Mechanical engineering launches overhauled lab courses

教师与行业顾问合作，使部门课程的实践方面现代化.

In Hopeman Hall, 机械工程专业三年级的学生用弹簧发射装置发射的小金属球反复撞击石墨纸. 这是Douglas Kelley教授的ME 240的活动部分:仪器基础 & Measurement class—looks fun, 但它也教会了学生关于可重复性和统计学的重要课程.

“It’s good to get out of the lecture halls,” says Cole Senecal ’24. “动手的方法使我们更容易将我们正在学习的一些东西概念化.”

本课程为两门高级实验课之一，另一门为副教授 Jessica Shang’s ME 241: Mechanics Laboratory—that the Department of Mechanical Engineering 最近进行了翻新，融入了现代工程方法和规模，以满足不断增长的招生需求.

“长期以来，我们系一直以我们高级实验课程的严谨性和深度而自豪. 但是考虑到在过去的十年里我们系和全国范围内工程专业的招生人数的增长, we wondered if it was time for an adjustment,” says Kelley.

Led by chair and fellow professor Renato Perucchio, 该系与由与行业有联系的校友组成的项目顾问委员会就如何为学生在应用工程方法方面打下更坚实的基础进行了磋商. 教师们一致认为，现有的实验室很有价值，比其他地方的许多实验室都要好, 所以他们不想做出影响课程质量的改变.

By providing more structured courses and updating equipment, 这个部门能够很好地平衡保存有用的东西和更新东西. 学生们现在正在使用新的程序和新的装备，包括热像仪和热电偶, microphones and ukuleles, launchers, strain gauges, amplifiers, motors, controllers, and data acquisition equipment.

“整个改革过程证明了我们的项目顾问委员会和教师之间互动的重要性,” says Perucchio. “在创建新的me240实验课程的初始阶段，他们的投入对我们选择符合现代工业需求的实验室和实验有很大帮助.”

Kelley says the process was highly collaborative.

Professor Christopher Muir 领导了早期流程，并对新设备进行了头脑风暴. Muir, Kelley, 他充实了自己的想法，并确定了适合学习目标的实验练习, with input from colleagues including Assistant Professor Andrea Pickel, Assistant Professor Hesam Askari, and Senior Technical Associate Christine Pratt. Alexander Prideaux was hired to help finalize the lab procedures, build equipment, and make enough copies to run the course. Assistant Professor Anushika Athauda has been co-teaching the Fundamentals of Instrumentation & Measurement course since it was introduced in the spring.

Alejandro Porras ’25 says that he appreciates, in addition to the new equipment, 教师们是如何将他们最新的澳门威尼斯人网上赌场成果融入到实验练习中的.

“It was cool because for one of the labs in particle tracking, Professor Kelley gave us the code that he uses for his research,” says Porras. “我们对顶尖科学家在做什么以及该领域目前的澳门威尼斯人网上赌场重点有所了解.”

凯利说，现在说改革后的课程和设备如何使学生受益还为时过早, but as they advance to senior design courses, any changes should become evident. Allison Thompson ’24, 她在春季修了第一堂翻新后的ME 240课程，现在担任助教, says the effort to continually improve the curriculum is evident.

“站在课堂的另一边很有趣，”汤普森说. “在我们的会议中，我们能够看到人们正在犯的错误，并试图找到帮助他们改进的方法. With it being a brand-new course last year, it’s nice to see how we’re continually trying to make it better.”

Read more