Next Generation Manufacturing

Educators: Externships

Externship Summary - 2005

RCNGM Leader: Odell Glenn, Engineering and Project Lead the Way
Manchester Community College

Externship: Hamilton Sundstrand - United Technologies, Corp.

Lessons Learned

The most useful learning component of my externship was to develop a long lasting relationship with the staff of the Space, Land and Sea Division at Hamilton Sundstrand. The communication that went on daily during the summer and during the semester is an experience that will forever bridge the gap between a professor and industry.

The most challenging component was to rewrite a 500 plus page document in a minimum time frame of 4 weeks and have it approved by hire-ups. Overall, time was the biggest and most difficult factor to overcome.

Impact on Student Learning :

My curriculum plan met my expectations. I taught 2 "Introduction to Engineering" courses as well as 1 high school "Introduction to Enginering" course. Mr. Jeffrey Houle gave my MCC students a project that would allow them to redesign an existing glycol chiller system for the space cooling lab in support of the EMU.(backpack on the spacesuit for the astronauts). My students were taught fundamental thermodynamics and fluid mechanic principles in the classroom. We then had Mr. Jeffrey Houle come into the classroom and introduce himself and explain the project, after which we were invited for a plant tour of the facility. The students had then visually seen the problem and were able to come up with unique designs in groups of 4 or 5.

A research design report was required as well as a PowerPoint presentation in front of Mr. Jeff Houle and myself. Jeff Houle and I were the evaluators and graded each group according to content, presentation, creativity and delivery to an audience. At the end of the 15 week project, students were able to pick up technical skills, design skills, communication skills, teamwork skills and research skills. My high school students received a tour of Hamilton Sundstrand and were required to write a report on their findings.

The students' motivation seemed very high. This was especially true after the plant site visit at Hamilton Sundstrand. The design project was a real life engineering problem for them. They were also motivated to work together in groups of 4 - 5 and come up with the PowerPoint slide presentations, work out calculations and research vendors. Even while other student groups presented, all of the other students learned from each others presentations.

Externship Sustainability

The engineering department at MCC has monthly meetings. I am always able to refer back to the externship program at these meetings. This experience has changed the way I teach "Introduction to Engineering" dramatically. My peers have also done externships. When there is a common interest or research project that we could collaborate on, we would then go ahead and proceed with it. However, because my particular project was dramatically different from say lasers, it was very hard to collaborate with another faculty member who had done a similar design as I had this summer. However, the strong connection established with Hamilton, allowed other teachers to come into my class room along with their students to see space demonstrations presented by Hamilton Sundstrand during the semester.

Mr. Jeff Houle was pleased to have worked with my Fall 2005 "Introduction to Engineering" courses and he and I are already working on a dual project for Spring 2006. Again, the partnership that I have developed with the company through the Faculty Externship program will bridge the gap between my classroom and industry.

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Educators: Externships

Externship Summary - 2005

Lessons Learned