and post-course questionnaires was driven by the course key objectives and adopted framework of sustainability competencies. The findings and questions raised from this pilot study inform the proposed design of further study and, more importantly, the development of a framework for teaching and learning—and thus measuring—sustainability in graduate, interdisciplinary Engineering education.

Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Control [Book Review

This book presents the first unified and thorough discussion of Type-2 FLCs and Type-2 fuzzy logic control systems, providing the necessary tools for the design of the control of complex nonlinear systems. The analysis includes 1) the mathematical structure of some Type-2 FLCs, 2) stability of Type-2 fuzzy logic control systems, and 3) robustness of the Type-2 fuzzy logic control systems. This book, the first one entirely on Type-2 FLCs, shows the reader how to design Type-2 fuzzy logic control systems based on a variety of choices for the Type-2 FLC components and also demonstrates how to apply Type-2 fuzzy logic control theory to applications. It is written by five of the leading experts on Type-2 fuzzy sets, systems, and control. This book consists of seven chapters. This book has been written with an educational focus rather than a pure research focus. Each chapter includes worked examples, and most refer to computer programs accessible through the book’s Web site, outlining how to use them at a high level. Therefore, this book is appropriate for classroom use in graduate courses in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science. This book also is a self-contained reference suitable for engineers, researchers, and graduate students who want to gain deep insights about Type-2 FLCs.

Modeling and simulation in biomedical engineering: applications in cardiorespiratory physiology [book reviews

Modeling and simulation have developed into indispensable disciplines in many fields including the physiological sciences; yet, there are few accessible texts available that teach the model building process in a methodical way for the physiological model developer. This text fills that need admirably. Uniquely qualified to author such a text, the author is one of the original developers of CAE Healthcare’s Human Patient Simulator (HPS), which, nearly 20 years after its release, stands alone in its physiologic and pharmacologic model sophistication for patient simulation and risk-free caregiver education. His understanding of mathematics, human physiology, pharmacology, control systems, and systems engineering, combined with a conversational writing style, results in a readable text suitable for upper-year undergraduate or early graduate courses in biomedical engineering, physiology, or applied mathematics. For those modelers or aspiring modelers reading the text, an understanding of differential equations is warranted.

Design and Development of a Project-Based Embedded System Laboratory Using PIC 18F25K20

In this paper we present experiments and projects which gives hands-on experience to the students who start working with microcontrollers initially. As PIC microcontrollers have become popular and are one of the best microcontrollers to start working with in an introductory embedded system laboratory, we have chosen PIC 18F25K20 microcontroller available on the market in a palm size module by name: AMICUS. The exercises described in this paper can be introduced as a one-third semester laboratory course. The AMICUS module is inexpensive and can be used to perform basic and project-based exercises. It is well suited for an under graduate engineering or science course, with electronics, computer science as major. If it is a introductory laboratory course on microcontrollers, it gives an opportunity for the student to use his previous knowledge on basic electronic circuits, digital system design, computer architecture and software development. This paper is not only useful for academics but also useful for amateur electronics hobbyist.