General Engineering

Introduction to Engineering

Introduction to Engineering (ENGR 100) is an exploratory First-Year Seminar that will enhance your academic and professional growth. The course is designed for students who are undecided about their choice of major within engineering or undecided if engineering is the correct major for them. ENGR 100 will help to inform you about the variety of academic and career opportunities available within the engineering field. You will also develop skills that will benefit you for the remainder of your academic and professional careers.

Introduction to Engineering will contain an overview of the twelve majors within the field of Engineering. You will work in small groups to gather information about the Engineering majors using a variety of information gathering techniques such as library searches, WWW searches, and interviews of practicing engineers, faculty, and other students. Your groups will then present your findings to the class. Practicing engineers will supplement these presentations by answering questions that the class develops and submits via e-mail. To help students better understand what an engineer actually does, a guest speaker will present after each exploratory procedure.

Along with exploring the engineering majors, students will be asked to explore themselves as people, students, and new independent thinkers. This course is designed to help develop a process of knowledge growth and integration of academic and personal adjustment, success skills, and professional relationships. These processes will begin in the exploratory procedure with the development of career knowledge, the development of time management, through the use of computer and library resources, and the development of effective team building/work skills.

ENGR 100S

General Engineering

Success 101

A Roadmap for the Successful Student; You will learn more about the engineering profession and acquire the tools you'll need to succeed. And best of all, you'll meet other minority engineering students who share your hopes, dreams, and questions.

ENGR 097S

General Engineering

The Ethics of Star Trek

Based on the book, The Ethics of Star Trek, this First-Year Seminar introduces students to engineering ethics via the Star Trek series, from the original series with Capt. James T. Kirk, through The Next Generation with Capt. Jean Luc Picard. We will watch selected episodes of Star Trek followed by discussion and application of the ethical principles. Students will work individually and in teams to apply the lessons learned to student life and engineering practice.

EDSGN 013S

General Engineering

Solar Racers

Solar energy is the ultimate sustainable energy resource, for Pennsylvania and the world. Through hands-on activities, research, and case studies, students will explore both the current applications of solar energy and future potential. Students will build a model car powered by a photovoltaic panel, and apply engineering analysis and testing to guide the design process.

EDSGN 012S

General Engineering

Engineering design in Developing Communities

This First-Year Seminar is a hands-on opportunity to engage in valuable and relevant engineering design projects in developing communities. Students will be introduced to:

a) Engineering design

b) Design engineer's role in a community

c) Engineering ethics in developing communities.

Most of the course time will be spent designing (and constructing) a solution to a real problem. Possible projects are anaerobic digesters for waste-to-energy, a retrofitted house to withstand earthquake damage, or renewable power systems. The emphasis will be on design followed by construction.

ENGR 097S

General Engineering

Engineering Projects In Community Service (EPICS)

Since 2001, the Engineering Projects In Community Service (EPICS) program has been active at Penn State and you can be a part of it! EPICS offers a chance to get real-world engineering experience and use your talents where there is a real need for caring service. No engineering proficiency is expected to get started in the FYS. Begin right away making a difference — and get valuable experience at the same time. Whether you seek an internship or permanent employment, having project experience on your resume leaves an impression.

The EPICS FYS will be a practicum on how to be an effective engineer. In lectures by internal faculty and outside spokespeople, we will explore:

• How to complete a project
• Community service as an engineering environment
• Effective small group skills

You will learn how to get organized for project success; how to find the help you need when you need it; how to communicate your ideas and how to be a small group leader. We will practice with fun group projects as we get to know you and as you get to know the possibilities for ongoing projects with local community service agencies. Don't wait to "give back". Get to know your State College neighbors by sharing your time and new knowledge.

EPICS is a nation-wide program for matching student skills to community needs. We have a robust program with students of many majors (engineer and non-engineer) and varying levels of experience working together for the benefit of local non-profits. It all begins here with the EPICS FYS. Check it out: http://labs.ee.psu.edu/courses/epics/

ENGR 097S

General Engineering

Disastrous Engineering Decisions

This First-Year Seminar uses case studies of engineering disasters in various fields of engineering. The goal is to instill a broader view of engineering work and the interrelationships between engineering technology development, nature and society. Course activities will familiarize students with various products, processes, and systems designed by engineers with various backgrounds.

