2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Industry-Academia Collaboration on Development of Learning Materials for Engineering Simulation

Presented at Mechanical Engineering (MECH) Session 18: Computational Engineering, CFD, and FEA Education

Simulation technologies such as finite-element analysis for structural mechanics and computational fluid dynamics straddle the gap between theory, which is part of the core engineering curriculum, and industry applications. For instance, simulation tools enable students to solve relevant partial differential equations over complex domains that appear in practical applications. Industry-standard simulation software such as Ansys Mechanical and Ansys Fluent provide a convenient platform for bringing industry knowledge and applications into the classroom in a way that connects with conventional theoretical material. As an example, a major university has collaborated with a leading engineering simulation company to develop industry-relevant learning modules that are used in the undergraduate curriculum. The software tools provide a platform to bring industry knowledge into the curriculum and are used to illustrate, augment and apply theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom. The classroom-tested learning modules are available for free under the simulation company's website. The modules use problem-based learning with a uniform high-level structure ending with verification and validation where learners check their results by connecting with the underlying theory. The site also contains learning content developed by the company's engineers and other university partners and provides an extensive free educational ecosystem that covers both foundational as well as advanced topics. This paper describes the approach used in embedding simulation software in engineering course content along with examples of learning materials that have been developed and employed and shown to be effective in enhancing student learning in the classroom.

Authors

Dr. Rajesh Bhaskaran Cornell University [biography]

Rajesh Bhaskaran is the Swanson Director of Engineering Simulation and senior lecturer in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. His work seeks to promote the democratization of simulation through the effective integration of industry-standard simulation software into engineering education. He has helped introduce Ansys-based simulations into 17 Cornell engineering courses. Nearly 320,000 people from 173 countries have enrolled in his massive open online course on simulations at edx.org; this course was a finalist for the edX prize. He has developed two online Cornell certificates in finite-element analysis and computational fluid dynamics for working professionals to learn practical simulations.

Dr. Dipankar Choudhury, Lead Chief Technologist and Ansys Fellow, plays a central role in advanced technology and exploratory R&D in several key areas at Ansys Inc. (part of Synopsys). In addition, he leads Ansys’s Academic Program which includes coordinating collaborative research and education partnership programs with Academia centered around engineering simulation. Prior to taking this role, Dipankar was responsible for Ansys Inc.'s technical directions in the Fluids Business Unit. Dipankar obtained his BE in Mechanical Engineering at BITS Pilani and his Ph.D. in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer from the University of Minnesota. 
Dipankar Choudhury ANSYS, Inc. [biography]

Dr. Dipankar Choudhury, Ansys Fellow, leads advanced technology and exploratory R&D in several areas at Ansys Inc. In addition, he leads Ansys’s Academic Program which includes coordinating collaborative research and education partnership programs with Academia centered around engineering simulation. Prior to taking this role, he helped set Ansys Inc.'s technical directions as the Chief Technologist in the Fluids Business Unit. Dipankar obtained his BE in Mechanical Engineering at BITS Pilani and his Ph.D. in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer from the University of Minnesota. Subsequently, he held engineering and R&D positions at Creare Inc., transitioning to the Chief Technology Officer role at Fluent Inc. which joined the Ansys family in 2016. Dr. Choudhury is an ASME, AIAA, and ASEE member, an adjunct faculty at the University of Notre Dame, and is a frequently invited speaker on campuses.

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