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The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) curriculum was recently modified by replacing laboratory courses in electrical circuits, fluid mechanics and stress analysis with a sequence of Multidisciplinary Engineering Laboratory courses (MEL I, II, and III). The MEL sequence prepares students for their professional careers by integrating discipline‐specific components into systems and building subject‐matter depth through a vertical sequence. The experiments move beyond basic theory verification by requiring students to practice higher level thinking. In addition, the systems experiments encourage students to reorganize knowledge and discover the connections among concepts in several courses. The MEL sequence helps students understand relationships among science, engineering science, and engineering design. The MEL experiments develop life‐long learning skills by encouraging higher levels of thinking on the Perry scale and requiring students to use a variety of Kolb's learning styles. This paper describes the educational objectives and experiments for the MEL I course. The paper gives assessment results for MEL I and compares it with traditional laboratories.

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Molecular genetic testing for Huntington disease (HD) by linkage analysis of DNA markers close to the HD gene has been possible since the mid-1980s. Because of ethical and practical concerns about this kind of testing, most groups performing the test in the past have operated under lengthy research protocols designed to assess the psychological morbidity of the presymptomatic diagnosis of a fatal disease. Our approach to HD testing is service-oriented, and our testing process has been designed to be flexible, to meet the varying needs of our patients. Between 1988 and 1990, 87 inquiries about the test have been received; 22 inquiries had family structures which were unsuitable for linkage analysis. Eleven of the 37 individuals who entered the testing program have not completed it. Of 19 patients who have received DNA results, seven received an increased risk of carrying the HD gene, and ten, a decreased risk. For two additional individuals, nonpaternity resulted in a negligible risk for HD. Several of those consulted, or their spouses, have had continuing outpatient counseling since completing the test; none have required hospitalization. Our short-term results indicate that molecular genetic testing for HD can be performed safely in a clinical setting using our protocol. As molecular genetic testing for HD and other diseases moves out of research centers and into clinics, clinicians must devise practical strategies for providing the medical, genetic, and psychological services needed for the growing number of individuals who will seek such testing.

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In this study, the technological feasibility of an electrospray-based flame synthesis process for the production of thin films of nanosized metal oxide particulates was investigated. On the basis of published results on electro-hydrodynamic atomization, a spray system was designed, implemented, and tested. Initial tests focused on synthesis of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) particulates, and the results showed that aggregates with quasi-monodisperse primary particle sizes below 100 nm with cubic-fluorite crystal phase composition can be manufactured through this production route. These tests utilized organometallic solutions of Zr-n-propoxide and Y-2-methoxyethoxide in a mixture of n-propanol and 2-methoxyethanol, which were electrosprayed into the postflame flow of a multielement diffusion burner. Both theoretical analysis and experimental evidence indicate that controlled synthesis of particulate with narrow particle size distribution is feasible. The radial arrangement of electrospray emitters chosen for the initial experiments appears to be a promising spray configuration for further development.

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