Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities

这笔赠款将允许托莱多大学(UT)机械、工业和制造工程系(MIME)的大四学生为大托莱多(ACT)能力中心(ACT)确定的残疾人设计和制造定制设备。ACT是一个非营利性的独立生活中心，其使命是帮助残疾人在社区生活、工作和社交。作为培训和教育的一部分，德克萨斯大学的高级工程专业学生被要求完成一门名为高级设计项目的顶峰设计课程。在本课程中，学生设计、构造和测试原始设备或定制改装设备，以满足客户指定的目标。这笔助学金的目的是支持德克萨斯大学工科本科生完成的项目，作为他们的高级设计项目。拟议的活动将为德克萨斯大学的MIME学生提供参与旨在帮助残疾人的项目的机会。这些项目包括为残疾人设计和制造定制设备。这些项目将与ACT合作开展。每年将执行10个项目。将使用魁北克用户辅助技术满意度评估(QUEST)工具评估用户满意度及其对每个已完成项目达到预期目标的程度的看法。已完成项目的书面报告将提交给每年出版的NSF年度书籍《帮助残疾人的工程高级设计项目》。此外，在每个资助年度的7月1日之前，私人投资协会将提供一份年度报告，其中包括对已完成项目的描述和资金可获得性。还将鼓励学生在全国会议上展示他们完成的项目，并参加设计比赛。每个学生团队将准备一个网页来传播他们项目的信息。智力价值：这些项目的智力价值如下：-通过设计和制造设备的经验来加强对学生工程师的教育，以满足实际需要，并就设备满足需求的程度提供反馈。-为德克萨斯大学工程专业的学生提供机会，增强他们对生理、心理、环境、更广泛的影响：这些项目的更广泛影响如下：-这些项目将导致设计和建造帮助残疾人更好地享受生活和实现其最大潜力的设备，而不会遭受相关的经济负担。如果这些设备必须由专业人士设计并在当地商店制造，那么它们的价格将高得令人望而却步；一般来说，它们不会以任何价格现成。-这些项目将为德克萨斯大学的MIME部门及其学生提供机会，为当地社区提供独特的服务。-在每个学期结束时，都会组织一次博览会，展示学生制造的原型以及最终的演示文稿。这一活动由当地媒体报道，包括电视、广播和报纸。社区领导人、医疗保健提供者代表、残疾人及其家人、高中生和教师、当地专业学会成员和德克萨斯大学社区参加了本次博览会。这些活动为大学预科教师、年轻人和其他非科学家公众提供了接触科学和技术的机会，从而促进和影响了教育和人力资源。-这些项目的外延和影响还包括让观看当地电视、广播和报纸的观众：i)了解社区内为帮助残疾人而提供的服务的类型。ii)了解当社区、独立生活中心和大学携手合作时，教育体验会有什么不同。

0931643HefzyThis grant will allow senior students from the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME) at The University of Toledo (UT) to design and fabricate custom made devices for persons with disabilities identified by the Ability Center of Greater Toledo (ACT).The ACT is a non-profit center for independent living with a mission to assist people with disabilities to live, to work, and to socialize in the community. As part of their training and education, senior engineering students at UT are required to complete one capstone design course called Senior Design Projects. During this course, students design, construct and test an original or a custom-modified device to meet objectives specified by a customer. The objective of this grant is to support projects performed by undergraduate engineering students at UT as their senior design projects. The proposed activities will provide an opportunity for the MIME students at UT to be involved with projects that are directed to aid persons with disabilities. These projects consist of the design and fabrication of custom-built devices for persons with disabilities. These projects will be conducted in collaboration with the ACT. Ten projects per year will be executed. The user satisfaction and his/her perception of the degree to which each completed project achieves the desired goal will be evaluated using the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) tool. Written reports on the completed projects will be submitted for annual publication in the yearly NSF book for Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities. Also, an annual report that includes a description of the completed projects and the availability of funds will be provided by the PI by July 1 of each grant year. Students will also be encouraged to present their completed projects at national conferences and participate in design competitions. Each student team will prepare a web-page to disseminate information about their projects.Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merits of these projects are as follows:- To enhance the education of student engineers through the experience of designing and building devices to meet a real need with feedback on how well the device satisfies the need.- To provide opportunities for UT engineering students to enhance their understanding of the influences of physiological, psychological, environmental, and biomechanical factors on the design of assistive devices for individuals with disabilities.Broader Impacts: The broader impacts of these projects are as follows:- These projects will result in the design and construction of devices that will assist persons with disabilities to better enjoy life and realize their maximum potential without suffering from the associated financial burdens. Such devices would be prohibitively expensive if they had to be designed by a professional and constructed in local shops; in general they are not available ready-made at any price.- These projects will provide the MIME department at UT and its students with an opportunity to offer a unique service to the local community.- At the end of each semester, an exposition is organized to display the prototypes built by the students along with final presentations. This event is covered by the local Media to include television, radio and newspapers. Community leaders, health care providers' representatives, persons with disabilities and their families, high school students and teachers, local professional society members, and the UT community attend this exposition. These activities provide exposure to science and technology for pre-college teachers, young people, and other nonscientist members of the public, thus contributing to and impacting education and human resources.- The outreach and impact of these projects also include allowing the viewing audience in local television, radio and newspapers:i) To know the types of services provided within the community to aid people with disabilities.ii) To see what difference an educational experience can be when community, independent living centers and universities work hand in hand.