Archive
Program for the 5th International
Materials Education Symposium, 2013
You can also read a report about this Symposium and the 2013 N American Symposium.
Symposium Day One: Thursday April 4, 2013
Location: Buckingham House, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University
| 8.00 am | Registration, Coffee, and Poster setup |
| 8.45 am | Prof. Mike Ashby – Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK Welcome Address |
| Session 1 | ENGAGING STUDENT INTEREST Chair: Prof. T. W. Clyne - Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK |
| 9.00 am | Session Introduction |
| 9.05 am | Prof. Peter Goodhew – Engineering, University of Liverpool, UK Developments in Materials and Engineering Education: Flipping the Classroom; MOOCs; and Other Initiatives |
| 9.35 am | Claes Fredriksson – Manufacturing, University West, Sweden The Pedagogy of Materials—From Birth to Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering |
| 10.00 am | Poster Teasers for Poster Session 1 Poster Presenters invited to give a one minute presentation about their poster |
| 10.30 am | Poster Session 1 Coffee and Introductions |
| 11.15 am | Prof. David Embury - Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University, Canada Can History Inspire Students in Materials Science? |
| 11.45 am | Dr. Alexandre Mège-Revil - Cite Scientifique, Ecole Centrale de Lille, France Teaching Materials Chemistry to Top-level Physics Students: A Phenomenological Approach |
| 12.10 pm | Dr. Noel Rutter - Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK Practical Demonstrations in Large Lectures |
| 12.35 pm | Session discussion led by the session chair and invited speakers |
| 12.45 pm | Lunch Poster Session 1 (starts at 1.15 pm) |
| Session 2 | INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES Chair: Prof. Sybrand van der Zwaag - Aerospace, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands |
| 2.15 pm | Session Introduction |
| 2.20 pm | Prof. Seh Chun Lim - National University of Singapore, Singapore Teaching engineering materials through the Design-Centric Programme (DCP) at the National University of Singapore |
| 2.50 pm | Prof. Camilo Ayala – Design, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia Hybrid Methodologies to Improve Materials Education for Design Students in a Local Context |
| 3.15 pm | Prof. Larisa Petrova - Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University, Russia The New Discipline "Methods of Investigations and Quality Control of Materials" for Post-graduate Courses in Russian Universities |
| 3.40 pm | Poster Session 1 Afternoon Tea |
| 4.15 pm | Prof. R. Rajendran - Mechanical and Building Sciences, B. S. Abdur Rahman University, India How to Prepare Engineering Students for the 21st Century |
| 4.40 pm | Dr. Xiang Li - Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, China Powering the Materials Engineering Education and Research via a CES Approach in China |
| 5.05 pm | Session and day discussion led by the session chairs and the days invited speakers |
| 5.25 pm | Concluding remarks |
| 5.30 pm | Close |
Evening
Formal Symposium Dinner: Jesus College, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BL. Drinks Reception at 7:00pm.
Symposium Day Two: Friday April 5, 2013
Location: Buckingham House, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge University
| 8.30 am | Registration, coffee, and poster setup |
| Session 3 | CROSSING DISCIPLINES: DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE Chair: Prof. Mark Miodownik - University College London, UK |
| 9.00 am | Session Introduction |
| 9.05 am | Prof. Mike Ashby – Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK Why Should Engineering Students Care About Industrial Design? And If They Don’t, How to Enlighten Them? |
| 9.35 am | Prof. Jenny Faucheu - Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne, France Sensory Properties of Materials for Product Design |
| 10.00 am | Poster Teasers for Poster Session 2 Poster Presenters invited to give a one minute presentation about their poster |
| 10.30 am | Poster Session 2 Coffee and Introductions |
| 11.15 am | Dr. Elvin Karana – Industrial Design, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Teaching Materials in Design: Three Approaches from Three Universities (Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey) |
| 11.45 am | Dr. Hugh Shercliff - Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK Thermal Performance of Laminated Materials for Buildings |
| 12.10 pm | Dr. Jacqueline Morkel - Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Pretoria, South Africa The Use of CES EduPack in Architecture and Engineering Education at Pretoria |
| 12.35 pm | Session discussion led by the session chair and invited speakers |
| 12.45 pm | Lunch Poster Session 2 (starts at 1.15 pm) |
| Session 4 | EMERGING CHALLENGES: SUSTAINABILITY & TECHNOLOGY Chair: Prof. Mike Ashby – Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, UK |
