9451210 Shieh A discovery-oriented multidisciplinary engineering laboratory course entitled: Discovery-Oriented Multidisciplinary Engineering Laboratory is being developed in this project. The course serves two main purposes. First, it will be offered at the freshman level as a means to retain the students currently in the engineering program and encourage the transfer of non-engineering students who are seeking scientific and technical literacy into the engineering program. Second, it will be offered to minority high school students and primary, middle and high school science teachers as a major vehicle to increase the presence of minority in engineering professions and recruit top high school students to engineering schools. Unlike traditional laboratory courses offered at the freshman level, this course is not designed to have students performing experiments for the sole purpose of proving theories which may be irrelevant to their engineering studies. Instead, the course encourages students to gain hand-on experience by having them assemble laboratory apparatus and design the experiments, utilize the experimental data to "discover" the underlying principles/ theories, and eventually establish realistic links between practice and theory. The proposed experimental focus areas are of a multidisciplinary nature, having practical relevancy, and crossing traditional departmental boundaries. The equipment/instrumentation is adequate for accommodating up to 20 students in the class. Results and experience obtained from the development and implementation of this course will be disseminated through the NSF- sponsored Gateway Coalition, conference/seminar/workshop presentations, and journal/newsletter publications.
