This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
This year’s Introduction to Engineering class is taking an important step in learning exactly what engineering is about by designing a system to remove hemoglobin, a part of blood, from solutions.
Their work will involve ultrafiltration, a widely used process that separates very minute particles, says Scott Hummel, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and coordinator of the Introduction to Engineering course.
“You can filter anything from hemoglobin to bacteria, which can be removed from water to make it drinkable,” he explains.
In dealing with hemoglobin specifically, Hummel explains that “a pharmaceutical company might make synthetic ‘blood’ and would need to increase the concentration of hemoglobin in order to be used in the body. To accomplish this, the ultrafiltration process would be employed.”
The course familiarizes students with the four B.S. engineering majors and A.B. engineering. Professors representing each major rotate in the role of class instructor.
The project involves all five engineering areas, according to Hummel:
Chemical — the students will design an ultrafiltration system that will have a set of design criteria, with one group designing a system to remove bacteria for a backpacking hand-operated unit, while another group designs a stationary ultrafiltration system, for a pharmaceutical plant, for example;
Mechanical — the students will “optimize the pump actuator to maximize the flow rate while minimizing the pressure,” says Hummel. The machine that students will use has a 14:1 pressure ratio, which means for each pound put in, 14 pounds per square inch of pressure are created;
Civil and environmental — the system is basically a pressure vessel, a design that is part of civil engineering, and the students will be making a supporting structure, where they will consider both labor and material costs, and limitations in their design;
Electrical and computer — a pressure transducer senses pressure and converts it to an electrical signal, which students process to display on a computer screen. The students will design an electrical circuit to measure the pressure inside the pump;
A.B. engineering — A feasibility study will consider the financial aspect, which involves figuring out how to scale this project up to make a manufacturing facility, and deciding the most economical way of doing so, as well as how it would be financed. A study in project management creates groups of four or five students to manage the project throughout the semester and decide the best way to handle the required projects.
“Students are doing much more analysis on the projects,” Hummel says. “We take it to the next level of engineering.”
“Very little analysis goes into high school projects,” he continues. “Our students make design decisions by methods they have tried, not by the ‘seat of their pants’ as is done in high school.”
Introductory classes traditionally are considered relatively easy courses in a major, but Hummel and his colleagues have worked to make Introduction to Engineering more rigorous.
“It is one of the more challenging courses now. We attempted to ramp the course up on all fronts,” says Hummel. “I think we have done a successful job at that.”
The improved Introduction to Engineering is providing students with a lesson on what an engineer does in any arena, according to Hummel. “It’s a hands-on project that gives the students the opportunity to get a good sense of what an engineer is. Engineers put more analysis into their work. They design by analysis, then make design decisions, and then go through with it. Students are given a good feel for what we do, not just at Lafayette, but in the real world.”