| 2.15 pm | Session Introduction |
| 2.20 pm | Dr. Karel Mulder - Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands What is Sustainable Technology? |
| 2.50 pm | Dr. Jamie Butterworth - Ellen MacArthur Foundation, UK Towards the Circular Economy |
| 3.15 pm | Dr. Ricardo Gomez Val - Architectural Technology, UPC, Spain Use of Wastes to Create New Building Materials |
| 3.40 pm | Afternoon Tea Poster Session 2 |
| 4.15 pm | Dr. Tim Bullough - Engineering, University of Liverpool, UK Developing An Engineering-Education Community Search Engine For Students To Find, Share And Evaluate Learning E-Resources |
| 4.45 pm | Session and day discussion led by the session chairs and the day’s invited speakers |
| 5.10 pm | Concluding remarks |
| 5.15 pm | Introduction to the 6th International Materials Education Symposium |
| 5.30 pm | Close |
Presentation Abstracts
Day One: Thursday April 4, 2013
Developments in Materials and Engineering Education: Flipping the Classroom; MOOCs; and Other Initiatives
P. Goodhew
Engineering Department, Universities of Liverpool and Derby, UK
There have been a number of recent developments in higher education which could – and probably should – impact on the teaching of materials and other engineering disciplines. In this presentation I will review the adoption (and future potential) in Materials and Engineering Education of generic developments such as MOOCs, flipped classrooms, the Materials Genome Initiative and on-line delivery, together with some specific initiatives such as the Institute of Making, the Elite Engineering Programme and the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Visiting Professor programmes.
The Pedagogy of Materials—From Birth to Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering
C. Fredriksson
University West, Sweden
Pedagogy, literally meaning "to lead the child" in Greek, can be defined as the art of teaching. In a more modern and broader sense, it can also be interpreted as "the holistic science of education" (Wikipedia). In this presentation, an overview is delivered over the development of an individual’s understanding of materials, evolving from our first encounter with a material (guess which!) to an example of a bachelor's degree work in manufacturing. This account is drawn from experience of educating primary school teachers in science and mechanical engineering students in materials science and engineering,
An inventory with respect to materials content in the newly adopted national curriculums for pre-schools, primary and secondary schools in Sweden is presented. The results from a small local survey of attitudes and knowledge concerning materials for student teachers (for children of early years) and for first-year students of mechanical engineering are reviewed. Some suggestions for promoting materials education are made. Potential applications of interest to software developers specializing in visualization of materials properties are also pointed out.
Finally, a specific example of how the CES EduPack 2012 database can be used in a 10-week Bachelor's degree project in manufacturing is discussed. The purpose of this study was to clarify the energy and CO2 content embedded in a cutting insert for turning, from extraction to finished tool were studied.
A Life cycle inventory (LCI) was performed for two cutting inserts, one cemented carbide and one ceramic, then energy consumption and CO2 emissions were compared. The results show that the total energy consumption over the service life of a cemented carbide insert is less than for a ceramic insert. However, since high material removal rate (MRR), also give high energy consumption, a green performance indicator (GPI), based on the ratio between material removal and life-cycle energy (or CO2 emissions) was used. The GPI shows that the ceramic insert lowers the environmental impact of the machined component using turning.
Can History Inspire Students in Materials Science?
D. Embury(1) and K. Zhang(2)
1. McMaster University, Canada.
2. Universite de Reims, France.
In many universities there is enormous pressure to modify the curriculum to include course on economic analysis, project management, and entrepreneur ship in order to make students more marketable or more attuned to the current needs of the economy. It is clear that most western economies need both re-industrialization and increased entrepreneurial activity. It is, however, not clear that this is best accomplished by simply adding to the course load of students. An alternative suggestion is to encourage students to examine the History of Materials Science both to seek role models or case studies and to develop their critical facilities.
In this brief presentation we would like to examine some examples of technological development taken from a variety of periods of history and illustrate their relevance to encouraging students to develop an approach to process analysis and the exploration of new methodologies for the solution of engineering problems and entrepreneurship.
