Hands‐On,Minds‐On Electric Power Education*

ABET Engineering Criteria 2000 has encouraged changes in engineering education. The deregulation of the electric power industry is also causing changes in the types of jobs power engineers take upon graduation. This paper describes efforts by power faculty at Kansas State University to provide students more hands‐on active learning experience with power systems and machinery. A summary of the power curriculum is provided. The courses affected include an energy conversion course required of all electrical engineering students, and a new power laboratory course required of students taking the electric power option. Examples of student assignments are provided. Observations and discussion of the in‐class experiences are provided. The paper describes work done and in progress to convert the traditional power courses into studio‐type courses in which instruction can flow from lecture to laboratory to computer demonstration formats with ease. Future plans for the project are also discussed.     

Hands‐On CFD Educational Interface for Engineering Courses and Laboratories

This study describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an effective curriculum for students to learn computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in introductory and intermediate undergraduate and introductory graduate level courses/laboratories. The curriculum is designed for use at different universities with different courses/laboratories, learning objectives, applications, conditions, and exercise notes. The common objective is to teach students from novice to expert users who are well prepared for engineering practice. The study describes a CFD Educational Interface for hands‐on student experience, which mirrors actual engineering practice. The Educational Interface teaches CFD methodology and procedures through a step‐by‐step interactive implementation automating the CFD process. A hierarchical system of predefined active options facilitates use at introductory and intermediate levels, encouraging self‐learning, and eases transition to using industrial CFD codes. An independent evaluation documents successful learning outcomes and confirms the effectiveness of the interface for students in introductory and intermediate fluid mechanics courses.     

Using Hands‐On Design Challenges in a Product Development Master's Degree Program

A design challenge has been developed as the first experience in a new Master's degree program in product development, offered by a consortium of schools: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University of Detroit Mercy. The program admits experienced technical specialists who have been identified by their employers as future leaders of product development. The program begins with a brief, intense design challenge that exposes the students to a multi‐disciplinary problem and initiates reflection on systems architecture and organizational processes. The unique requirements of hands‐on design challenges for graduate education in product development are discussed from a constructionist viewpoint. Implementation details of the design challenge are presented and the results from the first two years are analyzed. Students in the program rate the design challenge as a very good introduction to the program and agree that the exercise provides material for discussion of system architecture and organizational processes.     

Perspectives on an Internet‐Based Synchronous Distance Learning Experience

This paper examines the distance learning process by providing an informed student's perspective as well as the instructor's perspective on an Internet‐based synchronous distance learning experience. Throughout the semester, the student maintained a class‐by‐class journal on his experiences and reactions to the Internet‐based course. This journal served as a crucial resource in the subsequent evaluation of the virtual classroom experience. The analysis provided in this paper, informed by current research on traditional and distance education, suggests that community, interaction, pedagogy, attention, and feedback play important roles in the success of an Internet‐based learning experience. Specific comments by the course instructor, as well as survey results from both students and other instructors for a number of synchronous Internet‐based courses, are also presented. This data further illuminates the student synchronous distance education experience and contributes additional insight into the delivery method and its ongoing evolution. The unique observations and conclusions provided here are useful for both instructors and students interested in participating in synchronous as well as asynchronous computermediated education.     

e‐Lab: An Electronic Classroom for Real‐Time Distance Delivery of a Laboratory Course

The Internet continues to demonstrate its versatility as a learning tool in the realm of higher education. As courses in everything from art history to engineering are offered on the Internet, we are experiencing a transition from traditional textbook and lecture teaching method to the virtual classroom. Yet, effective distance delivery of engineering laboratory courses remains a challenging problem. This paper introduces a new approach to deliver a senior‐level laboratory course at a distance in real‐time. The enabling technology is the combination of an interactive TV system and the Internet. The paper presents details of the laboratory setup and five sessions. Data collected for the past two years are analyzed statistically to assess student learning and achievement of learning objectives of each laboratory. Results of the analysis as well as surveys indicate that the e‐Lab created an effective learning environment.     

长距离同轴度测量方法及实验

本文介绍了一种新型的自适应双频激光同轴度测量系统，该系统利用两个完全对称的渥拉斯顿棱镜，一个作为测量元件，另一个作为补偿元件，采用比相技术处理测量信号，因而测量元件可以暂时移出光路，能够进行同轴度的测量，系统的光学设计使激光光束的平衡和角漂不影响测量结果，对激光的漂移有自适应性，两束干涉光基本符合共光路原则，因而对大气湍流，空气扰动的影响具有更强的适应性，可用于长距离直线度，同轴度的测量。该系统与     

Developing a Systems Approach to Engineering Problem Solving and Design of Experiments in a Racecar‐Based Laboratory Course

A capstone mechanical engineering laboratory course is being implemented at the University of South Carolina that develops the student's abilities to analyze complex mechanical and thermal systems, to design experiments, and to develop their professional skills. The course is based upon an integrated sequence of laboratory experiments on a Legends‐class racecar. This vehicle is chosen as the system of study because it provides opportunities for the students to apply the spectrum of their mechanical engineering knowledge. It's also exciting to the students. As the students progress through the series of experiments, they are increasingly involved in experimental design (selecting sensors, sensor locations and experimental operating conditions). The course culminates in a truly open‐ended design of an experiment of their choosing. This course development project is supported by the National Science Foundation's Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program, the NSF's Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program, and the University of South Carolina. This paper describes the work in progress.     

Flexible Chirality in Self‐Assembled N‐Annulated Perylenedicarboxamides

N‐annulated perylenedicarboxamides 1–3 form supramolecular polymers with a strong tendency to aggregate. The bundles of fibers formed generate a spontaneous anisotropy that conditions the chiroptical features of the described molecules in solution; a strong linear dichroism effect accompanies the circular dichroism (CD) outcome. There is no influence of the point chirality existing at the side chains of 1 and 2 , and these molecules present the same chiroptical features as achiral 3 . Mechanical rotary stirring increases the CD response and the sign of the dichroic signal changes with the stirring direction. Theoretical calculations indicate that the self‐assembly of 1–3 in helical columnar stacks generates atropisomers by the restricted rotation of the H‐bonded benzamide units. Molecular mechanics/molecular dynamics calculations predict a feasible intrastack stereomutation of the helical aggregates due to the rapid rupture/formation of the amide H‐bonds. This oscillating helicity, together with the fact that right‐ and left‐handed helices are predicted to be mostly isoenergetic, justifies the negligible contribution of the molecular chirality embedded in the paraffinic side chains of 1 and 2 . The reported CD behavior contributes to shed light on the physical processes promoting flexible macroscopic chirality that, in turn, can be utilized for the spectroscopic visualization of torsional flows generated in a vortex.     

Blocking Two‐level Factorial Experiments

Blocking is commonly used in experimental design to eliminate unwanted variation by creating more homogeneous conditions for experimental treatments within each block. While it has been a standard practice in experimental design, blocking fractional factorials still presents many challenges due to differences between treatment and blocking variables. Lately, new design criteria such as the total number of clear effects and fractional resolution have been proposed to design blocked two‐level fractional factorial experiments. This article presents a flexible matrix representation for two‐level fractional factorials that will allow experimenters and software developers to block such experiments based on any design criterion that is suitable with the experimental conditions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.