ENGR 097S

General Engineering

Engineering in China

This first year seminar will cover topics such as Chinese engineering education and practice, case studies on some big engineering projects in China such as the Three Gorge Dams, profiles of some of the large U.S. companies that have huge investment in China, and cultural issues. Two students will be selected from this course to go to China for an internship every year.

ENGR 097S

Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace Explorer

Aerospace Engineering deals with vehicles that fly — airplanes, sailplanes, jets, helicopters, rockets, satellites, the space shuttle, space stations, . . . Students with an interest in these subjects can learn more about the variety of challenges and opportunities in the aerospace field through the small-class environment of the Aerospace Explorer First-Year Seminar.

An introduction to both the academic major and career paths in Aerospace Engineering, this seminar deals with the design, analysis and operation of aircraft and space vehicles. Students will learn about aerodynamics, structural mechanics, flight mechanics, rotorcraft systems, high performance computers, air-breathing propulsion, space propulsion and space systems. The classes will include presentations by the Aerospace Engineering faculty, tours of the Aerospace Engineering laboratories, and presentations by student officers in the Penn State chapters of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Helicopter Society (AHS), as well as introductions to the use of scientific plotting, graphing, and analysis software.

AERSP 001S

Aerospace Engineering

Hands-on Helicopters

The Hands-On Helicopters First Year Seminar will introduce first year students to the fascinating world of vertical flight. Students will visit a helicopter hanger, see a radio-controlled helicopter demonstration, and participate in several activities to learn about the engineering properties of rotary-wing aircraft (helicopters and tiltrotors). Each meeting period (8 periods total) will include a 75-minute instruction period followed by a 90-minute lab session.

Topics:

Structures — what are they made of? Why are they constructed as they are?
Aerodynamics — how does it actually stay up?
Directional Control — how does a helicopter fly forward?
Engineering Software — what software do engineers use?
Noise — why does a helicopter go "wop-wop-wop"?
Autorotation — what happens if the engines fail?
Stability — what is it and how can a designer avoid instabilities?
History — how have these helicopters been developed and where do we go from here?

AERSP 097S

Biological Engineering

Growing Your Future

Introduce students to University life, the agricultural/biological/engineering program and profession; prepare them to succeed in academic life at Penn State.

B E 001S

Architectural Engineering

Orientation to Architectural Engineering

Designed for students intending to major in Architectural Engineering (AE), this course is an introduction to AE with emphasis on relationships with the building industry.

A E 124S

Bioengineering

Bioengineering Seminar

Examination of electronic access to the medical instruments industry, research labs and patents and other library resources for bioengineering research. Exercises in numerical simulation in physiology, and in measurement of physiological parameters.

BIOE 100S

Chemical Engineering

First-Year Seminar in Chemical Engineering

Designed for students intending to major in Chemical Engineering (ChE), this course is an introduction to ChE. Discussions with faculty and visiting engineers on job selection, patents, licensing, and professional ethics.

CH E 097S

Civil Engineering

Highway Accident Reconstruction and Engineering

Introduction to highway engineering through the study of forensic vehicle accident reconstruction, collision physics, design, and safety.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Droughts and Floods

Students study a local watershed and learn how to assess the impacts of future growth, and to evaluate mitigation schemes. Mostly discussion with two field trips.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Crash and Bash: Engineering Aspects of Road Safety

How do engineers reconstruct the details of automobile crashes after the fact?
How does a guardrail work to improve safety on roads and highways?
How does an airbag actually deploy? How effective are airbags in reducing highway fatalities?
How does the assumed height of the driver influence the design of highways?
What are the world-wide experiences concerning seat belt wearing? How do different countries influence drivers to wear belts? How effective are belts in reducing injuries and fatalities?
Are Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards potentially harmful to road safety)?