Teaching Materials Chemistry to Top-level Physics Students: A Phenomenological Approach
A. Mège-Revil, D. Balloy, A.-L. Cristol, J.Y. Dauphin, J.C. Tissier
Cité Scientifique, École Centrale de Lille, France
Most students at the École Centrale de Lille are selected by a national competitive exam after two or three years of an intensive scientific course. Their specialties, upon arriving at our top-level engineering school, are oriented towards applied mathematics, computer sciences, electronics or mechanics. As a part of their training, they follow a teaching unit labeled Materials Science within the Matter Science department. This Materials Science module is focused on rather basic aspects of industrial materials, such as mechanical properties, binary diagrams and thermal treatments. Although several materials – from different families – are used as examples both in exercises and in lab sessions, the common thread is steel. This presentation aims at showing the phenomenological approach – “from theory to practice” – that is used to guide the students into materials science, and its results.
At their arrival after their preparatory years whose content is high in mathematics / low in chemistry, the students have been used to understanding scientific topics through the interpretation of equations, but seldom understand the phenomena. They are not familiar with the paradigms of chemistry and tend to consider unscientific an equation-free teaching unit.
Our phenomenological approach of Materials Science allows the students to improve their understanding of the physics and chemistry that describe the behavior of matter. Furthermore, giving them an approach of the main chemical paradigms helps them understand the links between mathematics, physics and chemistry, which naturally leads them to ponder on the validity of the models they apply in other scientific domains.
The Materials Science module is usually praised by the students when they evaluate their various teaching module each year, being both satisfied by the scientific content and its approach.
Practical Demonstrations in Large Lectures
N. Rutter
Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK
The first-year of the Materials Science course in Cambridge is lectured to classes of over 250 students, most of whom are not initially intending to specialise in Materials. The challenge in engaging and maintaining interest in the large-lecture environment is one in which the lecturer has to seek to "entertain" as much as to educate.
Our subject lends itself ideally to practical demonstrations of the concepts we are trying to teach. Such demonstrations are always well-received, sometimes simply as a distraction from some dull (but important) bit of maths but more usefully to clarify the science and make the topic more memorable. However the barrier to carrying out such demonstrations is significant. They are time-consuming to prepare and have logistical difficulties in performing. Hence having more widely-shared resources in this regard would be beneficial.
In assembling this presentation, I have for the first time properly catalogued the various lecture demonstrations that I carry out as part of first and second year courses. Some are original ideas, some were developed from existing ideas and some are simply passed down or "borrowed" without it being clear any longer where credit/attribution belongs. There are just over 30 and my aim would be to carry out as many of these as fit into 15 minutes in order to share existing practice, improve upon what exists and generate new ideas. Last summer, we piloted a mechanism of disseminating such lecture demonstrations, following up on a talk given at last year's workshop by Bill Clyne. These 5 initial "Lecture Demonstration Packages" can be found at the DoITPoMS website (www.doitpoms.ac.uk) and this presentation seeks to develop this concept further.
Teaching engineering materials through the Design-Centric Programme (DCP) at the National University of Singapore
S. C. Lim
National University of Singapore, Singapore
The large number of engineering graduates entering the job market in Asia every year and the increasing mobility of talents globally have presented considerable challenges to educational institutions on how best to produce engineering graduates who would be competitive in their engineering profession. As part of its effort to transform undergraduate engineering education, the Faculty of Engineering at National University of Singapore has taken the bold step to experiment with a different way of teaching engineering through the Design-Centric Programme (DCP).
The DCP offers a platform for experiential learning and thinking-out-of-the-box through modules and projects addressing complex issues within three broad themes – Engineering in Medicine, Smart Sustainable Cities, and Future Transportation Systems. One key differentiating feature of the DCP is that students enrolled in this programme will form project groups to undertake a 3-year-long project. The groups comprise students from the different engineering disciplines, such as Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, etc., thus recreating the real-world multi-disciplinary environment. Through careful observation of users’ needs, the DCP students develop the ability to identify problems that could be addressed through meaningful engineering solutions with the potential to create considerable societal impact. The adoption of Design Thinking and Systems Thinking has also led the DCP students to develop creative solutions to these real-life problems in a holistic manner.
In this talk, the pedagogical philosophy of the DCP will be elucidated with examples of how DCP students learn engineering materials through this experiential learning pathway.
