| Title | Enhancing the Design Experience in 2nd Year Electrical and Computer Engineering Projects |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Applied Science |
| Status | Completed |
| Duration | 2 Year |
| Initiation | 04/01/2010 |
| Completion | 04/21/2012 |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 2010/2011 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Leo Stocco |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 54,024 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Leo Stocco, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science |
| Year 1: Summary | Design is the core of engineering. In EECE, students develop a foundation for design in second year and evolve those skills during their third and fourth years. However, the students’ design experience with electric circuits is preempted by an incomplete framework for implementing their designs. The current framework provides students with the tools to design and simulate their circuits, but lacks the ability to transfer their designs onto a working printed circuit board (PCB) which would expose issues that are not visible through simulation. The intent of this proposal is to purchase the necessary equipment and develop the associated framework so that a complete design process may be integrated into the second year program. This change will enable students to more fully exploit the existing design tools and enter third year with the necessary skills to take an idea all the way from concept to a professional grade working prototype. |
| Year 2: Project Year | Year 2 |
| Year 2: Funding Year | 2011/2012 |
| Year 2: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 2: Principal Investigator | Leo Stocco |
| Year 2: Funded Amount | 91,361 |
| Year 2: Team Members | Leo Stocco, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science |
| Year 2: Summary | Design is the core of engineering. In EECE, students develop a foundation for design in second year and evolve those skills in subsequent years. However, the design experience may be stunted by difficulties associated with physical implementation. Students will not invest the time to learn a design tool if its output cannot be turned into a physical prototype. The first phase of this proposal enabled students to turn an electric circuit designed with Altium into a PCB. This proposal addresses the related need to turn mechanical parts designed with SolidWorks into physical parts, Once complete, students will be able to fully implement electro-mechanical design projects which are the cornerstone of the second year program. Giving them the confidence that they can build a prototype of literally anything they can dream up will unleash their creativity in subsequent years and raise their own expectations of themselves. |