This class will introduce students to a variety of the engineering methods used to help assure the safe operation of our highway transportation system. Students will learn how accident investigation and reconstruction are conducted, using the mechanics of motion, to learn about the genesis of vehicle collisions. Examples from actual intersections and roads will be used to illustrate principles of intersection and highway design and operation.

Classes will include a blend of lectures, field visits to locations in the area to illustrate different highway safety principles, and visits to Penn State research facilities used in support of engineering road and vehicle safety.

Learning objectives for the class include:
1. Students will be able to analyze the sight distance requirements for a hypothetical intersections as homework and quiz problems.
2. Students will be able to correctly answer 4 out of 6 short answer questions on an in-class quiz concerning factors included in intersection design procedures.
3. Students will be able to correctly answer 4 of 6 questions concerning the reconstruction of the speed and path of vehicles in a highway collision during homework and an in-class quiz.
4. Students will be able to better understand that actions to meet one societal goal (e.g. CAFE), may be deleterious to other goals, such as improved safety.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Rivers

This first-year seminar studies a large river project and involves several field trips to local rivers to see how data are collected and so forth. The large river might be the Missouri, which has numerous dams, farming, Indian reservations, navigation, etc., which have threatened the ecology of the river to the point of near-extinction. We'll look at all of the issues surrounding that large river and determine how those lessons apply to our smaller rivers.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Engineers as Environmental Change Agents & Leaders

The course is designed to stimulate your interest in environmental matters. The objectives are: one, to introduce you to environmental engineering; two, to understand your future role as a leader in bringing about positive change; and three, to teach you how to express and practice environmental leadership through intellectual inquiry in the classroom. Of emphasis is the campus environment: the purity of the water you drink, the air you breathe, the waste you generate and recycle, and the roles you can play to improve it.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Lessons from Structural Failures

Students will learn about structural engineering by studying reported structural failures. Student teams identify causes of these failures.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Engineering your environment

What environmental issues are most interesting to you? What environmental changes will have the biggest impact on your future? What can you do, as an engineer and a citizen, to make our future ecosystem healthier? We'll use "State of the World 2001" and the "Penn State Indicators Report" as a backdrop for the course, but the final agenda is up to you and your classmates.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Landmark Civil Engineering Projects

Civil engineers design much of our civilization's infrastructure. As an affluent society, we take most of this infrastructure for granted, and the work of civil engineers becomes somewhat "invisible." However, some projects are so innovative, have such far-reaching impacts, or are on such a grand-scale that they capture our attention and ignite our imaginations. Many civil engineers can cite which of those projects inspired their own career choice.

Students will tour and critically examine, through a variety of media, a selection of landmark civil engineering projects. Potential projects include the Empire State Building, Hoover Dam, the trans-Alaskan pipeline, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Technical advances, economic impacts, and social changes enabling and resulting from these or other landmark projects will be explored through guest speakers, interviews, the internet, books, magazines, videos, games, models, library resources, computations, and student presentations. Through guided independent activities, students will become familiar with resources available to students across campus and in the College of Engineering. The class will meet together once a week, and students will engage in out-of-class activities.

C E 100S

Civil Engineering

Engineering Entrepreneurship

Being an entrepreneur means you are a leader, an innovative and creative thinker, and you are a risk taker. Sometimes these skills are hidden or unused because you never had the opportunity to discover or "cultivate" them. This First-Year Seminar will allow you to explore the areas of leadership, innovation and risk taking in the setting of technology-based entrepreneurship. All majors, including business and engineering, are invited. Course outline:

1. Create new product ideas using the creative design process.
2. Determine market need and potential customer demand.
3. Prototype potential products using common materials.
4. Look at the business aspects of intellectual property protection, culture, finances and marketing.

Also blended into the course will be mentoring students on navigating around Penn State, finding people and resources, and tackling some fun intellectual challenges.

C E 100S

Computer Science and Computer Engineering

Topics in Computer Science and Engineering

Designed for students intending to major in Computer Science or Computer Engineering (CSE), this course is an introduction to CSE. Topics may include computer vision, logic, hardware, or software depending on the interests of the instructor.

CSE 097S

Computer Science and Computer Engineering

Logic of Computer Science: Problem Solving with Computers

Computer Science provides the fundamentals tools for analyzing problems and designing solutions to these problems which can be implemented on a computer. Logic plays an important role in this process, from a general-purpose tool for reasoning about knowledge to a special-purpose language for specifying the behavior of programs. We will study the role of logic in problem solving and its application to computer science. Example problems will be drawn from a variety of sources, including brain teasers, puzzles, and mathematics.

CSE 097S

Electrical Engineering

Adventures in Electrical Engineering

What engineering discipline should I major in? This is perhaps one of the most important decisions that students in the College of Engineering must make within their first two years of study. Unfortunately, many students often make this decision based on limited knowledge of the various engineering disciplines offered at Penn State.

Adventures in Electrical Engineering is a fifteen week expedition that answers two questions. First, what type of problems do electrical engineers solve? Second, what tools do electrical engineers use to find solutions? These questions are addressed by highlighting various areas of electrical engineering including electronic circuits, semiconductor devices and fabrication, optical communications, feedback control systems, and digital image processing. Most topics are drawn from senior technical electives so that students obtain a broad view of electrical engineering.

Adventures in Electrical Engineering is a hands-on course that requires the design, construction, and testing of several projects. Each project emphasize a different subdiscipline of electrical engineering. In addition to exploring fundamental concepts of electrical engineering, students work with instrumentation and computer software frequently used by electrical engineers.

E E 007S

Electrical Engineering

Introduction to Ham Radio

This course will offer demonstrations and lectures to introduce the student to the world of Amateur "Ham" Radio. Additionally, this course will provide the knowledge necessary for the student to pass the FCC exam to obtain a first Ham Radio license.

E E 010S

Electrical Engineering

Introduction to Digital Music

This first-year seminar course is a lab-oriented introduction to the electrical engineering sub-discipline of digital signal processing (DSP) as it applies to the field of digital music. Topics to be covered in the lectures/labs include

• the physics of sound
• sampling and quantization of music signals
• generating audio special effects through the use of digital filters
• compression techniques used in digital audio
• Mathematically synthesizing instrument sounds

In addition, current computer audio formats such as WAV, MP3, and MIDI will be investigated. No musical experience/talent is necessary.

E E 010S

Electrical Engineering

SPIRIT III

HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST!

The Student Projects Involving Rocket Investigation Techniques (SPIRIT) Program gives undergraduate students an opportunity to participate in the design and fabrication of an actual research sounding rocket payload. This payload will be fired into the mesosphere on a NASA two-stage rocket. Now is the perfect time to join SPIRIT. The current payload, called ESPRIT, features collaboration with engineering students in Norway This first international student rocket is scheduled to launch from northern Norway in the summer of 2006. (The second SPIRIT rocket is nearing a launch date in September 2003. SPIRIT I was launched in May, 2000.)

No experience is required to join ESPRIT. Students from many majors will find meaningful ways to participate. Student work is organized within student-led teams, including Structures, Experiments, Telemetry, Power&Wiring and Publicity/Outreach.

In this FYS, we join the larger SPIRIT team that is just now forming. Work begins immediately to define the scope of the payload. Working in the small groups, we take a close look at:

• The "mesospheric" layer of earth's atmosphere
• The sounding rocket as a design environment
• Small team engineering

In addition, we establish working relationships with the engineers at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility who will be supporting us throughout this project and with our Norwegian partners. There is a lot to do! It is important to get to work right away.

WARNING: ESPRIT will require more time than a "typical" one-credit course. Join for the experience. Join for the chance to mix with a diverse group of students at all levels of their undergraduate career. Join for the fun of it! ESPRIT means "the common SPIRIT existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion and strong regard for the honor of the group." It is this sense of camaraderie and teamwork with our Norwegian counterparts that will be essential to completing this complex effort in three short years.

