Murphy Society funded projects 2007-2008
The Walter P. Murphy Society is a group of annual leadership donors to the McCormick School who have the unique opportunity to assist the dean in allocating funding for faculty- and student-initiated projects each academic year.
Faculty Projects
Student Group Projects
Faculty Projects
EDC-2a: A Testbed Course for Integration of Engineering Analysis (EA) and Engineering Design and Communication (EDC)
Bruce Ankenman, Assoc. Professor, Institute for Design Engineering and Applications (IDEA)
Since the inception of the Engineering First® curriculum nearly ten years ago, there has been a desire to have more integration between the two programs EA and EDC. This two-year project is creating a new course that will serve as the test bed for various EA/EDC integration ideas, allowing for continuous curricular improvement for the freshman class and a richer engineering design/engineering analysis experience that is not currently available.
Fuel Cell Laboratory Experience for Undergraduate Students Using an Electrochemical Impedance Analyzer
Scott Barnett, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
This project will develop a set of laboratories in undergraduate classes focused on electrochemical characterization of fuel cells and other electrochemical energy devices such as batteries and ultracapacitors. These technologies are expected to have a major impact in our future energy picture by allowing improved energy efficiency, and there is presently very little in Northwestern's engineering curriculum that provides students with practical experience in these areas. Most of the lab work would be done in a new course to be developed in materials science, titled "Fuel Cell Materials," wherein students will become familiar with basics of electrochemical devices, state-of-the-art testing methods, and quantitative analysis of the results.
Increasing Participation of Women in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Northwestern University
Justine Cassell, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Director, Center for Technology and Social Behavior
While many scientific fields have achieved gender parity, electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) lags far behind, with the number of women receiving degrees actually declining in recent years. With this Murphy grant we will encourage the recruitment, retention and success of women in EECS at Northwestern at the undergraduate, graduate and faculty levels. Through our program, women will be exposed to successful women in EECS-related careers and have opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research and be mentored by more senior women.
EECS Research Teams: Fundamentals of Management
Yan Chen, Assistant Professor, EECS Department
Popular among students, the Research Teams: Fundamentals of Management (RTFM) classes are special topics courses offered by students in the EECS department and overseen by a professor. Courses are currently limited by a lack of RTFM-dedicated equipment on which students can install custom software. Funding to purchase machines would allow the RTFM program to expand, therefore creating an innovative learning environment for individual students and student groups. These machines would be particularly helpful in the upcoming RTFM class Network Penetration and Security. The Computing Facility Committee of the EECS department believes this proposed lab will become a strong component of the EECS teaching infrastructure.
Bridging the Campuses: Equipment for Distance Teaching and Learning in Biomedical Engineering
Matthew R. Glucksberg, Professor and Chair, Biomedical Engineering Department
The Biomedical Engineering Department has the distinction of having the largest student population in McCormick; however, we are a small department in terms of teaching faculty and the only department at Northwestern with a significant presence on both the Evanston and Chicago Campuses. The Chicago-based core and affiliated faculty are vital to our undergraduate teaching mission, but the scope of course offerings has been limited by the physical separation of the two campuses. Funds for this project will support distance teaching technologies so that faculty and students can interact comfortably and effectively across campuses in a classroom setting.
Design and Prototyping Laboratory for the Computer Engineering Curriculum
Seda Ogrenci Memik, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
A hands-on design experience is fundamental to undergraduate engineering education. Within computer engineering, design of Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) Circuits and Systems is the driving force behind all advances made in computing, from high performance computing infrastructures to everyday consumer electronics products. Therefore, it is essential to prepare students as the future designers of these complex systems. Our project will establish a Design and Prototyping Laboratory and develop integrated design projects into two Computer Engineering courses: EECS 392 Capstone Design course (VLSI Systems Design Project) and its pre-requisite in the next academic year, EECS 355.
Quantitative Analysis of Biological Systems: A Core Laboratory Sequence for Biomedical Engineering
Eric J. Perreault, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
This proposal seeks funding for the enhancement of a three-course, integrated laboratory and lecture sequence in Biomedical Engineering (BME). The purpose of this sequence is to introduce the quantitative tools necessary to study, model and perform experiments on biological systems and is mandatory for all students entering during the 2006-2007 academic year. The funds will be used to support the purchase of new laboratory equipment and to hire a computer programmer who will develop web-based resources to reinforce fundamental concepts taught in this sequence.
Electronics, Robotics, and Design Competition: Three Coordinated Initiatives
Michael Peshkin, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Competence in analog and digital electronics, and in computer interfacing and programming, is empowering and increasingly essential to engineers in all disciplines. We propose three interdependent initiatives to build this competence in our undergraduate engineers: 1. A non-traditional Electronics Design course, untethering the practice of electronics from specialized labs; 2. A more sophisticated and educational Design Competition that rewards programming and strategy, thus motivating, making use of, and building upon the competence developed in the new Electronics Design course; 3. A robotics club which develops technology infrastructure, takes on robotics projects, and devises and runs Design Competition.
Modernization of Solid-State Engineering Laboratory
Manijeh Razeghi, Walter P. Murphy Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
Based on feedback received from undergraduate students taking solid state engineering courses, we proposed to modernize the undergraduate lab equipment to enable a new series of experiments in the fundamental courses of solid state engineering. The main objective of this project is to coordinate the lab experience across the set of solid state courses so that we give our students the best education in the nation in solid state electronics. Using the $40,000 allocated in FY07, a number of the new labs were implemented in time for use in the spring quarter and were deemed a success by the professors and students. During FY08 we propose to continue the project using the remainder of the requested funds to update the remaining labs.