Hybrid Methodologies to Improve Materials Education
for Design Students in a Local Context
C. Ayala
Design, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia
As part of local availability of materials and processes research, this paper presents experimentation about methods to teach Designers about materials. State of the art tools like CES EduPack, technical and graphic literature and workshops are combined to place students in an environment, which facilitates direct physical contact with materials. This allows students to understand not only technical, mechanical and physical properties of materials but also easy comprehension of their aesthetic and sensory attributes, and behavior. In most cases, such experimentation leads to unconventional and path breaking solutions, which are different than what the industry commonly produces. Close interaction with materials and their in-depth understanding opens new directions, which inspire designers to create new product languages.
The New Discipline "Methods of Investigations and Quality Control of Materials" for Post-graduate Courses in Russian Universities
L. Petrova
Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University, Russia
Nowadays in the Russian Federation the transfer to the multilevel system of education is implemented according to the Bologna process. In these conditions special attention is paid to the teaching of post-graduate students who are the main reserve of the progress of science. Material science is announced by the Russian Government as the first-priority scientific specialty for modernization and technological development of the national economy (See The Directive No 1944-p at 3 November 2011*). That’s why the interest of students to enter post-graduate courses on specialty “Material science” significantly increases.
In fact in many Russian technical universities students entering such post-graduate specialty have no profile knowledge in materials science. For example, in Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI) graduators of such specialties as “Automobile Transport”, “Road Machines”, “Technologies of Renovation of Machine Parts”, etc., enter post-graduate courses for specialty “Material Science in Machine Building”. Such students need additional training on experimental methods of study of materials. So special discipline “Methods of Investigations and Quality Control of Materials” was developed for giving to post-graduate students necessary skills of usage of methods of analyses of structure and properties of metals and non-metallic materials, and for understanding of principals of reasonable choice of such methods for practical application.
The discipline includes lectures, laboratory and practical works, but it aimed mainly at self-training of students. It includes the following modules: “Methods of analyses of micro- and nanostructure of metals”, “Methods of mechanical tests”, “Means of increase of constructive strength of machine parts”, “Methods of investigation of physical properties of materials”, “Physical fundamentals of laser and ultrasonic treatment of metals”. Pedagogical practice is foreseen consisting in teaching students on some modules of “Materials Science” basic discipline.
The course gives students special skills in experimental investigations and operating of laboratory and research equipment.
* http://www.government.ru/gov/results/17074/
How to Prepare Engineering Students for the 21st Century
R. Rajendran
Mechanical and Building Sciences, B. S. Abdur Rahman University, India
Engineering colleges in India has been increasing in India every year. The current situation is that the students have very little industry knowledge and they get a shock when they join industry as they are not able to connect the theory studies with the real life problem. There is a mismatch between institutions and industry as industry and institutes conduct their own induction programs and orientation programs. The reason is they both don’t understand each other need. Industry does not understand curriculum and it has undue expectations. There is no linkage between theory and practice in the curriculum. The effect is it takes long time before engineers contribute to the work in the industry. Many students leave their first companies in less than two years and industries are unable to plan their human capital leading to slow growth. So the profitable growth of the country is affected.
The solution for this was provided by SAEINDIA - A complement to academic program introducing an effective problem solving process (as in figure 1) in collaboration with industry known as automotive student orientation program (aSOP). The elements as shown in figure 2 are creating a physical connection through reverse engineering, teaching an effective problem solving process and introducing the industry with design as the context.
The students convert the physical problem of an industry to a theoretical problem then to theoretical solution. Finally converts it to a physical solution which is the requirement of the industry. The student design and fabricates a vehicle prototype and tests it. As part of the final year project, the student carries out the project in the industry to get familiarized with industry environment.
The teaching strategies adopted are entirely hands-on, combination of Instruct and Demonstrate-Observe and Discover which leads to focus on Self-Learning. Using Pareto principle -cover only subjects that is used 90% of the times in industry. The industry volunteers coach the students. During the program the students are taken for trekking to have connection to nature and physical fitness. The process is balanced, enjoyable but demanding.
The students have been placed in core automotive companies and they perform well in the company. They are able to connect the theory to the real time problem and finish the work in less than the stipulated time period. The success is basically due to the support of the industry and the students work with interest and enthusiasm as they feel connected to the real life problem through hands on experience. The benefits are high quality engineers ready to take the challenges of industry and closer interaction between industry and institutions leading to higher cooperation.
