Enhancement of Mechanical Engineering Curriculum with Signal Processing Applications

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Miami is a dynamic, multicultural city at the gateway of the United States, Europe, and Latin America, a characteristic that has created the largest manufacturing region in Florida. The school, one of the nation's three Carnegie II doctoral-granting universities with more than 50 percent minority students, is continuously updating its curriculum to teach the constantly changing knowledge base of modern engineering. In addition, the school graduates more Hispanic engineers than any other institution in the nation, and more than 60 percent of its engineering graduates continue on to graduate programs. This project enhances the current curriculum with signal processing applications in mechanical engineering to introduce conventional mechanical engineering students to system identification, failure prediction, and nondestructive testing. These areas enhance the instrumentation and electromechanical system design skills of our students. Eleven new experiments have been added to the curriculum to open one new course and to improve six existing courses. Students use state-of-the-art precise measurement equipment in laboratories to learn the basics of monitoring and analysis techniques. The experiments were prepared with the assistance of a select group of students. Equipment purchased for this project is used for various contracts (with local industry and federal agencies) as part of undergraduate research projects. These undergraduate student activities generate funding to support maintenance expenses and future enhancement. The student activities associated with this project are targeted towards juniors and seniors.