Abstract:

The mechanical engineering curriculum in practically every university institution requires that students are provided instruction in experimental design, the performing of experiments, collection of data, analysis of data and the presentation of results. In effective curricula systems, students can connect what is taught in the classroom (theory) with what is obtained in practice. Experimentation also serves as an exercise to maintain a high level of student involvement in, and curiosity about science and engineering with the hope of enhancing their skills in innovation and entrepreneurship. In traditional engineering programs, experimentation is conducted in classroom spaces that have been retrofitted and equipped with elaborate devices and instrumentation for data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation. The better endowed programs often end up with very sophisticated systems for students to use in achieving the goals of the program. An engineering program that offers students more options for experimentation would be ideal to better prepare students to obtain adequate understanding of the core principles of science and engineering.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a student-driven initiative for the design of a hands-on mobile device that can be used to conduct experiments anywhere and anytime just as one would do in a more traditional environment of a sophisticated laboratory. The emphasis of the student-driven initiative is to design a device for experimentation in the Thermal Sciences. The paper presents a chronology of the design process, the tools used in the design, and assembly of the mobile device. Results obtained from both the mobile device and the traditional laboratory experimentation environment are juxtaposed to justify the small investment involved in building such a device. Designed and built as a teaching and learning tool, the mobile device has been demonstrated to assist a focused group of students in Heat Transfer to understand and appreciate the need for the basic laws such as Fourier’s Law in heat conduction. Although the results obtained had high margins of error comparatively, the design exercise allows students to think critically about the task and to offer suggestive approaches for the next phase of the project.

Keywords:

Design, mobile device, thermal sciences, experimentation.