Powering the Materials Engineering Education and Research via a CES Approach in China
X. Li, W. Weng
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, China
Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at Zhejiang University is the first comprehensive MSE department established in China. According to the latest publication citation ranking for the world’s MSE institutes by ESISM (1st Sep 2012), the department has ranked the 27th worldwide and the 2nd in China. As one of the most influential MSE departments in China, the correlated education at Zhejiang University has been one of the iconic MSE educational models at the frontier in some degree. The current scenario in Chinese universities is that the MSE curriculum is more or less over-emphasized on the ‘science’ side, such as structures, functional properties etc. Indeed, they are fundamentally important. However, the lack of training linkage among such various ‘science’ aspects is becoming the obstacle for enduing our postgraduates with the innovative thinking and decision making abilities, which provides the impetus to the MSE curriculum reformation.
Till two year ago, a material design curriculum with the aid of CES EduPack was set up for the first-year postgraduates to such endeavor for the first time. We have been delighted to see very positive feedback from a large number of students. Due to the current educational infrastructure for postgraduates, the following 2 years training will be mainly on the project research on various subjects. Thus, the engagement of the materials selection education with the research activities has become vitally important. A big question mark has thus risen up, how to power the materials research via the materials selection training.
In this presentation, we will discuss:
1. To facilitate the research activities via teaching. a> how shall we train students to use the materials design knowledge and skills to guide their research activities on various subjects in the lab, i. e. the property prediction via hybrid synthesizer, etc. On the other side, b> how to imbed the novel materials from the lab into the teaching module to explore their broadened applications;
2. Eco-design has been a powerful and practical tool in the materials selection. But how do we encourage the students to engage such handy tool with the research activities in the labs for industrial interest.
In addition, one shall be noted that Chinese postgraduates have been conducting with a large proportion of the research activities worldwide. The educational challenges we experienced regarding the combination of the designing-based CES approach with our current education will be extensively discussed. We are very much looking forward to the refinement of our CSE course at Zhejiang University and pushing the curriculum reformation forward with the colleagues worldwide.
Day Two: Friday April 5, 2013
Why Should Engineering Students Care About Industrial Design?
And If They Don’t, How to Enlighten Them?
Prof. Mike Ashby
Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK
Most students of Engineering or of Materials Science are attracted by the systematic, analytical rigor of their subject. To them the word “Design” means “provision of function in ways that are safe, reliable and affordable”. To them, the language of Industrial Design carries little meaning or sense. Yet successful products depends as much of provision of usability and satisfaction as provision of function. Failure to understand the role and importance of the Industrial Designer is failure to engage fully with the mission of Engineering.
Courses in that combine the approaches of Engineering and Industrial Design, informing students about both exist and are very successful. But most large engineering programs do not take this approach and already have programs so full that inflating them further new courses is out of the question. So the challenge: how to inform students in large, 1st year Engineering courses, of the meaning, role and importance of Industrial Design in a single lecture?
This talk is (a little reduced) the single 1st year lecture that has been used in the Engineering Department at Cambridge to give students some insight into the ways in which aesthetics, associations and perceived character contribute to the desirability of products.
Sensory Properties of Materials for Product Design
J. Faucheu
Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne, France
A tailored educational program has been developed in the Ecole des Mines Saint-Etienne in order to impulse Design thinking into the engineering education program. The program takes place over two semesters and equalizes half of the students’ tuition during that period of time. The program is divided into four consecutive sequences: First semester (design tools for engineers (120h)), second semester (human factor for desirable products (70h), multidiscipline workshop (40h) and prototyping workshop (10h)).
In particular, sensory properties of materials are explored during the sequence concerning the human factor for desirable products. The statement is based on the fact the products are made for users and that the human perception of the product is a key parameter for a good product design. Methods of sensory evaluation and metrology are used to investigate the sensory characteristics of materials and the influence of material choice on the human perception of the material and product. Based on the understanding and enhancement of these sensory characteristics, hints for adding value to a product can be deducted and implemented in product design.
