This award supports the U.S.-India Planning Visit entitled Study of Issues in Collaborative Global Engineering Design. Support will enable Professors P.K. Raju and Chetan Sankar, Auburn University and a graduate student to make a two-week visit to Chennai, India where they will meet with faculty members of India's premier engineering school, the Indian Institute of Technology Chennai, and local industry leaders. They will obtain data to create a new multi-media case study on collaborative global design that will be used to develop innovative educational materials for engineering classrooms in the U.S. Considering the growing demand for global design performed by engineering teams in the U.S. and abroad, there is a need for U.S. engineers to work more effectively with foreign counterparts and customers, manage research teams, improve business processes, and produce quality products. The PIs will document issues that arise in performing design activities between engineers in the U.S. and India. The findings will be included in engineering and business classes taught at Auburn University and at the Indian Institute of Technology Chennai. Scope: The PIs are leaders of engineering education in the U.S. With funding from the NSF and private industry, Dr. Raju established the Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education, Auburn University where he developed integrative, interactive instructional methodologies that bring real world issues into engineering classrooms. He has developed award-winning case studies that integrate engineering theory, design and practice. This grant adds an international dimension to DUE-9950514. In addition to developing educational materials, the PIs will produce a paper to showcase how U.S. and Indian companies work together to design and manufacture innovative products. It will contribute to the pursuit of other NSF grant opportunities through developing a multi-media case study showcasing Indo-US collaborative engineering design.