Materials Video 100
Dr. Kathleen Stair, Senior Lecturer, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
We want to enhance the learning process for undergraduate engineering students in introductory materials science and engineering courses by creating annotated videos of materials phenomena. Our goal for this project is two-fold: 1) to create and annotate movies of these demonstrations along with special effects, 3D graphics and animation that can be shown in class or viewed by students on their own and 2) add new demonstrations to our existing collection. Our ultimate goal is to create a digital multi-media archive of demonstrations to enhance learning in courses taken by nearly 80% of McCormick students.
Student Group Projects
Recycling Waste Vegetable Oil for Fuel
Engineers for Sustainable World (ESW)
Each week the NU community produces 150 gallons of waste vegetable oil that can be transformed from an expensive waste to a profitable supplemental fuel for one of the campus shuttle busses. This project has three main goals: reduce waste on campus, reduce oil dependency, and increase awareness about renewable fuels to the NU community through undergraduate course work and educational displays. Specifically, we intend to introduce technological innovations (an air-cooled diesel generator running on oil) and efficiency improvements in the current fuel filtration system which will make running the shuttle bus on this cleaner, renewable fuel an economic proposition for the university.
Formula SAE Capability Expansion
Formula SAE
Formula SAE is an international, intercollegiate design competition, where student teams design, build, test, and compete with single seat, open-wheeled, formula style race cars. It is often regarded as one of the most rigorous collegiate design competitions in the world. In order to represent Northwestern with a competitive vehicle we need additional equipment to expand our capabilities. We are asking for the funding for: a set of quality hand tools to be used exclusively by the Formula SAE (FSAE) team, allowing us to assemble and repair our vehicle during testing and competition; a second set of wheels, enabling testing under wet or dry conditions; a shock dynamometer (dyno), helping us tune suspension performance; and the equipment to manufacture cutting edge composites. These additions will help us develop a more sophisticated vehicle as we
aspire to be the premier engineering student group on campus.
Applied Research Day
InNUvation
Applied Research Day is a poster session focused on the application and commercialization of research performed at Northwestern University. This purpose of this event is to provide a forum for students with complementary academic strengths (technical and business) to come together to discuss their research and potential business applications and commercialization for their research. The purpose is also to promote the formation of interdisciplinary teams for the NU Venture Challenge, InNUvation's business idea competition. This is consistent with InNUvation's mission statement of, ". . . providing opportunities for education and idea-exchange, thus fostering commercialization and new venture formation."
Materials Science Education
MatSci Club
Materials are vital in many aspects of society, from the ceramic space-shuttle tiles to the plastics used in water bottles. This project will enhance the existing outreach efforts of the Materials Science (MatSci) club, and enable members to participate in a wider variety of educational activities themselves. Members of the MatSci club visit local grade schools to give demonstrations on the science and technology of materials, but the group presently needs funds to purchase some new demonstration kits. The project will also benefit the undergraduate experience by giving interested undergraduate students the opportunity to explore various aspects of materials that are not discussed in the curriculum, such as art conservation, materials entrepreneurship, and ceramics design contests.
Engineering Week
McCormick Student Advisory Board
Engineering Week is a week of events and activities for the benefit of undergraduates in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. Previously sponsored by Ford Motor Company, Engineering Week has recently been taken up by the McCormick Student Advisory Board (MSAB). This coming school year will be the third year the McCormick Student Advisory Board has organized Engineering Week. Engineering Week is a great opportunity to get students more involved and connected. Through Engineering Week, MSAB endeavors to develop community within McCormick through a variety of events as per the McCormick Strategic Plan to encourage interdisciplinary interaction, spirit of collaboration, and innovation.
5th Generation Solar Car
Northwestern Solar Car Team
The mission of the Northwestern Solar Car Team is to design and build the most competitive solar car possible for the 2008 North American Solar Challenge (NASC), while supporting alternative energy. The team will also attend the qualifier for the 2008 NASC, the 2008 Formula Sun Grand Prix, and hopes to place in the top ten at both competitions. In 2006, the team supported alternative energy by educating the public through demonstration of the current solar car, NU'Nergy, at eight outreach events at places such as Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Chicago Center for Green Technology. The team plans to continue to support alternative energy through outreach events in the future.
Chicago Public High School Engineering Minority Outreach Program
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
The Chicago Public High School Engineering Minority Outreach Program is an initiative sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to foster the beginnings of an intimate relationship between the Northwestern chapter of SHPE and Chicago area high schools. The program will begin this year with a series of Northwestern student-led seminars for Northside College Preparatory High School, with the goal of showcasing engineering as a course of study and a profession. While this program is aimed at minority youth underrepresented in post-secondary communities this program is not exclusively for minority students. It is hoped that by exposing students to engineering at the high school level, the number of students who consider a career in engineering and ultimately enroll in a school of engineering will increase.
Summer Program for Girls
Society of Women Engineers
The Northwestern University section of the Society for Women Engineers (SWE) is organizing its first annual Summer Program for Girls, which will invite approximately thirty 8th and 9th grade girls from the Chicago area to McCormick. The three-day long, non-residential program will provide the girls with hands-on experience in engineering, design, and teambuilding, encourage them to pursue engineering as a viable and exciting career choice, and introduce them to McCormick's progressive culture. This event will give dozens of undergraduate volunteers the unique experience of planning such a program for the first time, applying their classroom knowledge to teach others, and enhancing their leadership skills as counselors for the girls. It will be one of the only events of its kind nationwide to be organized and implemented exclusively by a team of undergraduates.