Teaching Materials in Design: Three Approaches from Three Universities (Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey)
E. Karana(1), V. Rognoli(2), O. Pedgely(3)
1. Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
2. Politecnico de Milano, Italy
3. Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
In recent years, an important body of research has developed that underlines the role of positive user experience (i.e. gratification of senses, conveying desired meanings and eliciting desired emotions) within designers’ materials selection activities. However, despite the body of research emphasizing the increasing value of these experiential concerns and their integration to formal materials selection processes, the focus of materials education in industrial design programs has remained dominated by engineering content and technical-led selection activities. As a result, industrial design students often express frustration that it is difficult for them to select materials based on predominantly technical approaches and requirements.
In response, staff at three design faculties - Delft University of Technology, Politecnico di Milano, and Middle East Technical University - have sought to share their experiences in the initiation of new approaches to materials education that redress the aforementioned technical-experiential tensions. This paper provides description and cross-comparison of the three approaches. Common points include: integration of tangible and intangible material concerns; student exploration of materials through faculty sample collections and material libraries; linking of theory on ‘design for experience’ with first-hand sensorial material encounters; and trialing of new materials selection tools.
In informal discussions, students expressed their satisfaction in being led through a new door into the materials world. They appreciated the combination of experiential learning and second-order understanding (i.e. understanding other people’s understanding) in developing a user-centered perspective on materials and design. The approaches were seen as engaging, inspirational and informative. The paper concludes with guidelines for improved materials education within design faculties, based on the experiences gained from the three featured universities.
Thermal Performance of Laminated Materials for Buildings
A. Clements, H. Shercliff
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK
Laminated and sandwich panel construction is commonly used in pre-fabricated buildings, giving structural efficiency. This project investigates the thermal performance of laminated building materials, starting from the modeling methods in the CES synthesizer tool. Thermal conductivity, embodied energy and cost are estimated for various multi-layer panels, using the 2013 release of CES Selector. The project then goes deeper into the thermal response, using finite element analysis to examine the thermal performance of laminates in relation to the typical diurnal temperature cycles to which external walls are subjected, e.g. to investigate the effectiveness of using the walls as thermal mass to store heat during the day for release at night. The analysis investigates "effective" thermal diffusivities for the daily timescale of temperature variation, and tests the sensitivity of the thermal response to assumptions about heat transfer at the panel surface and between layers. Case studies range from high-tech "zero carbon" housing in developed countries, to low-cost simple technologies suitable for all economies (such as walls based on straw bales and rammed earth).
The Use of CES EduPack in Architecture and Engineering Education at Pretoria
D. R. Groot, J. Morkel
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
The CES EduPack software is used as a teaching resource mainly in two modules of the department. Materials Studies is a third year service module for the BSc Interior Architecture students. The other application is a first year general course on Materials Science. The software is, however, now also in use at Honours level in the three disciplines: Architecture, Interior Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Ad-hoc usage is typically in fourth year research projects, for instance in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering.
The software has been in use for seven years in the Materials Studies module for Interior Architecture. The main aims are to introduce the students to a broad range of materials and processes, give them tools to make appropriate material and process selections and to stimulate their creativity regarding materials and processes. An overview will be given on the development of the module, and how the software has been integrated into the teaching.
CES EduPack was only recently introduced in the first year Materials Science module for Engineering students, with the aim of complementing especially the practical application of mechanical properties of materials. We also wish to create an awareness of the vast amount of materials available for design.
The software was integrated with the course by an assignment covering various levels and functions of the software. Some of the challenges in utilising CES EduPack more extensively are the substantial student numbers and computer access, time available, marking of assignments and the limited background knowledge of these students.
The presentation will address our first steps in using CES EduPack in large classes and with first year students and how successfully we could integrate the software. In addition we will discuss students’ evaluation of the incorporation of CES EduPack, and based on the feedback, whether CES EduPack will play a larger role in the Materials Science module.
What is Sustainable Technology? And how to develop it…
K. Mulder
Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Sustainable Development is the challenge of the 21st century. The challenges that our planet faces to provide for a population of unprecedented size are giant. New technologies inevitably have to play an important role. But at the engineering workfloor, many colleagues have problems in grasping the implications of Sustainable Development for their design work. Many call all their work sustainable as engineering always has been about efficiency, and 'isn't that a key element of Sustainable Development?'.
