Experiential Engineers: Developing An Integrated Mechanical Engineering Laboratory

The Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University has developed a required undergraduate laboratory that is a practical and relevant component of an engineer’s education. The purpose is to provide a combined mechanical engineering experience that reinforces the traditional elements of a curriculum. Solid Mechanics, Dynamics, and Heat Transfer are integrated through individual experiments and a combined systems experiment at the conclusion of the course. Faculty is directly involved teaching the lecture component of the course and one lab section weekly. Graduate students work closely with these faculty members and teach the balance of the weekly labs. Progress in educational outcomes has been noticed in the second semester of senior design. Students now have knowledge and hands-on experience of experimental techniques to incorporate and utilize in the development and testing stages of their capstone design project.