Proposed Course: ENG450: Multidisciplinary Design

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Proposed CourseENG450 Multidisciplinary Design

• Bob Dennis

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Vision

• To establish a multidisciplinary major design
  experience that provides systems engineering
  training for undergraduate students, with
  additional opportunities
• - to span more than one term.
• - hands on prototyping experience.
• - include students from many levels.

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Objectives

• Offer Pilot course Winter 2004 2005
• Transform into a permanent course
• Expand on the basis of student demand
• Offer year round (Fall Winter)
• Identify additional project sponsors
• Track students into projectsjobs
• Work with departments to encourage counting as
  senior design credit

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Interested Faculty

• 14 design faculty from most of the engineering
  departments expressed strong interest and
  attended our initial meetings in August
  September.

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Core Faculty Pilot Course

• Robert Dennis Mechanical Biomedical Engineering
• Nilton Renno Atmospheric, Oceanic Space Sci.
• Sridhar Kota Mechanical Engineering
• Thomas Zurbuchen AOSS Space Phys Res Lab

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Additional faculty

• Identify faculty Design Mission Mentors
• Commitment for 2-3 years for each Mission
• Wide range of knowledge domains
• - electromechanical systems
• - spacecraft design
• - materials design
• - extra-terrestrial environments
• - CAD/CAM
• - dynamics controls
• - software
• - many others.

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Pilot Course Structure

• 20-30 enrolled students
• Lectures Modern Design Process
• Domain specific lectures
• Design Mission NASA Mars Robot Base
• Open-ended Conceptual Design
• Guest lectures (external internal)
• Leverage existing departmental resources
• Offer Winter 2004 2005

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Modern Design ProcessTemplate ME450 BME450

• Problem definition quantitative definition of
  the engineering problem or opportunity
• Design specification definition of quantitative
  figures of merit (FoM) for performance
• Concept generation collect and categorize a
  large number of design concepts
• Concept evaluation quantitatively evaluate each
  design concept
• Convergence reduce the number of concepts by
  merging the best attributes of each
• Concept selection identify the best concept(s)
  for detailed engineering design analysis
• Detailed design analysis utilize engineering
  design and analysis tools
• Alpha prototype construction sub-system
  prototyping, demonstrate proof of concept
• Alpha prototype evaluation evaluate on the basis
  of the FoM from the Specification
• Re-design evaluate failures and identify
  opportunities to improve performance
• Beta prototype construction focus on system
  integration
• Beta prototype evaluation evaluate system level
  performance
• Project Wrap-up/Transition document the design
  in detail for future students

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Credit Prerequisites

• Pilot Senior capstone design
• Enrolled students seniors
• Participating students any interested!
• Credit toward degree set by negotiation with
  individual departments
• Senior Design Requirement
• Technical Elective
• Free Elective (default)

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Systems Focus

• Design mission open-ended
• Projects span multiple terms
• Focus on system integration
• System level design testing specification
• Continuous re-evaluation of design objectives
• System-level integration prototype
• Evaluation of function Figures of Merit

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Sponsors

• External
• NASA (Pilot Mars autonomous base)
• Biomedical
• Automotive
• Defense
• Foundation support
• Corporate Relations very involved in sponsor
  identification continuity. CoE-wide sponsor
  identification sorting.
• Fee structure to support infrastructure FTE in
  corporate relations for project marketing.
• Internal (in support of major research efforts)
• Medical school
• Engineering

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Multidisciplinary Design ABET Impact

• Engineering programs must demonstrate that their
  graduates have
• A- An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics,
  science and engineering
• B- An ability to design and conduct experiments,
  as well as to analyze and interpret data
• C- An ability to design a system, component, or
  process to meet desired needs
• D- An ability to function on multi-disciplinary
  teams
• E- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve
  engineering problems
• F- An understanding of professional and ethical
  responsibility
• G- An ability to communicate effectively
• H- The broad education necessary to understand
  the impact of engineering solutions in a global
  and societal context
• I- A recognition of the need for, and an ability
  to engage in life-long learning
• J- A knowledge of contemporary issues
• K- An ability to use the techniques, skills, and
  modern engineering tools necessary for
  engineering practice.

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Additional Skills Professional Development

• Leadership organization skills
• Project management
• Research independent learning
• Engagement in long-term complex project
• Communication
• - cross disciplines
• - with sponsors
• - between teams (system integration)
• - backward forward in time (documentation)

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Future Development

• Identify excellent sponsors
• Add carefully selected Design Missions
• Expand student enrollment
• Develop pool of involved faculty mentors
• Incorporate departmental input at all levels
• Develop infrastructure
• (rapid prototyping, CAD, testing, shared
  resources, )
• Expand to a full 1-year course?
• Link with sponsors internships, site visits
• Open to students outside CoE
• (business, basic sciences, art architecture)