Instrumentation involves three actions: sensing, measuring, and control. The goal is to teach students that instruments are tools to solve or study a given problem rather than just review the actions of several unrelated instruments. Students should learn the basic engineering principles used by the instruments. Further, they should use these instruments to obtain information necessary for design, managing a process, or understanding basic material properties; thus utilizing the three main actions of instruments. Instrumentation equipment to be acquired includes: breadboard and scope, programmable and frequency controllers, dynamometer, infrared thermometer, solar radiometer, sensing units, chilled hygrometer, viscometer, permeability unit, and sieve pan set. These instruments will be used in our instrumentation class, and each will be used in our engineering science and design classes to reinforce the student's understanding of instrumentation. This process will permit students to better understand the real world constraints of response time, cost, reliability, and quality of measurements.
