2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Analysis of a Scientific Paper to Scaffold Lab Report Writing Skills

Presented at Materials Division (MATS) Technical Session 2: Activities with Impact! Special Session

In the first lab session of the semester students may not have sufficient content knowledge to perform an experiment. In many courses this session is used to review safety rules or present a lecture on report formatting. These activities, however, do not engage students or excite them about the course. This presentation will highlight an introductory activity for a mechanical properties of materials lab course that requires minimal instructor preparation and no student prior knowledge. The activity is a collaborative analysis of a scientific paper that challenges students to think about report formatting and data presentation while getting to know their peers. The task can be easily adapted to fit the instructional goals of the educator and can be made appropriate for any discipline.

Authors

Prof. Lessa Grunenfelder University of Southern California [biography]

Lessa Grunenfelder has a BS in astronautical engineering and a MS and PhD in materials science, all from the University of Southern California. In 2015 she joined the USC Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science as teaching faculty. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses on material properties, processing, selection, and design. She is passionate about sharing her love of materials science with students through curriculum that combines fundamental science and engineering application. Her research interest is in efficient manufacturing of high performance composites. She is an active member of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineers (SAMPE), and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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