Modern Manufacturing Capability for the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Program

社区服务工程项目 (EPICS) 是一项学生团队通过为当地社区服务组织解决工程问题的长期项目获得学分的项目。 EPICS 项目在几个重要方面与许多传统的工程设计课程不同： 1. 它是一个大型团队体验（通常每个团队有 10-12 名学生）。 2.它是跨学科的：一个团队最多可以包括来自三个工程学科的学生，如果目前有两个团队，则还可以包括社会学的学生。 3. 多层次：团队由大二、大三和大四的学生组成，计划从 199 年春季学期开始包括新生。 4. 这是一种长期的设计经验：学生参与几个学期，因此可以解决重大范围的问题。 5. 它将每个团队与当地社区机构作为真正的客户配对。 6. 它让学生获得真正的定义-设计-构建-测试-部署-支持体验。 EPICS项目涉及多种技术，包括数字电子、机电系统、计算机辅助设计和制造、制造工艺、复合材料、快速原型技术、能源管理系统、人机界面、计算机网络和无线通信。 该提案要求 NSF 提供 55,000 美元（普渡大学提供 55,000 美元的配套资金），以帮助开发 EPICS 项目的现代化制造设施。目标是使学生团队能够充分实施和测试他们的设计。拟议的计算机数控（CNC）车床和数控铣床将使学生能够学习现代计算机控制制造技术，并提供最先进制造设备的实践经验。 现代制造能力的增加对于 EPICS 作为多学科项目的持续发展至关重要。它将进一步使该项目成为如何向工程本科生传授社区和客户意识以及沟通团队合作、领导力、项目管理和系统设计技能的全国典范。

Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) is a program in which teams of students earn academic credit for long-term projects that solve engineering problems for local community service organizations. The EPICS program is distinguished from many traditional engineering design courses in several important ways: 1. It is a large team experience (typically 10-12 students per team). 2. It is cross-disciplinary: a single team may include students from up to three engineering disciplines as well as, in the case of two current teams, Sociology students. 3. It is multilevel: teams are a mix sophomores, juniors and seniors, with plans to include freshmen starting in the Spring 199~ semester. 4. It is a long-term design experience: a student participates for several semesters, so problems of significant scope can be tackled. 5. It pairs each team with a local community agency as a real customer. 6. It involves students in a true define-design-build-test-deploy-support experience. EPICS projects involve diverse technologies including digital electronics, electromechanical systems, computer aided design and manufacturing, manufacturing processes, composites, rapid prototyping technologies, energy management systems, human-computer interfaces, computer networks, and wireless communication. This proposal requests $55,000 from NSF (with $55,000 in matching funds from Purdue) to help develop a modern manufacturing facility for the EPICS program. The goal is to enable student teams to fully implement and test their designs. The proposed computer numerical controlled (CNC) lathe and CNC mill would allow students to learn modern computer controlled manufacturing techniques and provide hands-on experience with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. The addition of a modern manufacturing capability is essential to the continued development of EPICS as a multidisciplinary program. It will further enable the program to become a national model of how community and customer awareness an d skills in communication teamwork, leadership, project management, and system design can be taught to engineering undergraduates.