One of the most important, and underappreciated, aspects of our society is its infrastructure (roads, buildings, communication systems, water delivery systems, sanitation systems, energy systems, etc.). We often take for granted the services infrastructure bring us. As a consequence, the United States, which at one time was a world leader in creating infrastructure, is experiencing an “Infrastructure Crisis,” where many of our roads, bridges, buildings, sanitation systems, reservoirs, etc. are in need of maintenance. Furthermore, not everyone experiences this issue equally.
COVID-19 has only exacerbated this crisis. And like with many issues, COVID-19 has made more apparent existing infrastructural issues (e.g., healthcare system, law enforcement system, use of public space, urban/suburban/rural planning, Internet infrastructure, cybersecurity, public transportation, public recreational areas, energy production, disaster vulnerability) and created new ones (e.g., adjusting to COVID-19 health policies, public education, surveillance infrastructure, under-utilized infrastructure, mail delivery, election infrastructure, food distribution, vaccine distribution, etc.). There are even cases where COVID-19 has made some infrastructure improvements accelerate (e.g., road improvements and construction). For this class, we will use STS systems thinking and data collection techniques to map and assess local infrastructure (e.g., campus) and see how it connects to current scientific, technological, and social issues.
Proposed Collaborative Project:
Dr. Mogul would like to create an opportunity for students to engage on an infrastructure assessment project. She is open to exploring possible options with a partner abroad. For example, students at the two institutions could conduct observations of infrastructure in and surrounding their home institution from an anthropological lens. They would then share these observations with partners at the other institution who would conduct an evaluation of selected infrastructure. This would allow students to compare/contrast infrastructure globally, engage on multicultural teams, and explore global and local issues as they impact peers around the world.
Introduction to structures composed of composite materials and their applications in aerospace. In particular, filamentary composite materials are studied. Material types and fabrication techniques, material properties, micromechanics, anisotropic elasticity, introduction to failure concepts.
Proposed Collaborative Project:
Due to this course being offered virtually during the spring term, Dr. Wereley and Dr. Becnel would be primarily interested in partnering with an institution abroad which will have in-person lab access this spring. Collaborative student teams could be formed to allow students to engage virtually on the design of a composite bridge competition entry for the SAMPE Bridge Competition. This would allow UMD students to collaborate with students abroad on the planning and design aspects of the project. The could then act as observers in the fabrication process as students abroad share this process virtually with UMD students.
This course provides a review of physical, chemical, and ecological principles used to examine interactions between humans and the environment, as they relate to the field of civil engineering. The fundamental concepts are taught using analytical and computational methods, which are necessary for designing and analyzing the sustainability of various engineering processes and technologies. The course also provides background needed to think critically about environmental sustainability and its relation to: energy, material choice, infrastructure design, water and atmospheric resources, human population growth, and resource consumption.
Proposed Collaborative Project:
Group Anthology Project: This classroom anthology exercise is designed for students to engage in a collaborative learning experience. The aim is to strengthen or develop skills in leadership, interpersonal influence, teambuilding, life-long learning, research, and content mastery. The anthology topics will be chosen by students and groups will be allowed to choose their topic preference by randomization in class. The anthology topics will be the same as the topics for the second project: the debate. In fact, one of the anthology’s objective is to prepare arguments for the debate. All group members are expected to participate in the research, development, and presentation of the anthology and debate. Each student will review other groups’ work (peer review). Each student will be assigned two peer reviews and each student is required to complete all assigned peer reviews.
Group Debate: The debate topics are the same as the Group Anthology topics and will be chosen in class on a date announced by the instructor. All group members are expected to participate in the research, development, and presentation of your debate position. The debate will take the form of timed group presentations and responses separated by timed group work periods. Audiovisuals are recommended and may be used at any time, including, but not limited to: handouts, powerpoint slides, audio, etc.
Dr. Andrade is open to exploring other collaborative opportunities with interested partners.
The ENFP 411 course, “Risk-Informed Performance Based Design,” is a capstone course in the undergraduate program of the fire protection engineering major at the University of Maryland. Being a capstone course, students are expected to utilize engineering tools described in previous courses in an integrated fashion to develop a fire protection solution. The course emphasizes performance-based design (PBD) in lieu of prescriptive code design and is reflective of the current process used by practicing engineers engaged in PBD. This is an integrative course in which students are expected to show that they can define, initiate and complete a professional fire protection engineering project under suitable direction. All projects reflect the kind of tasks that would be given to a junior engineer.
The structure of the course includes a series of lectures on the principles of PBD in the first half of the course. Lectures cover topics such as:
• PBD process, setting goals, objectives and performance criteria
• Selection of design fires
• Assessment of the value-added of fire protection systems
• Accounting for reliability of fire protection systems
• Engineering economics
• Risk analysis and risk management
The second half of the semester is devoted to having the students work in studio sessions to complete their projects in groups. After 2 weeks of the studio sessions, students need to prepare a design brief, or a preliminary design concept with a proposed outline of the analyses to be conducted in order to provide technical support for the design. Following the receipt of comments from the instructor and a review panel, students then proceed to conduct the necessary analyses to support their design decisions. A final design report is due at the end of the semester which describes the final design and technical support to justify why the design satisfies the stated performance criteria and hence achieves the stipulated design objectives.
Students have three principal deliverables associated with the project. Two of them involve preparation of a Design Brief, due near the middle of the semester. A written Design Brief needs to be submitted and an oral presentation made. Each group’s oral presentation is provided to a panel, including the instructor(s) of the course along with three senior, practicing fire protection engineers (all are licensed professional engineers). The third deliverable is a written Design Report, due at the end of the semester. The content of the Design Brief and the Design Report include the content outlined in the SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance-Based Fire Protection. If this activity is to be done with multiple universities, the oral presentation should be moved to the end of the semester and describe the final project design and analysis, possibly without a review panel.
