HW#4 Group Project Proposal

Check this out!!!

September 16, 2014

Today, the National Science Foundation (NSF) launches its Community College Innovation Challenge. In this contest, NSF is challenging students enrolled in community colleges to propose innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based solutions to perplexing, real-world problems. An incentive: Teams submitting top ideas will receive professional coaching and cash prizes.

 

See more at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=132689&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click 

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/communitycollege/

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HW: 

ENGR 1201: Group Project Assignment #1:

Project Proposal Memo

The purpose of this assignment is to get you started and organized for your semester long engineering project.  Your proposal should include the following sections:

Heading:  class name, date, and project title.

Section 1: (15 points) Decide on the project you would like to do.

Make a list of the ideas that you created in your brainstorming session.

Sketch out your 4 best ideas.

Discuss the pro’s and con’s of each idea.

    Decide what idea to pursue. 

Section 2: (15 points) Gather background information.

Research and gather data on existing products and solutions, and discuss how you are going to improve them.

Discuss different models of this product, and how the designs have evolved through time.

Section 3: (15 points)
Define your working criteria and goals

• List specific goals you plan on accomplishing with your project.
• List the resources you will need in order to complete your project, and estimate the costs of building materials.

Section 4: (15 points) Schedule:

Create a Gantt timeline where you

organize tasks,

identify milestones,

identify the critical path, and

allocate resources.

Presentation: (20 points)

Print out one or two pages, and present your project proposal to the class.  End your presentation  with a discussion session where you raise concerns, and elicit suggestions for your project. 

Format: (20 points)

See notes on http://e1201.blogspot.com/2014/07/hw1-communicating-as-engineer.html on how to write a technical document.  Your proposal should have numbered headings, subheadings, organized lists, figure captions, table headings, numbered references, etc.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Projects are part of engineering.

• Undergrad design classes - EPICS
• Senior Design - work with actual clients on a project.
• Graduate work -  write a book on a project.
• Job - work on projects

The point of projects at school?
to prepare you for projects at work.

innovation & invention!

see also:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/innovatorsdna/2013/08/14/the-secret-to-unleashing-genius/



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHmSs7QOSgM#t=352

Engineering projects teach:

• The engineering method
• Open-ended problem solving techniques
• Teamwork
• Technical communication - written and oral
• Application of core class subjects.

Thomas Edison:


Thomas Edison was an inventor who accumulated 2,332 patents worldwide for his inventions. Edison invented everything from radios & electric lamps to the tattoo machine. Most of Edison’s inventions were not completely original but improvements of earlier inventions. Edison also created the first industrial research and development lab.

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Your task is to follow the Engineering Design Process to create and present a product by the end of the semester.

The 10 stage Design Process:

1.       Identify the problem/product innovation

2.       Define the working criteria/goals

3.       Research and gather data

4.       Brainstorm/generate creative ideas

5.       Analyze potential solutions

6.       Develop and test models

7.       Make the decision

8.       Communicate and specify

9.       Implement and commercialize

10.   Post-implementation review, assessment, refine

Clearly Define the problem

Identify Constraints (time, money, resources, personnel)

    List specific goals 

      example:

          "Build a better highway" - not specific

      "Expand I-405 to accommodate an AADT (Average Annual Daily Traffic) of 400,000 with the least invasive design to surrounding communities.  Provide safe accommodations for large commercial vehicles, an HOV lane, and small single occupant commuters.  

Research past solutions, & gather data.  (No need to reinvent the wheel)

Brainstorm Solutions

"Engineers often manipulate society’s perceived wants – engineers create what they think an informed society should want based on their knowledge of what an uninformed society thinks it wants."

Brainstorming:

*The more ideas you generate, the better.

                  - Quantity not quality.

    * With-hold value judgments until later - don't say "that's a horrible idea!"

    * Communicate ideas with sketches, tables, graphs, and data.  

Preliminary Design

   * Organize ideas:  

          Group or combine similar ideas

          Evaluate the ideas, rate and rank them.

    * Choose which design to pursue

          Further develop and communicate the best ideas with professional drawings, prototypes, memo's and reports.

Design Analysis

What material should it be made out of?

      Corrosion resistant?

      Is ductility or strength more important?

      Manufacturing - forging & forming, machining?

           Thermal & electrical conductivity

          Thermal expansion, tolerances

          Weight

Cost, life expectancy, functionality, environmental concerns, marketability, etc.