For more information, contact:

Timothy F. Wheeler (tfw1@psu.edu)
Dr. Sven Bilen (sbilen@engr.psu.edu)

E E 010S

Electrical Engineering

World of Wireless

The essentials of RF and Wireless technology are examined to interest students in the area and motivate them to continue in engineering. The one credit course meets twice a week for 50 minutes for only the first 7 weeks of the fall semester. The course is finished by late October so the students can concentrate on their other courses. Practical knowledge about cell phone and wireless local area networks is stressed throughout the course with concepts of design of wireless systems with readings that explain radio receivers on a block-by block basis. RF amplifiers, mixers, oscillators, detectors and noise considerations are discussed. Different frequency bands that are used for different applications are encountered and examined with applications for different systems such as PCS, GMS, GPS, WLAN and Third Generation Cellular. Principles and applications of frequency synthesizers and phase-licked loops are reviewed and summarized. Power amplifiers and the relative merits of different types of transistors such as BJT, MOSFET and MESFET are discussed. The objective is for students to understand the difference between analog and digital wireless systems and see several in operation.

Two labs are required on the Wireless Campus layout and on the Wireless Local Area Networks being used at Penn State. Students will use cell phones to measure the power at different locations and find where the base station towers are located. They will understand why reception is better at some locations and worse in basements and buildings. They will critically examine their own cell phone reception and performance to understand the trade-off in signal and capacity. Examination of WLAN available for computer connection on campus will be the second laboratory. They will use wireless connections for their computers in different locations on campus and examine why it works better in some places than others. They will be expected to explain the benefits and disadvantages of various locations for wireless connections by using the principles of RF radiation and antenna patterns that are learned in the course.

Five online quizzes, electronic discussion, 2 different laboratory projects and the concluding test will each be 20 % of grade. "The Essential Guide to RF and Wireless" by Carl Weisman will be used as a text and ANGEL course software will allow electronic access to the information and the instructor.

E E 010S

Electrical Engineering

Audio Engineering - Loudspeakers

The extraordinary quality and low cost of today's digital and analog audio electronics makes the loudspeaker the weak link in the chain that connects the recording studio with the "home listening environment." This first-year seminar will provide students with an opportunity to build and test a novel two-way bookshelf loudspeakers system (enclosure, woofer, tweeter and cross-over electronics) that will significantly upgrade the performance of their audio systems. The seminar will use these speaker system components to demonstrate the engineering principles governing the damped-driven simple harmonic oscillator (woofer), high-pass and low-pass electrical filters (cross-over), gas springs (enclosure stiffness) and thermoviscous damping (enclosure "stuffing") and introduce the techniques for measuring those effects. Students enrolled in this seminar will be provided with the components for fabrication of one two-way speaker system at no cost and they will be given the option of purchasing an additional set of components (for about $60) so that they can make a second system to complete a stereo pair.

E E 010S

Engineering Design

Transformations by Design

Engineering design is a diverse field of study with many emerging topics and applications. The goal of this first-year seminar course is to introduce first-year students to engineering design. In turn, design is set within the essential dynamic context of technology: the transformation of the environment and society. Hence, doing design well means creating a better world and a sustainable environment. Students examine the global networks of product life cycles from extraction to disposal that is triggered by engineering design and how it affects people's lives and the environment.

Since much engineering design is integrated design that brings together the disciplines and people necessary to achieve a design solution to a given problem, this FYS provides students with a vivid glimpse of engineering careers. This is developed further by student presentations that focus on their life goals and how their expected career in a given field of engineering will help them to achieve their goals.

This course will combine lectures, discussions, teamwork, projects, and hands-on activities, with an emphasis on active learning and an examination of the transformations of technology from transducers to product life cycles.

In addition to introducing first-year students to design topics and careers in engineering, this seminar course will help incoming students develop success skills and become acclimated to University life. But higher education is also presented to the students as a transformative process that reshapes their social relationships and determines much of their future.

EDSGN 015S

Engineering Science

Design for Failure

Although an important facet of engineering design is to minimize the possibility of failure of a system component, there are many devices that actually protect a system by their controlled "failure". Further, some components are designed to "work" through failure. In the former situation are such devices as: a shear pin in an outboard motor driveline, a fuse in an electrical circuit, a valve actuated by heat in a sprinkler system. In the latter situation, "tab tops" allow one to open a beverage can, perforations cause the paper towel to "tear" in a prescribed manner, plasticity/elasticity allows stamped parts, such as automobile hoods, to retain their new shape following stamping.

