The dynamic behavior of a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) is analyzed. Nominal and special operating conditions are explored to show that the PMSM can experience chaos. A nonlinear controller is introduced to control these unwanted chaotic oscillations and to bring the PMSM to a stable steady state. The designed controller uses a pole-placement approach to force the closed-loop system to follow the performance of a simple first-order linear system with zero steady-state error to a desired set point. The similarity between the mathematical model of the PMSM and the famous chaotic Lorenz system is utilized to design a synchronization-based state observer using only the angular speed for feedback. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller in eliminating the chaotic oscillations while using a single feedback signal. The superiority of the proposed controller is further demonstrated by comparing it with a conventional PID controller. Finally, a laboratory-based experiment was conducted using the MCK2812 C Pro-MS(BL) motion control kit to confirm the theoretical results and to verify both the causality and versatility of the proposed controller.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is gaining wide attention. STEM education assimilates rigorous disciplines and requires diverse skills. Effort to promote and integrate STEM education in schools has been significant during the recent years. This paper investigates promoting students interest in STEM beyond the K-12 levels outside the US. The investigation targets the American University of Kuwait, where the educational community in general, and the students in particular, are faced with different challenges. Comprehensive proposals are suggested to extend STEM education to be part of the Engineering programs at the undergraduate level, with focus on Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering. Remedies for overcoming the weak background in mathematics and sciences, for many students, are explored. In addition, parallel laboratory-based educational components are applied, for selected courses, to enhance the technological aspects via providing deep hands-on experience and exposure to real-life scenarios. Incorporating STEM education in courses/labs, academic activities, extracurricular activities, capstone design projects, internships, and satisfying accreditation requirements are addressed. A thorough discussion is presented to include analysis of best practices, evaluations, examples, and case studies from the local and regional institutions.
Abstract-The development of reliable and easy-to-deploy assessment plans are a world-wide interest of academic programs. The cultivation of a culture of assessment or engaging in an accreditation effort is dependent on the development of effective assessment frameworks. Examining overly large variety of sources and using different tools challenge the applicability of assessment plans and can prove to be major hurdles. In this paper, a unified framework is proposed that enables the assessment and evaluation of student outcomes, at the program level, and evaluating student performance as well. The proposed framework identifies a set of courses to be assessed using direct tools. The tools enable measurements of attainment scores at the course learning outcomes, performance indicators, and student outcome levels to create a paradigm for unified assessment. The framework was deployed within a two cycles empirical study and led to a successful accreditation of a computer engineering program by ABET. The paper includes a thorough analysis and evaluation of the framework and its application.
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