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The Senior Design Project is the capstone undergraduate experience for Drexel University's Engineering Technology (ET) students. During this real-world engineering project, students see projects through from the design and development stage to the production of a working prototype in consultation with their faculty advisors. Initially, a group of students has to select a project and form a working team of four (based on students' knowledge, experience, background, and personal preferences) as well as an advisor (or advisors). The topic of this particular project was "Low - Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Device For Therapeutic Applications". The main goal of this project was to develop a new, low frequency PEMF device based on existing research, while upgrading it to include new technologies and functionality. These improvements included more advanced controls, including modernizing the user interface with a microcontroller and a graphical user interface (GUI), allowing easy user customization of the PEMF parameters. Multiple criteria and testing parameters were created in order to ensure the safety, effectiveness, functionality, and accuracy of the device. Three 11-week terms were devoted to the research, development, and testing of this device, which required precise planning during each stage of the project. Funding for this project was the responsibility of the group; however, several corporations provided in-kind support. The oral presentation and the final written report were evaluated by the assessment committee comprising ET faculty and industry representatives. The completed working prototype was registered with the university's Technology Commercialization office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senior engineering projects are the capstone of students' educational careers, being a proof of the skills and competencies acquired as well as an important tool to assess students' knowledge in their field of study. Capstone design courses enable students to integrate theoretical knowledge with the practical skills gained during their academic experience. Senior design projects developed by students in our department are interdisciplinary in nature and mainly address emerging or current engineering topics in areas such as manufacturing, green and renewable energies, sustainability and healthcare. The project presented in this paper addresses the need for reducing pollution by developing environmentally-friendly automotive braking systems. Conventional frictional brakes inhibit the motion of a vehicle by converting the vehicle's kinetic energy into heat. Removing the friction between the braking elements and braking surface means the lifetime of these components would be significantly improved, which would reduce the recurring costs to the consumer over the lifetime of their vehicle and would reduce generated pollutants.[1]. This project investigated the feasibility of total or partial replacement of the frictional braking system in an automobile with a contactless electromagnetic braking system. The investigative efforts are "proofof- concept" type. The student-led team designed and built a prototype for a frictionless electromagnetic braking system by installing computer-controlled electromagnets inside a typical drum brake assembly. When the drum rotates and passes through the magnetic field generated by the electromagnets, a Lorentz force is induced that opposes the rotation of the drum. The electromagnetic brake was compared against standards for modern vehicle braking performance to determine the feasibility of the frictionless brake's performance. In conjunction with the electromagnetic prototype, control system and display panels were integrated into the test bench, allowing for automated control over the motor and electromagnet and automated data logging. The display panel shows the coil current, voltage, temperature along with the velocity, stopping distance, and stopping time. To ensure the coils stayed within a safe temperature, a simulation was used to determine the maximum current that could be applied before the wire would breakdown. Finally, a cost- benefit analysis was conducted to determine the economic advantages of an electromagnetic brake over a traditional friction brake. The proposed system and testing bed proved that the electromagnetic braking using eddy currents is possible and may be used to improve the existing braking systems. However, this system, as built, cannot achieve the performance required by the current braking standards. Besides the major milestones and project design, we will describe the lessons learned and assessment of this project throughout the academic year. The educational impact of such project is assessed as well, focusing on the interdisciplinary nature of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The swift development of manufacturing within the U.S. has generated much interest in various industries. These industries include Food, Electronics, Medical, Energy, and Urban Manufacturing. Due to the traction of interest, large investments have been promoted by commercial and governmental organizations to promote innovative solutions from various disciplines to reduce costs, increase revenue, and remain a global competitor. The workshop provided insight to historical contexts of manufacturing provided by industry experts and displayed the importance of collaborative research from multidisciplinary fields of engineering. A direct correlation to diverse disciplines of engineering was given to display commercial necessity to solve complex problems with effective solutions. Such solutions to manufacturing require experimental studies to justify long term investment. The event was titled "The New Horizons for the Next Generation Manufacturing Workshop." Students were given various presentations that were followed by a Q&A session. A luncheon was followed to increase industry networking and exchange of information. The hands-on robotics and automation competition proceeded the industry session. Student disciplines included electrical, mechanical, biomedical, computer, and industrial engineering. The competition involved complex problems for robotics and automation. Several 6-axis robots were combined with various sensors and integrated with Arduino to simulate a miniature desktop manufacturing process. The workshop was beneficial to students as it supported diverse solutions to various manufacturing industries and promoted innovation for research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the incorporation of emerging and sustainable practices in an undergraduate engineering technology manufacturing materials course. Usually, the laboratory component of a manufacturing materials course includes only industrial testing procedures and experiments. The study of laboratory tests is used to characterize the material properties of ceramic, polymeric, and metallic materials and how these material properties influence material selection decisions in design and manufacturing. This paper discusses the development of lectures and experimental modules for providing undergraduate students learning experience in emerging and sustainable issues in manufacturing materials. The course is intended to incorporate