News

Students in the Introduction to Engineering course completed their first project this week.  During the project, students applied the different steps of the Engineering Design Process as they designed, analyzed, built, and tested a mousetrap car.  The Whitebox Learning Environment provided background research into the physics involved in building a successful car - simple machines, friction, and mechanisms.  After researching the problem, students used the 3-D solid modeler and analysis tool suite to optimize and virtually test their design. Once the design concepts were complete, students generated construction plans and built physical models of their cars.  The project culminated in a race to see which car best met the design requirements. This hands-on approach allowed students to learn from their successes and their failures as they put into practice many of the skills necessary to be successful in any engineering field.