SBIR Phase I: Engineering Principles Demonstrator

这个小型企业创新研究阶段(SBIR)第一阶段项目将开发和演示一个基于微电子机械系统(MEMS)芯片实验的低成本、多学科的工程原理演示器。该演示程序旨在解决工程教育中更直接地将实验整合到工程课堂和课程中的关键需求。MEMS技术可以有效地演示工科学生必须理解的大多数物理现象，并熟练地应用于他们的专业。与传统技术需要单独、繁琐且往往被边缘化的实验室课程不同，MEMS实验可以在与直接整合到讲座中一致的时间尺度上进行，它们本质上是安全的，而且对环境有效。该演示软件可用于集成相关原理的解释，以及在产品中提供设计性实验和分析辅助。该方案的主要创新之处在于使用MEMS技术向工科本科生教授工程基础。拟议的演示程序广泛适用于各种工程课程。以技术和知识为基础的经济给社会带来的潜在优势来自于工科学生毕业时具备解决国家挑战的技能和知识的质量。由于美国的经济及其生活水平建立在高科技创新的基础上，预计美国经济所获得的好处将比其他技术导向较少的经济体高得多。该项目的结果预计将影响大量从美国工程学校毕业的学生，他们对物理现象没有基本的掌握，而物理现象对于创新新的解决方案和产品至关重要。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase (SBIR) Phase I project will develop and demonstrate a low cost, multi-disciplinary Engineering Principles Demonstrator based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) on-chip experiments. The Demonstrator is designed to address a critical need in engineering education of more directly integrating experiments into engineering classrooms and curricula. MEMS technology can be effectively used to demonstrate most of the physical phenomena that engineering students must understand and become proficient at applying in their professions. Unlike conventional technology, which requires separate, cumbersome and often marginalized laboratory courses, MEMS experiments can be performed on a time scale consistent with direct integration into lectures, they are intrinsically safe, as well as environmentally efficient. The Demonstrator software can be used to integrate explanation of relevant principles as well as to provide designed experiments and analysis assistance within the product.The primary innovation in this proposal revolves around the use of MEMS technology to teach engineering fundamentals to undergraduate engineering students. The proposed demonstrator is broadly applicable across a variety of engineering curricula. The potential advantages to society with a technology- and knowledge-based economy follw from the quality of engineering students graduating with skills and knowledge to solve national challenges. With the economy of the United States and its standard of living predicated on high technology innovation, the benefits to the US economy would be expected to be significantly higher relative to other, less technologically oriented economies. The outcomes of this project is expected to impact a large number of students who graduate from US engineering schools without the fundamental grasp of physical phenomena which is critical for innovating new solutions and products.