Hope College is adding mechanical testing apparatus to enable the introduction of mechanical testing laboratories into an engineering physics program at a liberal arts college. With this equipment, students are able to investigate experimentally the materials and mechanical members which they have designed and have analysed by computer methods. Besides gaining a better understanding of mechanical systems the students learn the capabilities and limitations of computer models through comparison of theory with experiment. Four courses are directly enhanced through the introduction of these laboratories. The engineering physics program at Hope College is designed to prepare students interested in engineering and applied physics for direct enrollment in graduate school. The college is matching the grant with an equal amount.//