an in-depth overview of emerging sustainable issues in manufacturing and industrial resources to reduce the environmental impact of manufactured products. Green energy manufacturing is an emerging field and also provides a sustainable development model for modern manufacturing industries. Sustainable green manufacturing encompasses the design of manufacturing processes to prioritize energy conservation, pollution prevention or reduction, and increased health and safety of communities, employees, and consumers. In this paper, we will discuss key advanced technologies and environmental topics that can be integrated into manufacturing coursework to include sustainability principles. This course has been taught, evaluated, and reviewed to identify barriers to the inclusion of emerging issues into the course manufacturing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to share the experience and early results from an interdisciplinary project that integrates theory and practice in green energy manufacturing with course and laboratory development. This project links new courses in renewable energy, clean energy, and energy efficiency with specialized laboratories that fuse green energy into manufacturing engineering education. Two main components are used to incorporate sustainability into the green energy manufacturing project, including: (1) renewable energy and (2) manufacturing energy efficiency. This paper presents how long-term sustainability and support are established through a variety of mechanisms including the energy mission, the awards of federal grants, design projects, partnership, and online learning community. This paper also shows the development process, design and content of an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum that integrates manufacturing with the green energy while enlivening campus-community relationships through student projects. Capitalizing on the success of the implementation of green energy manufacturing in the curriculum through the support of federal grants since 2012, the quality of curriculum, course offerings, and laboratory facilities are improved to meet the project mission. The project outcomes help prepare students to: apply discipline-specific theory, conduct experiments, and use real-world experience to interpret, analyze, and solve current and emerging technical problems in green energy manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The four-credit (forty hours) Acoustic Emission course was developed for Drexel University's engineering technology (ET) and engineering students. The course presents principles of Acoustic Emission (AE) Nondestructive Evaluation of Materials (NDE), combining hands-on laboratory experience with lectures. The students learn the physical principles of acoustic emission generation, propagation and detection in engineering materials and structures. This includes principles of stress and strain and the underlying science of material deformation, crack growth and failure. Students also learn how these principles are utilized to build technical applications of acoustic emission considered as an NDE method. Practical applications in various industries are described. During laboratory sessions, students are introduced to tools, methodologies, and techniques used by NDE specialists in real-world applications. Specifically, the students observe acoustic emission in metals, composite materials and plastics; study acoustic wave propagation and attenuation; learn how to check a set of sensors for consistent sensitivity; set up an acoustic emission system for automatic source location; and engage in structural test data analysis. A laboratory report, clearly describing collected data, results, conclusions, and comments is required after completion of each laboratory session. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this project, we are using image processing (both visible, near infrared, and far infrared) to study various aspects of solar cells including their materials, device operation, defects, variability, and reliability. Laboratory projects using low-cost fluorescent cameras, visible and near-IR cameras, and far-infrared thermal cameras are used to characterize the grain structure, defects, surface roughness, reflectivity, electroluminescence, photoluminescence, and photovoltaic operation of solar cell materials (e.g., monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon wafers), thin-film and nano solar cells, commercial silicon solar cells, and photovoltaic modules. Students can import captured images into MATLAB or other widely-available image processing software for analysis and interpretation. Topical laboratory modules and projects are being developed suitable for on-line delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses an educational effort that incorporates green energy manufacturing concepts for the prototype design of a solar greenhouse in a senior design project. The goal of the senior design project was to provide the design of a greenhouse module integrated with renewable energy as an initial stepping stone for the future construction of manufacturing plants in industry. The renewable energy integrator component in the project seeks to explore the technology of renewable and eco-friendly sources of electricity on a large scale. In addition to researching the subject, a prototype of greenhouse has been built for future students to learn green energy manufacturing as part of engineering and technology programs. Through this project, students learned how to provide a green design method for evaluating the characteristics of clean energy manufacturing. The students incorporated real-world experience with innovative design with the reduction of energy waste and use of renewable energy, as well as incorporating green manufacturing. For the sake of comparisons for green energy manufacturing, experiments were conducted, including sensor monitoring and process control. A concluding section discusses the student learning experiences during this project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point of Care Medical Diagnostics devices are portable microfluidics-based systems that test for infectious diseases in clinical specimens such as blood. They provide fast, easily-interpreted test results in a low-cost format and do not require highly skilled operators. This technology is expected to play a prominent role in future healthcare, especially in resource-limited regions of the developing world. We believe point of care diagnostics devices are excellent topics for student projects. The projects involve microfluidics, cell phone applications, image processing, optics, CAD/CAM and rapid prototyping, microcontrollers, sensors, C programming, instrumentation and process control, product development; and give engineering students exposure to important medical and biotechnology applications. For example, students have designed, constructed, and validated portable devices to test for viruses in blood samples, using a device that integrates a cellphone as a detector, controller, and communications port. This work provides ample opportunities for students to integrate their foundational knowledge and skills in an increasingly important enabling technology for sustainable healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]