E SC 120S

Engineering Science

Science/Engineering Fiction and the Engineering Sciences

From the times of Jules Verne, books, then movies and TV, have utilized engineering/science and pseudo-engineering, in envisioning devices which were not then available, but perhaps became so in later times. From Verne's nuclear driven submarine to his voyage to the moon; to Mary Shelly's electrically created monster; to Dick Tracy's wrist radio (cell phone); to the warp speed of the Jedi, there are successes and failures as to predictions of what would some day be possible. These are examined and discussed.

E SC 121S

Engineering Science

Weird, Wild, and Wonderful Materials and Devices

There are many materials whose response to a particular stimulus (mechanical, thermal, electrical, etc.) is of a completely different type. For example, if a piezoelastic material is mechanically "squeezed" (stimulus) the response is the creation of an electrical signal. Birefringent (photoelasticity) materials change their optical properties under mechanical displacement. Thermoluminesent "remember" their configuration under certain environmental combinations, to which they will abruptly return when these same combinations are repeated. This seminar surveys many classes of such materials and material systems and provides examples of engineers utilizing their behavior for sensors, transducers, and actuators. Examples include acoustic refrigerators, phonograph cartridges, door openers, and stress concentration locators.

E SC 122S

Engineering Science

Catastrophic Failures

Engineered Systems sometimes fail in catastrophic ways. Bridges collapse, buildings burn, airplanes explode, ships break in two, spontaneous combustion occurs, automobiles crash, etc. Virtually all such failures occur because the designers, builders, and or the users have overlooked some unexpected combination of inputs (they seldom fail due to simple overload). For example, a bridge designer may have overlooked (a) the potential danger of aerodynamic loading and mechanical resonance; (b) having a bridge mooring struck by a tugboat; or, (c) the possibility of an earthquake. The ship designer may not have expected a combination of very cold weather and large waves or bad materials, etc. This seminar explores design deficiencies through the study of cash histories of a number of famous failures such as the explosion of the Challenger (modern era) and the sinking of the Titanic that caused catastrophic loss of life. A primary objective of reliving such failures is to alert students to the myriad factors that must be considered for a safe and effective engineering system, and to encourage them to broaden their education so that they will not repeat the mistakes of the past in their own careers.

E SC 123S

Engineering Science

Green Engineering

Engineering activities materially alter the environment so all engineers are effectively environmental engineers. Incorporating the principles of green engineering in industry is not only cost-effective, it is also environmentally sound. Engineers can make a difference in reducing pollution, alleviating the solid waste crisis, and in arresting source depletion. This first-year seminar is designed to be taken by freshmen engineers. It exposes them to achievement of cost-effectiveness in industry by proper selection of materials at every step of the manufacturing process. Focus lies on waste reduction, repairability, recyclability, planned degradation, life-cycle analysis, etc. The course consists of 14 weekly seminars. The course grade evaluation uses a mixture of tests, presentations, reports, and project assignments. Teaming and team problem solving are stresses.

E SC 124S

Engineering Science and Mechanics

Adventures in Mechanics

Students will be introduced to some basic engineering mechanics concepts in an active way. The students will experience how mechanics is involved with familiar products such as bicycles, lawn chairs, silly putty, and bungee cords. Issues in engineering design are examined including the open-endedness of design problems and use of technology. The three general components of mechanics; theory, experiment, and computation, will be addressed.

E MCH 120S

Industrial Engineering

Discover Industrial Engineering

The objective of this first-year seminar course is to provide information on industrial engineering as a career choice and as a profession. It is a fact that most first-year students have never heard of Industrial Engineering (I E), or the many varied opportunities that exist within the IE major. This course explores the many aspects of the major and also offers the opportunity to interact with I E faculty and students, something that is an uncommon occurrence during the first year of engineering study.