Design Refinement

Test, question,

CER - cold eyes review

     Maintenance

    Reliability

Human performance improvement (HPI) -  improve training, procedures & work practices

Design Implementation

Construction & full scale manufacturing

Documentation:

Record & Report each stage

Typical documents:

Technical manuals, user guides, handbooks, instruction booklets, test results, presentation materials, charts, graphs, technical reports, packing and shipping instructions, etc. etc.

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More Example Project ideas:

* Master-planned community layout - how would you improve Kingwood?

* Innovative Playground - safe, fun, accessible to disabled, young, and old.  (Why not make a playground for adults?  Slides large enough for parents to join their children in the fun?)

* Amusement park - create rides, park layout, etc.

* Ultimate office - Ultimate kitchen - Ultimate Game Room Ultimate Water park -

 Civic engagement & community service project

design and build something that will serve your community. 

Check out: http://www.volunteermatch.org/

or idealist.org  for community service needs, or bring your own ideas.

Examples:

 Humanitarian projects: Talk with local shelters, nursing homes, low income schools, or police to find needs in the area, then build something to fill that need.   

Environmental project: create a device to conserve water or electricity.  Create an innovate way to use trash, or otherwise promote recycling.  Create something for local open space areas, such as design environmentally friendly camping sites, or build something to prevent trail erosion.  

Misc:

Create a cool bike rack that promotes community exercise.

Refurbish old bicycles for disadvantaged children. 

Make a local park more handicapped accessible  

Design a toy, worksheets, or activity that promotes science, technology, engineering, and math at a local school.

Come up with a plan to improve the parking at LSC.

Find a cure for cancer... :)

If you do a civic project, you can write a proposal for your project, and possibly get a little bit of funding for it from LSC's Center for Civic Engagement. 

 Choose something:

* That you can build in one semester at minimal cost.  (Models are an acceptable build item)

* That does not involve any safety or ethical concerns.

* That does not require skill sets that you do not yet have (ie, if you do not know how to program yet, do not choose a programming project) but does require some engineering.

*  That is unique - do not just copy what someone else has already done, although you can improve something others have done.

* That can be tested & evaluated.

Brainstorming help:

Random noun generator:

http://www.desiquintans.com/noungenerator.php

Generate 5-10 random nouns,

Think about the engineering products that go along with that noun.

Example:

random noun: dog - brainstorm "pet products", leashes, cages, automatic dog walking machine, automatic pet feeders, pet toy that trains pet, pet monitoring devises, etc. etc.

random noun: ocean - brainstorm: boats, oil rigs, water purification technologies, typhoon flooding control, equipment for vacationing at the beach...

Association brainstorming: 

Choose two random nouns, combine them to create something new.

example:

"picture, spark" - birthday cake candle with powdered colorants to produce colored patterns as they burn.

"Swing, Trombone" - make a swing that creates music while in use.

"garden, spaghetti" - create a kitchen compost bin to recycle food waste & fertilize your garden.

Possible Categories for your invention: 
- Educational equipment
- Recreational equipment, toys, and games.

- pet and animal care

- yard care

- home care

- child care

- safety or security device

- time saving device
- energy saving device

- water saving device

- new musical instrument

- anything that simplifies life

- recycling, make something from trash

Google Image Search:

search terms like "innovative machines", "best inventions", etc.

List as many crazy ideas as possible, then pick something that looks fun.

Directory of Projects
(for First-Year Engineering Students)

This is a source of engineering design (and other) projects that can be used in first-year engineering courses and beyond.

The Directory can be found on the web at:

http://discovery-press.com/discovery-press/studyengr/projects.asp 

At the website, you will find the following:

1) 134 project assignment statements for engineering design (and other) projects submitted by faculty from across the nation (Note: This is a living directory so we would be happy to receive one or more project assignment statements from you for posting on the directory at any time).

2) A directory of 33 national and regional engineering student design competitions

(http://discovery-press.com/discovery-press/studyengr/Competitions.pdf)

3) A link to 33 ECE and CS projects created by the IEEE Real World Engineering Projects initiative (http://www.realworldengineering.org/library_search.html)

4) A link to 70 engineering design projects created by Southern Methodist University in the mid 1990s. (http://www.discovery-press.com/discovery-press/studyengr/SMU Projects/SMU Projects.htm)

5) A link to lesson plans for 116 engineering design projects at the TryEngineering.org website.  These projects were created for K-12 student use, but many can be adapted for use with first-year engineering students.

(http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson-plans)