Undergraduate Coursework Portfolio

The main sections on this page outline undergraduate courses that contained a substantial project, analysis, or implementation component.

Overview

Each course is documented in a similar fashion with a few key components. First, the course descriptions are listed to provide context regarding the objectives of the course. Then, the major coursework is denoted by a title in bold-faced type following by a bullet list of key outcomes. The remainder of each course section provides a glimpse of the project. Finally, additional relevant coursework (technical electives) is listed along with course descriptions.

Robotic Mobility and Manipulation (MAE 413)

This course develops various modeling, analysis, control and optimization techniques in the context of harnessing the mobility and manipulation capabilities using articulated multi‑body mechanical systems (such as robot manipulators, ground and aerospace vehicles). Towards this end, the course merges and applies mathematical tools from kinematics, dynamics, nonlinear systems theory, motion planning, and optimization to examine and enhance performance of such robotic mechanical systems for various real‑life applications.

Control of a Two Link Serial Robotic Manipulator

• Design, simulate, and evaluate various position trajectory tracking kinematic and dynamic controllers
• Develop a graphical user interface in Matlab to interactively investigate performance evaluation metrics

Design Process and Methods (MAE 451)

Discusses the fundamental concepts and activities of design processes. Investigates domain-independent topics of design processes. These topics include idea conception, teamwork, quality, experimental design, optimization, and technical communication. In addition, discusses fundamental methods of design, including decision making, conceptual design, cost evaluation, ethics issues, and intellectual property issues, which are investigated through interactive lectures and individual and group exercises.

Conceptual Design of a Cargo-Loading Assistive Device

• Define the design problem
• Develop customer requirements and translate to engineering specifications
• Evaluate the importance of the above using a house of quality
• Generate design solutions and select the best alternative
• Begin embodiment design to be continued in follow-on coursework (see: MAE 494)

Note that this the first of two courses (see: Senior Design Project (MAE 494)) that comprise the capstone project for mechanical engineering students. You may also find the project website useful for reference.

Senior Design Project (MAE 494)

Students working in teams of two or three under the supervision of a faculty member complete an original engineering design, which in some cases results in hardware. Design problems are drawn from industry and initiated by faculty. Where practical, two or more teams compete to solve the same problem. Teams meet individually with faculty on a weekly basis to discuss their projects.

Design Implementation and Validation of a Cargo-Loading Assistive Device

• Implement the design developed in previous coursework (see: MAE 451)
• Verify conceptual, embodiment, and detailed designs through virtual and physical prototyping
• Perform experimental testing on physical prototype to infer empirical relationships inherent in the device
• Integrate physical data with Matlab for data analysis and visualization

Note that this the first of two courses (see: Design Process and Methods (MAE 451)) that comprise the capstone project for mechanical engineering students. You may also find the project website useful for reference.

Mathematical Methods in Robotics (MAE 493)

A mathematical introduction to modeling, analysis and control of robotic systems. The first part of the course deals with the theoretical frameworks for modeling, analysis (kinematics and dynamics) and control of generic robotic mechanical systems, rooted in rich traditions of mechanics and geometry. The rest of the course will examine many of these issues in the context of serial-chain and parallel-chain manipulators, wheeled mobile robots (and hybrid combinations of these systems).

Kinematic Analysis of a Parallel Planar Robotic Manipulator

• Investigate the position level kinematics of a parallel 3RPR planar manipulator
• Develop a graphical user interface in Matlab to interactively simulate and evaluate parametric sensitivity of the mechanism kinematics
• Characterize the manipulator workspace for various mechanical parameters and variations in mechanism topology
• Perform workspace-aware path generation via interpolation in task space and joint space

Machines and Mechanisms I (MAE 311)

Examines analysis and design of machine elements, including theories of failure, fatigue strength, and endurance limits; fluctuating stresses; Goodman diagram; and fatigue design under torsional and combined stresses. Also covers design of bolted connections, fasteners, welds, springs, ball and roller bearings, journal bearings, gears, clutches, and brakes.

System Design and Analysis Course Project

• Created a meticulously dimensioned virtual model of the analysis subject (Super MoneyMaker Irrigation Pump) in PTC Creo Parametric to work around limited physical access
• Created all project deliverables in print format, including many schematic drawings, technical drawings, 3D renderings, and other supporting figures and illustrations.
• Collaborated extensively with two group members in creative brain-storming and objective reasoning relating to engineering questions in design analysis.

Product Design in a CAE Environment (MAE 377)

Examines mechanical design of functional, pragmatic products from inception through implementation, including topics in computer-aided-design (CAD). Discusses the design process in the context of product redesign assignments using CAD. Includes a final design project with professional documentation including sketches, detailed and assembly CAD drawings, a comprehensive written design analysis, and cost breakdown.

Original Design of a Rear Mounted Snow Plow

• Explored the conceptual and embodiment design of a new mounting interface for rear-mounted snow plows
• Support design concept with a virtual model created in PTC Creo Parametric
• Perform static FEA on a key component of the design using estimated loads and constraints
• Create a technical report documenting the project's requirements professionally (See References – Portfolio).

Introduction to Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE 277)

An overview of engineering in industry; introduces engineering design concepts, reverse engineering, case studies including a hands-on product dissection project, basics of manufacturing processes, elementary modeling of engineering systems, and technical communications.

Product Archaeology and Dissection

• Managed and organized a five member group to meet project deadlines with quality reports
• Influenced effective communication and efficient workflows for content creation and collaboration by utilizing Google Drive and MediaWiki extensively
• Created all project deliverables through the compilation of content into cohesive and comprehensive reports on the web in MediaWiki format (off-site server has since removed this content)
• Assisted group members in completing individual tasks as needed

You may find the project wiki useful for reference (please excuse the excessive backslashes - I no longer have access to clean up this content).

Other Courses

Other noteworthy upper-level elected coursework is listed in this section along with course descriptions.

Continuous Control Systems (MAE 443)

Examines system modeling and identification of plants to be controlled; use of feedback control systems; design of feedback control laws including P, I, D; block diagrams, transfer functions, and frequency response functions; control system design and analysis in the time domain and frequency domain; computer simulation of control systems; stability analysis using Routh-Hurwitz criterion; design for stability, speed of response, and accuracy; root locus, Bode, and Nyquist plots; compensation strategies.

Vibration and Shock (MAE 467)

Examines mechanical vibration and shock including free and forced, periodic, and aperiodic vibration of single-degree and multi-degree of freedom systems.

Spacecraft Dynamics and Control (MAE 425)

Introduces the concepts of spacecraft orbital mechanics and attitude dynamics. Orbital mechanics is the study of the positional motion, while attitude dynamics describes the orientation of the spacecraft. Topics include: review of rotational kinematics and dynamics, orbital mechanics, gravity turn and trajectory optimization, orbit lifetimes, three-body problem, orbit perturbations, orbit determination, spacecraft dynamics, spinning and three-axis stabilized spacecraft, and attitude determination.