Class time is used for a variety of activities including:

• Interactive class sessions where students work in teams to analyze and solve applied "real-world" problems in industrial and manufacturing engineering.
• IE faculty guest speakers addressing career opportunities in a particular area within IE;
• Lab experiences or demonstrations;
• Alumni guest speakers or panels;
• Plant tours (1 per semester);
• IE student panels on topics such as Co-op.

The class atmosphere is relaxed and there are no examinations. Homework assignments are given throughout the semester on relevant topics.

IE 100S

Industrial Engineering

Build Your Own Robot

The focus of this first-year seminar course is to provide students hands-on experience with robotics and automation devices. Throughout the semester students will work in small groups (three to four students per group) to construct table top robots and automated machinery which will be controlled using personal computers in a laboratory. These activities which will be supplemented by videos, plant trips, and the Internet to expose students to industrial application of modern robotics and automation technology. Topics covered in the course will include

• working principles of robots and automated machines
• impact of automation in a global economy and
• group projects.

The intent of this hands-on laboratory experience is to provide students an environment that enhances active learning, teamwork, and contact with faculty. Grading will be based on class participation, assignments, lab reports, and presentations. There will be no exams in this course.

IE 101S

Industrial Engineering

Human-Centered Engineering

This 1-credit first-year seminar considers what makes both consumer products and industrial processes usable by people. Course objectives include providing the knowledge and skills necessary to critically evaluate products and processes, providing basic understanding of human capabilities and limitations, and practicing communicating findings to others. Usability principles and evaluation methods are covered, along with others tools from both human factors engineering and industrial engineering domains. Software usability principles are covered, in addition to consumer products and industrial processes. Examples are drawn from campus, the community, video, and from a dedicated website containing a large collection of product photos. Student evaluation is based upon a series of individual and group critique/design exercises, analyses, and projects.

IE 102S

Industrial Engineering

Management Science and the Modern Engineer

The objective of this First-Year Seminar is to introduce freshman students with interest in industrial engineering and other engineering disciplines to the area of quantitative methods for decision making through a number of hands-on learning exercises. Several complex and important problems, and solution techniques will be demonstrated in simple laboratory exercises, like learning linear programming by assembling Tinkertoy pieces, and understanding statistical process control by analyzing the weight of sugar boxes. Students will work in groups, which will enhance the development of interpersonal skills, team learning abilities, and communication skills.

IE 103S

Industrial Engineering

Managing the real [(un)predictable] world

The objective of this first-year seminar course is to provide information on the use of operations research techniques for decision making in all branches of engineering and also day-to-day activities. This course is for students to understand, appreciate and apply quantitative decision making techniques in their lives by the appropriate use of algebra and probability. The goal is to make students expand their normal way of thinking to include quantitative decision making. This course will be of use to students of all branches of engineering, science and business, providing them with an elementary introduction to probability and its application to decision making.

The lectures will use the aide of visual techniques such as:

• Electronic presentations
• Computer demonstrations including web-based examples
• Video clippings

The class atmosphere is relaxed and there are no examinations. Homework assignments using computers are given throughout the semester on relevant topics for which software will be provided.

IE 104S

Industrial Engineering

Manufacturing Science and Technology

This First-Year-Seminar course will provide a window on the manufacturing science and technology that have enabled miniaturization of electronic printed circuit cards which drive a host of commercial applications such as computers and cell phones. Students will use industrial grade machines in the Electronic Assembly Laboratory to explore the science and technology behind these manufacturing processes and will then assemble and test their own "10 seconds timer" printed circuit card using through-hole and surface-mount technology.

IE 105S

Mechanical Engineering

Toy FUNdamentals

Toy FUNdamentals is a First Year Seminar intending to be an introduction to engineering design and prototyping through a product type everyone has used: toys! This five-week class explores the history of toys, marketing, toy design for different ages, and includes toy dissection, design, prototyping and field testing. It will run in the first 5 weeks of the semester.

