Originally published on engineeringunleashed.com, October 2020
We’re happy to announce the winners of the annual ASEE Best Card Competition on EngineeringUnleashed.com, the community for faculty and staff on a mission to graduate engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset.
First Place
Stephanie Gillespie, University of New Haven. “Prototyping via Makerspace Training in First-Year-Engineering.”
Second Place
Chao Wang, Arizona State University. “An Open Ended Design Project Promoting Autonomy in an Introduction to Engineering Course.”
Third Place
Cheryl Bodnar, Rowan University, and Elise Barrella, DfX Consulting LLC. “‘Master’ Entrepreneurial Mindset Concept Map.”
Honorable Mention
Kimberly Demoret, Florida Institute of Technology. “Students Teaching Engineering – Making Products for Education.”
Honorable Mention
Yingyan Lou, Arizona State University. “How is the Yellow Interval Determined for a Signalized Intersection?”
This national competition is an exclusive opportunity that runs in tandem with the ASEE Annual Conference. Everyone who presented a poster or paper at the conference was eligible to enter the competition by submitting their materials on Engineering Unleashed. The Engineering Unleashed Community Catalysts provided a peer review of the materials through a multi-category rubric. Deciding the final five was extremely difficult thanks to all the wonderful work presented!
Winners will receive
First Place: $500 and a trophy
Second Place: $250 and a plaque
Third Place: $250 and a plaque
Beyond the possibility of winning, the competition provided a great opportunity for faculty and staff to share their work outside their institutions and organizations. Materials were submitted in an online form called an Engineering Unleashed card. Cards can hold lesson plans, presentations, images, videos, and much more for others to download, use, and adapt in their own classes and projects.
First Place
Prototyping via Makerspace Training in First-Year-Engineering
Focus on the specific training materials used to introduce students to the makerspace equipment at a first-year student level! Stephanie Gillespie, Associate Dean (University of New Haven), introduces three 100-minute class periods with one of the following technologies introduced during each class period alongside entrepreneurial mindset objectives:
3D Printer > Rapid Prototyping for Risk Management
Arduino > Resiliency and Learning from Failure
Laser Cutter + Hand Tools > Exploring Creativity and Assumptions
Learning Objectives
By the end of the three lessons, students will be able to:
Demonstrate curiosity about modern manufacturing techniques as they use various maker technologies in the creation of a prototype.
Evaluate various maker technologies for usefulness in prototyping, citing connections to financial, time, environmental, and customization considerations.
Use the rapid-prototyping process to create prototype iterations, emphasizing value creation through early testing during the design process.
About the Author
Stephanie Gillespie, Associate Dean, University of New Haven
Stephanie focuses on leading multiple first-year engineering courses as well as facilitating integration of the new maker space into faculty curriculum. She has experience in K-12 outreach. Stephanie has also served as an Engineering Unleashed Community Catalyst.
Second Place
An Open Ended Design Project Promoting Autonomy in an Introduction to Engineering Course
Get more positive and motivational student responses in an introduction to engineering course! Chao Wang, Senior Lecturer (Arizona State University), shows how to engage and motivate students by letting them choose their own design project while introducing broad topics such as:
- The engineering design process Engineering modeling and drawing Teamwork
- Technical communication
- Project management
- An entrepreneurial mindset
Learning Objectives
In a design team, students will apply the entrepreneurial mindset to create a customer focused design, including proposing a solution to address customer pain points under realistic constraints and system requirements.
Students will also go through the engineering design process to design, build, and test their prototype.
Students will apply project management principles by planning and tracking time, cost, and materials.
About the Author
Chao Wang, Senior Lecturer, Arizona State University
Chao is currently the Chair of IEEE Education Society Phoenix Chapter, and is excited about bringing real-world examples and latest technological advances into the classroom to equip students with skills they’ll find useful in their future career.
Third Place
“Master” Entrepreneurial Mindset Concept Map
Get the Who, What, Why, and How aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset within the context of engineering education! Cheryl Bodnar, Assistant Professor (Rowan University) and Elise Barrella, CEO and Founder (DfX Consulting LLC), worked with seven faculty experts in the Engineering Entrepreneurship field to finalize this “master” concept map begun at the 2019 KEEN National Conference.
Learning Objectives
After reviewing the map and accompanying materials, faculty will be able to:
- Describe the key aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset
- Relate the key aspects of entrepreneurial mindset to one another
- Use the “master” entrepreneurial mindset concept map as a reference for course planning or assessment
About the Authors
Cheryl Bodnar, Associate Professor, Rowan University
Cheryl’s research interests relate to the incorporation of active learning techniques such as game-based learning in undergraduate classes as well as integration of innovation and entrepreneurship into the engineering curriculum. She’s particularly interested in the impact that these tools can have on student perception of the classroom environment, motivation and learning outcomes.
Elise Barrella, CEO & Founder, DfX Consulting LLC
Elise is passionate about curriculum development, scholarship and student mentoring on transportation systems, sustainability, and engineering design. She is a registered Professional Engineer and was a Founding Faculty member of the Department of Engineering at Wake Forest University. DfX Consulting LLC offers engineering education and design research, planning and consulting services.
Honorable Mention
Students Teaching Engineering – Making Products for Education
Tailor this project to your class goals while cultivating student curiosity and creating enormous value! Kimberly Demoret, Assistant Professor (Florida Institute of Technology), demonstrates in her Introduction to Aerospace Engineering class how to provide hands-on experience in large lecture classes without lab sections.
Learning Objectives
Learning objectives include building fabrication experience typical of small student projects, increasing confidence in solving open-ended problems, expanding student personal networks, and providing opportunities to practice communication and professional skills in a team setting.
About the Author
Kimberly Demoret, Assistant Professor, Florida Institute of Technology
Kimberly worked for eight years at Kennedy Space Center on launch systems in support of NASA’s space exploration goals. Her current research interests include engineering education, student motivation and retention, and the psychology of student teams. She is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and a licensed professional engineer in the state of Florida.
Honorable Mention
Students Teaching Engineering – Making Products for Education
Get your students analyzing theories and assumptions through storytelling, class discussion, and an individual research project! Yingyan Lou, Associate Professor (Arizona State University), provides this module for students to analyze the theories, assumptions, and implications behind the yellow duration calculation, investigate contrarian proposals to current practice, and explore additional possible solutions.
Learning Objectives
Learning objectives include exploring multiple solution paths, suspending initial judgment on new ideas, understanding the value proposition of a discovery, and articulating an idea to diverse audiences.
About the Author
Yingyan Lou, Associate Professor, Arizona State University
Yingyan specializes in intelligent transportation systems and transportation systems modeling and optimization. She has served as a PI/co-PI on 29 projects funded by multiple agencies, including the National Science Foundation, national and regional university transportation centers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Alabama Department of Transportation.