As demand increases for circuits with higher performance, higher complexity, and decreased feature size, asynchronous (clockless) paradigms will become more widely used in the semiconductor industry, as evidenced by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors' (ITRS) prediction of a likely shift from synchronous to asynchronous design…

Objectives of a project-oriented mechanical engineering course, Engineering Design, were achieved through a design project, where students designed, built and demonstrated an extreme version of a basic Theo Jansen device. Through this project, junior students in the University of Louisiana fully developed the capability of applying mathematic and…

Just as the democratization of information through personal computers was a key advance of the 20th century, the democratization of production through improvements in fabrication technologies will be a pivotal development in the 21st century. Digital fabrication is the process of translating a digital design into a physical object. At one time,…

This paper explores the sketching behavior of designers and the role of sketching in the design process. Observations from a descriptive study of sketches provided in design journals, characterized by a protocol measuring sketching activities, are presented. A distinction is made between journals that are entirely tangible and those that contain…

The objective of this paper is to present applications of solid modeling aimed at modeling of complex geometries such as splines and blended surfaces in advanced CAD courses. These projects, in CAD-based Mechanical Engineering courses, are focused on the use of the CAD system to solve design problems for applications in machine design, namely the…

Difficulties in teaching a multi-disciplinary subject such as the mechatronics system design module in Departments of Mechatronics Engineering at Temasek Polytechnic arise from the gap in experience and skill among staff and students who have different backgrounds in mechanical, computer and electrical engineering within the Mechatronics…

A hybrid introductory course was developed and piloted during the Fall 2007 semester in three laptop sections (i.e., all of the students owned and brought laptops to class each day). The online portion of the course included voiced-over content presentations, software demonstrations, and sketching examples as well as online assessments. Sections…

In this paper a novel outreach approach to high school students to familiarize them with engineering functions and methods is explained. In this approach students participated in a seven days research camp and learned many engineering skills and tools such as CAD solid modeling, finite element analysis, rapid prototyping, mechanical tests, team…

Technology and engineering education students responded to a survey regarding hands-on and hands-off activities. First, the students listed hands-on and hands-off activities and what characterized the two types of activities. Activities such as building or assembling something as well as working manually with tools were viewed as hands-on. Passive…

The issue of how people's discourse is affected by computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) tools and shared workspaces was explored by examining collaboration on shared design tasks. Pairs of 28 less experienced and 28 more experienced engineering design students undertook a computer-assisted design task, either face-to-face (FtF) or…

On a pleasant September day, 400 high school students and 40 teachers converged on the Careers in Technology, Engineering, and Manufacturing Day at the IGNITE manufacturing industry trade show, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). These weren't students getting out of school for a day to go…

Current methods of teaching basic amplifier design at the undergraduate level need further development to match today's technological advances. The general class approach to amplifier design is analytical and heavily based on mathematical manipulations. However, the students mathematical abilities are generally modest, creating a void in which…

Spatial visualization is a fundamental skill in technical graphics and engineering designs. From conventional multiview drawing to modern solid modeling using computer-aided design, visualization skills have always been essential for representing three-dimensional objects and assemblies. Researchers have developed various types of tests to measure…

Computer operators using the technique of three-dimensional printing or rapid prototyping may soon be able to sculpt an object on the screen and within minutes, have a paper, plastic, or ceramic version of the object in hand. The process uses the principle that physical objects can be created in layers. (MSE)

Pierre Bezier was born on September 1 in Paris, 1910. Choosing the career path of his father, he gained electrical and mechanical engineering degrees by the time he was 21 years old. He began working for the car company Renault and stayed there for the next 42 years. In 1977 he received a doctorate in mathematics. Bezier, at the age of 50 began…