This contribution will go into the question what the implications of Sustainable Development are for engineers and their technological design work. It will be argued that there is not one sustainable future but probably many, although we cannot know which routes will be successful. Sustainable Technology Development is an umbrella for many problems, which can create dilemmas. Solving them requires the contribution of other stakeholders, and therefore the engineer should trained to cooperate with stakeholders, and learn to think in a long term perspectives.
Towards the Circular Economy
J. Butterworth
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, UK
The circular economy is rapidly attracting interest from business, academia and governments as a potential model for re-thinking the economy. The Foundation's "Towards the Circular Economy" report, with analysis by McKinsey investigates 50 business case studies and a deep-dive review of five industry sectors. Its findings are both challenging, and some argue inspirational.
At a time when our current ‘linear economy’ is struggling to accommodate the effects of increasingly volatile materials/energy prices and three billion new middle-class consumers come online (between now and 2020) we assess whether the circular economy could provide an idea of 'which way forwards'.
The presentation draws from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's work in this space and highlight why materials science may lie at the heart of building a new economy...
1. The circular economy in cases-studies
2. Can a circular economy decouple economic growth from resource constraints?`
3. Is it interesting to business - how and to whom?
4. Is it interesting to the wider economy?
5. What are the barriers and how can we overcome these (e.g. our measurement project)?
6. Is this opportunity to re-think and re-design our future?
Use of Wastes to Create New Building Materials
R. Gomez Val, L. Haurie, J. Ramirez
Architectural department II, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
This paper is a teaching activity carried out on the subject of Building Materials from Building Engineering studies. This subject is developed in the second year and lasts for a four month period. The student teacher ratio is around 60:1.
The goal of this work was the development of a new building material obtained from waste materials. Students were divided in teams of three students chosen by themselves. This activity helped students to develop knowledge about different materials and make them aware of the importance and possibilities to profit waste materials.
Students should work with materials studied in the subject, mainly clay, glass, steel, wood and plastics. Before beginning they must do an important bibliographic research about the topic they wanted to develop. The university provided the use of lab facilities and the guidance of the teacher. Besides following up the work, the teacher encouraged the students to perform some tests on the new material obtained. Finally they should come out with a poster and a sample of the material.
Results got from different works differed substantially according to the interest and time dedicated to them. Most of the students abused of the use of polymeric resins to elaborate the new materials, and therefore, even using wastes the new materials were not so sustainable. The use of natural materials such as cane fibres leaded to materials with interesting insulation and structural properties.
It was a very good experience to attract students to materials research. Finally we discovered in order to get profitable results, this kind of activity should cover a longer period and should count with the continuous guidance of the teachers.
Developing An Engineering-Education Community Search Engine For Students To Find, Share And Evaluate Learning E-Resources
T. Bullough, A. Green, A. Mannis, T. Novoselova
Engineering, University of Liverpool, UK
Engineering students and their teachers use a variety of strategies to find useful learning resources on the internet, to a varying level of success. However the use of Google or similar search engines can fail to place the most useful resources of direct relevance to the discipline on the first page or two of results. The resources that are found are often of variable quality, and for the popular formats such as presentations and animations they are not immediately visible. Students complain of having to spend large amounts of their time searching and evaluating websites, and it is becoming increasing difficult for their teachers to do so. For the last eighteen months we have been working with engineering students on a JISC-funded project to develop a Google custom-search engine, Kritikos (kritikos.liv.ac.uk), that allows students to search for learning resources such as videos, animations, presentations, documents and images which are specific to the discipline they are studying, in this case Engineering. The results are displayed visually as a thumbnail gallery, allowing faster judgments as to potential relevance to be made than for text. The really novel and world-leading aspect of the search interface is that it has been designed to incorporate features common to social media sites, allowing students to rate and comment on the resources they have found in terms of their usefulness and relevance to their modules and degree programmes. The traditional focus of e-learning has been solely on metadata (the description of electronic learning resources), whereas Kritikos is giving consideration of users' comments and preferences to enhance their searching and browsing online. This information is saved and shared with other students. Fellow students can also comment on and rate their fellow students' opinions about resources, or add their own thoughts to the growing body of information. In addition to using a community of students to develop this "TripAdvisor for e-learners", with the rich intelligence produced being accessible to their teachers to inform them of exactly what resources their students use and find the most useful for their learning.