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Session: 2793

Multidisciplinary Research using Nondestructive Evaluation Shreekanth Mandayam, Kauser Jahan and Douglas Cleary Rowan University, Glassboro

Abstract

A major objective of the Junior/Senior Engineering Clinics at Rowan University is to introduce students to open-ended engineering projects. All engineering students from the four engineering disciplines, namely Civil, Chemical, Electrical and Mechanical share a common engineering clinic class. The Junior/Senior Engineering Clinics, part of the innovative 8-semester Engineering Clinic sequence, provides the venue for multidisciplinary student teams to engage in semester-long design and development projects. These projects are typically funded by local industry, faculty research grants or departmental budgets. The clinic projects are crucial in developing the design, problem solving and project management skills that are often absent in the traditional engineering coursework. They further reinforce communication skills both oral and written. This paper focuses on the details of successful multidisciplinary research on non- destructive evaluation using engineering undergraduates.

Introduction

Rowan University is a regional state university committed to teaching and community service. The enrolment is approximately 9,000 students. The College of Engineering at Rowan University was initiated in 1996 as a result of a $100 million donation in 1992 from the Rowan Foundation. The engineering faculty use innovative methods of teaching and learning to better prepare students for entry into a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace1-4. Key program features include: (a) creating inter- and multi-disciplinary experiences through collaborative laboratories and coursework; (b) stressing total quality management (TQM) as the necessary framework for solving complex problems; (c) incorporating state-of-the-art technologies throughout the curricula; (d) and creating continuous opportunities for technical writing and communication. To best meet these objectives, the four engineering programs of Chemical, Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering have common engineering clinic classes throughout their programs of study, in which undergraduates work in teams on hands-on open-ended projects.

The Engineering Clinics

The purpose of the clinic classes is to provide engineering students with a hands-on, multidisciplinary experience throughout their college education. The freshman clinic focuses on primary principles, measurements, and competitive assessment. In the second semester, student teams take on semester long projects involving reverse engineering and/or engineering process exploration. The sophomore clinic focuses on design taught from the viewpoint of the four engineering disciplines represented at Rowan University: chemical, civil and environmental, electrical & computer, and mechanical. In the second semester, students work in teams on well- defined semester long design projects. The junior and senior clinics emphasize multidisciplinary

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Jahan, K., & Mandayam, S., & Cleary, D. (2001, June), Multidisciplinary Research Using Nondestructive Evaluation Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9579