Advanced Computing and Programming in the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

机械工程课程中的高级计算和编程

• 批准号: 0212201
• 负责人: Brianno Coller
• 金额: $ 25.57万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-09-01 至 2004-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0212201&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Advanced; Computing; Programming; Mechanical; Engineering

The objective of this proposal is the meaningful integration of advanced computing knowledge and techniques into the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum. The vehicle for this integration is the creation of an innovative and engaging advanced computing track or specialization for mechanical engineering students. The first implementation will be at the University of Illinois at Chicago; however, the project will be developed for portability, so that deliverables, especially a new capstone course, will greatly aid other schools in implementing curricular changes tailored to their particular needs. It will thus impact students well beyond the UIC campus.The project is motivated by the lasting roles that computing and information technologies have claimed in mechanical engineering: embedded microprocessors have become commonplace in engineered systems, and the enterprise of engineering design and testing have been migrating to virtual and simulated environments. These trends underscore the fact that good computing practice is becoming as important to engineers as good laboratory practice and sound mathematics.The proposal addresses the fact that the undergraduate engineer's training in programming has evolved little over the last few decades. And, while students are being exposed to powerful commercial software tools at an increasing rate, the underlying fundamental computational principles are generally overlooked.The proposed project may be summarized by the following list of outcomes, which will be assessed by an independent evaluator to determine if the activity is a success:Outcome # 1: Instill advanced computing and programming skills. Mechanical engineering students will learn skills and concepts that are normally only taught to computer scientists: object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithm design, graphical interfaces, large scale scientific computing, and more. A capstone course, which constitutes the centerpiece of the proposal, will integrate the computer science topics with mechanical engineering science and mechanical engineering design.Outcome # 2: Develop better engineers. Although students will be learning computer science, the goal is to make them better engineers. Since engineers can only use what they know, the investigators hypothesize that these students will be better equipped for the information age, recognizing how IT tools and concepts can be used and exploited in the design of mechanical and thermal/fluid devices and systems.Outcome #3: Engage minority middle school students. The investigators capitalize on great opportunities for middle school students to participate in the project in a meaningful way: as pilots of virtual aircraft the undergraduates design. The students are exposed to the exciting world of engineering, learning the important roles of high-level mathematics and physics.Outcome #4: Create a portable product. The final objective of the project is to create a deliverable: the foundation for an advanced computing track that mechanical engineering departments at other institutions may adopt and adapt to suit their own purposes with relative ease and little cost. The capstone course, in particular, can be used for this purpose. We shall produce a considerable amount of software infrastructure and educational materials to distribute freely over the web and we have a strategy to publicize it.The investigators' areas of expertise span much of the broad discipline of mechanical engineering. The team is complemented by a computer scientist, a specialist in software engineering. They are well-positioned to create the valuable educational experience for mechanical engineering undergraduates at UIC and beyond.0

这项建议的目的是有意义的整合先进的计算知识和技术到本科机械工程课程。这种整合的工具是为机械工程专业的学生创建一个创新和引人入胜的高级计算轨道或专业化。第一个实施将在芝加哥的伊利诺伊大学;然而，该项目将开发的便携性，使交付成果，特别是一个新的顶点课程，将大大有助于其他学校在实施课程的变化，适合他们的特殊需要。该项目的动机是计算和信息技术在机械工程中的持久作用：嵌入式微处理器在工程系统中已经司空见惯，工程设计和测试企业已经迁移到虚拟和模拟环境。 这些趋势强调了一个事实，即良好的计算实践对工程师来说正变得与良好的实验室实践和良好的数学一样重要。该提案解决了一个事实，即在过去几十年中，本科工程师的编程培训几乎没有发展。而且，当学生们越来越多地接触到强大的商业软件工具时，基本的计算原理通常被忽视了。拟议的项目可以通过以下成果列表进行总结，这些成果将由独立评估员进行评估，以确定活动是否成功：成果# 1：灌输高级计算和编程技能。机械工程专业的学生将学习通常只教授给计算机科学家的技能和概念：面向对象编程，数据结构，算法设计，图形界面，大规模科学计算等等。一个顶点课程，构成了该提案的核心，将整合计算机科学与机械工程科学和机械工程设计的主题。成果#2：培养更好的工程师。虽然学生将学习计算机科学，但目标是使他们成为更好的工程师。由于工程师只能使用他们所知道的，调查人员假设，这些学生将更好地为信息时代做好准备，认识到如何在机械和热/流体设备和系统的设计中使用和利用IT工具和概念。成果#3：吸引少数民族中学生。调查人员利用了中学生参与项目的巨大机会，以一种有意义的方式：作为虚拟飞行器的飞行员，大学生设计。学生们接触到令人兴奋的工程世界，学习高级数学和物理的重要作用。成果#4：创建便携式产品。该项目的最终目标是创建一个可交付成果：一个先进的计算轨道的基础，其他机构的机械工程部门可以采用和调整，以适应自己的目的，相对容易和低成本。特别是顶层可以用于此目的。我们将制作相当数量的软件基础设施和教育材料，在网络上免费分发，我们有一个宣传它的策略。调查人员的专业领域跨越了机械工程的大部分广泛学科。该团队由一名计算机科学家，软件工程专家补充。他们处于有利地位，为UIC及以后的机械工程本科生创造宝贵的教育经验。