| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 29, 2011 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 29, 2011 |
| Award Number: | 1044830 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Gul Kremer
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2011 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $107,884.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $107,884.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
30 COOPER SQUARE 2ND NEW YORK NY US 10003-7120 (212)353-4138 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
30 COOPER SQUARE 2ND NEW YORK NY US 10003-7120 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
S-STEM-Schlr Sci Tech Eng&Math, TUES-Type 1 Project |
| Primary Program Source: |
1300XXXXDB H-1B FUND, EDU, NSF |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project engages mechanical engineering (ME) students by exposing them to relevant real-world problems by making use of a new state-of-the art energy-efficient Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified academic building by: (1) incorporating learning opportunities that integrate energy consumption and sustainability, and (2) developing hands-on process control laboratory experiments that supplement traditional classroom learning. The new experiments and inductive learning platforms are incorporated into an ongoing redesign of the ME program that creates a more cooperative and student-centric learning environment. The project will provide assessments of student learning outcomes that result from the new case-based and experiential learning approaches, and disseminate new curricular materials that will be modular and adaptable to a wide range of control systems curricula. A key outcome of this effort is the examination of the role of first-hand experiences and curricular improvements in attracting and retaining diverse students traditionally underrepresented in mechanical engineering.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Traditional, lecture-based undergraduate engineering courses leave many students with an abstract or incomplete understanding of control systems. Actively engaging students with practical applications and hands-on experiments provides students with a broader understanding of course material. This project improves undergraduate mechanical engineering learning of control systems by creating new learning experiences leveraging a new Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum-certified academic building (41 Cooper Square). The project objectives include:
1. Developing new building tours and curricular materials that introduce students to building systems and their control systems terminology;
2. Integrating Building Management System and real-time energy usage data into the learning environment;
3. Providing opportunities for hands-on process control experimentation; and
4. Fostering project-based, research-oriented learning opportunities for evaluation and synthesis of energy-efficient building systems.
The new teaching approach exposes students to real-world control system applications while weaving in sustainable design principles. New course components include experimentation with liquid-level tank and heat exchanger process control rigs in three 2-hour lab modules. Students are then assigned background reading on a content management site that includes building system descriptions, photos and schematics. A new dashboard and green features kiosk shows real-time power consumption, cogeneration power production and rainwater collection data. Students are taken on tours of the building’s mechanical equipment rooms and are shown the Building Management System, a computer-based automation system that automatically monitors and controls the building’s systems. A writing assignment challenges students to synthesize the building’s systems using control systems terminology. Finally, students return to the lab to implement the tuning methods learned in class.
The assessment plan measured student learning outcomes, the project’s impact on student motivation, as well as the efficacy of the project beyond its initial implementation. Pre- and post- surveys and concept inventories demonstrated measurable gains in three new learning outcomes: (1) identifying control systems, (2) describing basic HVAC operational principles, and (3) considering the environment and energy consumption during design.
Survey results and student interviews reveal this new facilities-based and hands-on teaching approach helps students appreciate the real-world applicability of control systems theory and engages students in the learning process. A number of students have initiated projects related to building systems and sustainability after being exposed to the new teaching strategies and materials. Over the four-year project duration, a total of 27 undergraduate and graduate students have been involved in building systems and process control research projects advised by the PI. Six Senior Capstone Design projects and seven Master’s thesis projects originated out of interest in building systems and process control. The project engaged a diverse group of students, including 10 female students and three underrepresented minorities, in building systems and process control project work. Three students involved in this project went on to pursue PhDs related to sustainability at UC Berkeley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Georgia Tech, and a number of students have gone on to work in industry in areas such as energy modeling and building systems design. ...
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