2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 135: Connection of the Teaching, Learning and Instructions of Material Science and Engineering Courses with Different Courses on Engineering Subjects

Presented at Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Poster Session

Without materials, there will be no meaningful engineering. This idea should be grasped by all engineering students. Understanding of materials science and engineering (MSE) and how it interacts with other engineering fields will ultimately affect potential as competent engineer. To ensure prospective engineers’ success, instructors within an engineering program should prioritize working in unison to educate students on MSE. The core MSE and non-MSE courses are discussed from first year through fourth year to illustrate how courses build on previously taught concepts. The courses discussed are MSE and related courses that provide relevant curriculums and instructing methods. It is vital for engineering students to recognize the importance of MSE, and the roles materials play in engineering. MSE education, instruction, and relation to MSE and non-MSE courses are dependent on the engineering program unison. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that the education and application of MSE courses are most effective when key MSE concepts, principles, and knowledge threads are continuously introduced, reviewed, and reintroduced for students in all levels of courses. For better outcomes, it is recommended that MSE instructors highlight materials’ importance through application and explain MSE’s connections via courses on different subjects whenever possible.

Authors

Prof. Jiliang Li, D.Eng., Ph.D., P.E. California Baptist University [biography]

Dr. Jiliang Li, D.Eng, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction Management at California Baptist University (CBU) currently teaching Surveying and 3 Labs sections, Soil Mechanics and 2 Labs sections in fall semester; Foundation Engineering, Materials Engineering and 2 Lab sections, and a Construction Law and Safety classes in spring semester. Before working at CBU, Dr. Li has been an assistant professor of civil engineering at Purdue University Northwest (PNW) two campuses since 2014. While at PNW, he had experience of teaching Surveying and GIS, engineering geology, soil mechanics I and II, intermediate soil mechanics, foundation engineering, rock mechanics, soil engineering, surface water hydrology, engineering hydrology and hydraulics, environmental engineering, fluid mechanics, statics, materials science, structure and properties of materials, etc. Before coming back to teach at Purdue University, he had industrial experience in several States with projects consulting experience ranging from small residential, commercial and subdivision projects to larger scale State DOT and federal projects after additional courses and research study of geotechnical engineering at University of Akron. Dr. Li has teaching and research interests ranging from engineering mechanics encompassing statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials and geotechnics (including geomechanics, rock mechanics, soil mechanics and engineering geology/hydrology), probability and statistics applications in civil engineering, and reliability based LRFD of geotechnical engineering, design of earth structures, soil and rock exploration, geotechnical and foundation engineering in particular. Dr. Li can be reached at JLi@Calbaptist.Edu and/or Li1919Purdue@Gmail.Com
Dr. Jinyuan Zhai Minnesota State University, Mankato [biography]

Dr. Jinyuan Zhai joined the Mechanical Engineering faculty at MSU in August 2019. Before joining MSU, she has been teaching Mechanical Engineering courses at Purdue University Northwest. Dr. Zhai has also worked as a lecturer (assistant professor) of mechanical engineering at University of Science and Technology, Beijing. She earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from The University of Akron in 2016 specializing in solid mechanics areas. Her dissertation work was on Modeling Ductile Damage of Metallic Materials. She received her B. Eng and M. Eng degrees in Engineering Machinery from Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, formerly known as Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Institute where she pursued MS studies on Reliability Design of Box Girders of Cranes Based on Probability Theory. Dr. Zhai has teaching and research interests in solid mechanics and their applications to different engineering fields and in particular mechanical and civil/structural engineering.

Download paper (1.76 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session

For those interested in:

Academia-Industry Connections