ME 101S

Mechanical Engineering

Toys for Technology Exploration

This is a First Year Seminar that focuses on an important sub-group of toys. "Learning-by-doing" is a recognized method for improving student's learning in grades K-12 (and in college!). As part of "Toys for Technology Exploration", existing hands-on kits used for science and math education for ages 10-14 will be reviewed. The new standards for science and technology education in Pennsylvania are used to guide new hands-on kit designs, and these designs will be prototyped and field-tested with public school students.

ME 102S

Mechanical Engineering

Art & Science of Manufacturing

Manufacturing was primarily an art, which gradually increased its dependence on the new scientific discoveries, and therefore, physics, chemistry and mathematics became an integral part of engineering foundation. Today, manufacturing is a very intricate combination of advanced scientific techniques and art. Students will be taken on an enchanting tour of various manufacturing processes used in different engineering disciplines. There will be three primary modes of instruction, videotapes, lectures (including those presented by guest lecturers), and an industrial plant tour.

ME 103S

Mechanical Engineering

Environmentally Conscious Engineering

The idea of this course was inspired by an ongoing National Science Foundation-supported project on environmentally conscious manufacturing, which started in 1994. Faculty members and doctoral students from four engineering departments are involved with this project: Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Engineering Science and Mechanics. They are conducting cutting edge research on widely ranging topics with one common thread - they are all working on environmentally friendly engineering ideas. The course objective is to provide the students a glimpse of current engineering practices that are environmentally friendly. Also, students will have a chance to observe how research projects and experiments are conducted and they will be introduced to faculty and graduate students from different disciplines of engineering.

ME 104S

Mechanical Engineering

Product Dissection A: Bicycles

Students are led through the disassembly, testing, trouble shooting and re-assembly of 10 and 15-speed bicycles. Routine maintenance, common problems and fundamental design principles are addressed. Also, manufacturing and design issues such as material selection, fabrication technology and reliability will be discussed. Students may supply their own bicycle, or use one from our supply.

ME 105S

Mechanical Engineering

Product Dissection B: Household Appliances

Students will disassemble, analyze and re-assemble a series of small household appliances such as telephones and electric drills. Lectures will discuss issues of design and manufacturing as well as consumer product testing. Students will conceive, design and carry out a consumer product testing program.

ME 106S

Mechanical; Engineering

Product Dissection C: The Enigmatic Engine

Students are led through the disassembly of a single cylinder lawn mower engine. Students work with faculty and student helpers to understand concepts of operation, manufacturing and assembly. Then the engines are re-assembled and started. Guest speakers will lead discussions regarding the use of fossil fuels, design for manufacturing, and marketing.

ME 107S

Mechanical Engineering

Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering

In this First Year Seminar, students will explore the Mechanical Engineering profession by means of treatment of a particular topic in ME. Students will be assigned pertinent readings and the professor will lead discussions on the ethical, professional and societal aspects of the topic area. The seminar will also feature group activities and encourage participation in the classroom setting.

ME 120S

Mechanical Engineering

Intro to Hybrid Electric Vehicles Description

Students will be exposed to the design, fabrication, and testing of hybrid electric vehicles. Students will participate as component team members with upperclassmen in one or more of these activities. Public speaking, technical writing, and CAD skills will all be emphasized as team responsibilities.

PSU 012

Nuclear Engineering

Atomic Adventures

This course introduces students to the interesting and exciting world of nuclear science and its applications. Students become aware of the broad uses of radiation and nuclear science in our society, from medicine and industry to power generation. This course is laboratory and project based, with a lot of hands on activity each period.

NUC E 001S

Nuclear Engineering

PSU Lion Loop

This class revolves around hands-on work with a research project, the PSU Lion Loop. The Lion Loop is a project which provides exposure to all engineering disciplines, and students are encouraged to participate in the workings as much as they are capable. The class also contains an introduction to engineering at Penn State in general, as well as eight lectures involving nuclear systems, basic nuclear physics, and thermal hydraulics.

NUC E 002S

Nuclear Engineering

Power Plants and their Simulation

This first-year seminar introduces modern software tools using CAD, automated programming, and advanced human-machine interface techniques with applications to power plant simulation.

NUC E 003S