A Sequence Of Multidisciplinary Engineering Laboratory Courses

Abstract

Introduction 1.1 Background Colorado School of Mines (CSM) is a public research university devoted to engineering and applied science that has distinguished itself by developing high-quality graduates and scholarship. The U.S. News and World Report Inc. rated CSM 26th in the Top National Public Universities and 50 th in the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs with Ph.D. Programs in 2001 1. The school's role as written in the Colorado statutes focuses on "energy, minerals, and materials science and engineering and science fields." The sequence of multidisciplinary laboratory courses described herein lies within the engineering focus and is taught within the Engineering Division. The Engineering Division is the largest program at CSM with approximately 850 undergraduate majors and 70 graduate students. This population represents a shift from the CSM's historical earth science and engineering focus. The undergraduate program is an ABET accredited, nontraditional, interdisciplinary, Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering with specialties in civil, electrical, environmental, and mechanical engineering, as well as graduate degrees (M. S., M. E. and Ph. D) and research in engineering systems. The Gourman Report ranks the CSM Engineering Division fifth among general engineering programs 2. Primary goals of the program are to provide students with a solid foundation in engineering fundamentals, the skills to adapt to rapidly changing and advanced technologies, and an aptitude for lifelong learning. Uniqueness of the program is particularly evident with respect to its multidisciplinary span, heavy experimental component, large credit-hour requirement, and use of advanced technologies. We recently replaced three traditional, closed, theory-verification laboratory courses in electrical circuits, fluid mechanics, and stress analysis with the Multidisciplinary Engineering Laboratory (MEL) course sequence 3. Two key words in the title of this paper relay the uniqueness of the MEL approach: "multidisciplinary" and "sequence". 1.2 Sequential Laboratory Courses at Other Universities Several universities teach sequential laboratory courses focused on topical depth. For example, Texas A&M University connected a course in microprocessors and a course in electronic interfacing in a sequence 4. Both have three hours of recitation and two of laboratory each week.