Over the last four years, the semester project has required the student groups to develop a holistic fire protection solution to an actual building. Solutions need to be justified via engineering analyses ranging from hand calculations to computer simulations. Buildings selected for the projects are those of historic significance or contain cultural resources to provide significant, realistic design constraints.
Recent projects have included:
- Smithsonian Museums, Washington, DC
- National Museum of the American Indian
- National Air and Space Museum
- Arts and Industry Building
- Ford’s Theater, Washington, DC
- Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg (Public Hospital, Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, & Abby Aldridge Rockefeller Folk Art Museum), Williamsburg, VA
- Mixed use: Metro Station (Purple Line) & Library, Silver Spring, MD
- Historic mansion (Engineers Club), Baltimore, MD
- International Terminal, BWI Airport
Proposed Collaborative Project:
- Option #1: Students engage on collaborative teams with students from both institutions to develop and complete aspects of or the complete project described above (or a similar project). This option would permit students to appreciate the differences internally within each team and complete practical work on a global and diverse team.
- Option #2: Students at UMD and a partner abroad work on projects independently similar to the one described above. The end of the project activity should result in a presentation in a symposium-like setting (albeit it virtually). The differences in approaches would likely be most noticeable if student teams were comprised of students from one institution, rather than via a mixture of students from different institutions. The end symposium could take on an atmosphere similar to several editions of an international symposium held by SFPE over many years.
- If a course with significant overlap is taught at a partner institution abroad, Dr. Milke would be interested in offering the course in a collaborative manner. Several options are available:
- The basic lectures could be taught by faculty at each institution and collaboration would occur exclusively in the project work or symposium as described above,
- lectures could be offered on a rotational basis by faculty at each institution,
- or lectures could be offered by one faculty member to all students.
Review of probabilistic distributions, introduction to pseudo-random number generation, and algorithms to produce probability distributions using Monte Carlo simulation via Matlab and other approaches to best design probabilistic engineering problems.
Proposed Collaborative Project:
As part of this course, student conduct two projects/case studies applying probability-based design utilizing Monte Carlos simulation and Matlab to explore real world scenarios. These would be an ideal opportunity for students to collaborate between institutions. In the past, the first project has focused on wind power and demand response, and the second project looks at a case related to manufacturing. Each project consists of the following components:
- Overview and significance of problem
- Mathematical formulation must clearly define variables, constants, and all notation used
- Data sources must clearly describe the source of the dataset as well as the data elements
- Analysis must clearly describe and present the results of an analysis of using the model: key scenarios, assumptions, output, recommendations
- Conclusions, future work, course concepts used, problems encountered
- Matlab code and relevant data files (if any) which must run correctly
Dr. Gabriel would be open to exploring other scenarios/cases at the suggestion of a partner.
Critical analysis of issues at the intersection of engineering, philanthropy and social change. How engineering design, products and processes have created social change in the past and will do so in the future through both intended and unintended consequences. Topics covered include energy, sustainability and climate change, autonomy, the digital future, low cost engineering, manufacturing, philanthropy, ethics and the impact of electronics on society, among others. Faculty and external experts will engage with students on these topics. Students will broadly engage with organizations involved in using technology for positive social impact.
Proposed Collaborative Project:
- Option #1: Two Minute Impact Video: Students in groups will identify a major societal issue that may or may not be an unintended consequence of technology; both where engineers and technology can play a role in addressing it. Each group’s chosen topic will be approved by the instructional group. The student teams will:
- Select a social issue as a team, and develop a detailed plan with assigned roles for team members and timeline.
- Perform a thorough analysis of the selected social issue in order to gain a comprehensive understanding.
- Develop a meaningful and practical solution or mitigation strategy for the issue using the methodology of ideation.
- Distill the issue and solution into a professional two minute video to “pitch” for their idea.
- Option #2: Virtual Nonprofit Project: The Virtual Nonprofit project asks student teams to develop an idea for a non-profit initiative that would utilize both their engineering skills and mindset to support a well-defined community need. The project may be an entirely new initiative, or an expansion of an existing real-world initiative, although if it is an expansion of an existing program students must keep in mind there must be significant evidence of innovative new thinking around the predefined problem. Each student will develop their “virtual nonprofit” including their ideas as to how they will secure funding.
Dr. Ainane would be open to collaborating on one or both of the projects listed above, and he is willing to adjust the projects to meet the needs of a collaborator abroad.
ClarkGLOBAL Courses provide opportunities for Clark School students and students from partner institutions abroad to engage on collaborative global teams to solve engineering problems. Through real-world engineering experiences working across timezones, cultures, and borders, students develop intercultural communication skills, global competencies, leadership abilities, and technical skills.
The A. James Clark School of Engineering values students having cross-cultural and international experiences. Historically, these opportunities occurred primarily through exchange programs and study abroad, but recently, the Office of Global Engineering Leadership has worked to expand the available options for students to engage across borders, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the importance of these opportunities.
In fall 2020, we launched our inaugural ClarkGLOBAL Courses. These courses provided an opportunity for Clark School students to learn about engineering practices around the world; engage with experts from Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania; and consider the implications of engineering solutions outside of Maryland and the United States. This initial offering of courses include:
We see these opportunities for Clark School students to expand the global competencies and develop a deeper appreciation for the global impact of their work as a huge milestone in global opportunities at the Clark School, and we would like to build upon this success to further develop collaborations with partners abroad and create opportunities for our students to engage in global teams on design projects. In this effort, we are seeking faculty at UMD and at partner institutions abroad who:
We are here to support UMD faculty and our partners abroad in the following ways:
