9354772 Prizirembel The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), with a network of 120,000 members, including over 400 department heads of mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology programs in the country, will initiate a curriculum development project to integrate the product realization process (PRP) and to take into consideration the issues associated with design into the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum. Design, used in its broadest sense, will be used as the central axis of integration both vertically (integrating subjects in a time progressive manner over a number of semesters of years) and horizontally (integrating different interdisciplinary subjects offered at the same time period.) Specifically, the project will 1) identify the essential elements of PRP activities with respect to design education, 2) identify the paradigms and methodologies used in existing innovative programs and curricula that have been successfully tested on campuses, 3) develop model design courses, at various levels in the engineering curricum, and different models of design curricula in mechanical engineering, 4) disseminate new courses and curriculum models that are developed in this prject to all U.S. engineering colleges, and 5) develop an implementation plan for engineering schools and departments to adopt and utilize the project results. The course and curriculum models thus developed will provide useful resource guides to the mechanical engineering department heads and faculty members in their own effort of course and curriculum development. The project results will also provide the paradigms, methodologies, and processes for other engineering disciplines to integrate the product realization process into their respective engineering curriculum. ***
