Recycled Tire Bales For Wall Construction: A Multidisciplinary Project For Engineering Design Education

The Design Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence (EPICS) program is a two semester, six credit-hour sequence that is required of all first and second-year students at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). During the Design (EPICS) sequence, students working in teams are guided through a hands-on experience of basic, sound engineering practices that incorporate creativity and inventiveness, technical thinking, decision-making, communication skills, and graphical demonstration. The sequence is consistent with current views about engineering design education. Douglas views engineering design as a creative process to convert ideas into “processes for producing new materials.” Pahl and Beitz consider the integration of technical, psychological, systematic, and organizational aspects of engineering design as “prerequisites for the physical realization of solution ideas.” Ullman views engineering design in terms of managing people and information. These themes continue to repeat themselves throughout discussion of engineering design. Horenstein defines the results of the design process more specifically as “a set of desired specifications.” Bieniawski recognized that many skills required for engineering design, frequently not taught in formal classroom settings, are developed only through practice. He describes a process of developing behavioral standards necessary to produce a quality product. Our sequence, on the cutting edge of engineering design methodologies, provides students with a broad-based introduction concerning engineering design, technical communications and teamwork early in their academic career.